The titular pavilion is on show as part of this year’s Dubai Design Week. The structure’s Iraq-based architect, Ola Saad Znad, discusses the shelter that is inspired by the floating houses found in the Mesopotamian Marshes of southern Iraq. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is Monocle on Design Extra.
It's a short show to accompany our weekly program where we discuss everything from architecture and craft to furniture and fashion.
I'm Ailee Evans.
Dubai Design Week is underway at the moment, bringing together creatives from across the Middle east in a showcase of the best in design from the region.
Amongst the installations and exhibitions at this year's 10th edition is the Bespoke Pavilion, a present absinthe created especially for this year's event.
The enclosed shelter is inspired by the houses found in the marshlands of southern Iraq and made from reeds and mud using traditional techniques.
It forms part of the wider research from the Iraq based architect Ola Saad Sanad, in which she investigates the potential uses of these ancient materials and ways of making.
Monocle's design editor Nick Muniz caught up with the architect at the pavilion to find out more.
This installation was made out of materials that are exported from Iraq, specifically Ahwar, which is the southern part of Iraq.
The constructions, the pieces, these are also made by the craftsmen in Ahwar, which is the marshlands in Iraq.
Those people, they are marginalized communities and they do have a lot of this craft that I want to celebrate because the area of the marshland now is facing water depletion.
And I think the world should see how amazing the vernacular and indigenous architecture they do.
These pieces are made of very minimal tools and this is what's the beauty of it.
It's only made of like knives and scissors and a few ties and you get to see this beautiful structure and this material that gets bent on its own with its own flexibility.
I think I'm trying to honor this craftsmanship because we are losing it because of the water depletion.
And it's like they have their own biodiversity and they depend a lot on water.
So once the water is gone, everything else is going to obviously be gone.
I just want to tell the world that the Arab world has a lot of architecture and has a lot of people who does a lot of craft who are not even architects.
This material is sustainable and it's heat resistant.
During the construction of this installation, I also experimented in creating urban furniture like the benches, the table.