Editorial
This month we usher in not just a new year but also a whole new decade – so we have ten great years ahead of us to fill with amazing designs!
Besides the Expo site and its pavilions and metro station, we have many other exciting new projects to explore.
Anyone flying into Abu Dhabi Airport will soon be touching down at the state-of-the-art Dhs10.8 billion Midfield Terminal, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, and a key component of Plan Abu Dhabi 2030.
The great work of the late Dame Zaha Hadid will be celebrated next month at the opening of the much-awaited and delayed Melia Hotel in Dubai – one of the Pritzker and Stirling Prizewinner’s first hotels in the region.
The official opening for the new Damac Towers by Paramount Hotels & Resorts – located close to d3 and with a glamorous Hollywood and cinematic theme – is planned for mid-January.
Clem Brohier, COO of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), visited Sharjah for the official inauguration of the first RIBA office in the region – a move that is expected to boost the presence and performance of British architects in the area, especially following the signing of an MoU between RIBA and Dubai Land Department.
A highlight was a stimulating presentation by Dara Towhidi, Partner and Architect of Foster + Partners, who spoke about the firm’s work with Apple in Cupertino, which features a magnificent roof made in the UAE. He also spoke about the practice’s exquisite and challenging new project for Sharjah. Towhidi will feature in the February issue of identity.
The UAE’s Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID) is preparing for a major comeback. Next month, this not-for-profit organisation will host the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers’ (IFI) General Assembly and Congress, entitled ‘ IFI Design 2050’, at Park Hyatt Dubai. Over 300 delegates from across the world are expected, and IFI will launch its first global design competition to honour the ‘ Best Design in the World’. For updates, follow identity.ae.
The Natuzzi UAE team celebrated the advent of 2020 with dinner at La Cantine du Faubourg, revealing plans for the renovation of the brand’s flagship store in the new year. Pasquale Natuzzi Jr., son of Natuzzi’s founder, is expected to fly in for the inauguration and other Expo-related endeavours. More details will be revealed soon.
New York-based designer Antonio Pio Saracino, a runner-up in the first id Design Awards, was at Sharjah Art Museum recently for the opening of his stunning exhibition, which runs until midJanuary. Read more about his project on identity.ae and in this issue of identity.
British broadcaster and journalist Malcolm Taylor, co-host of Dubai Eye 103.8’s ‘ Business Breakfast’, passed away last month. He was a genuine journalist, a man who said what he thought and asked demanding questions. May he rest in peace.
The giant new IKEA store at Festival Plaza mall the UAE’s second IKEA store and the world’s 468th – is also making waves. The 35,500-square metre facility incorporates technology such as digital signage and 16 home planning wall projectors that allow customers to visualise products in their homes or offices. A Customer Planning Studio has been created for the designing of kitchen and bathroom spaces. The store’s sustainability features including solar panels that will generate 20% of its energy.
Next stop: Maison & Objet (17-21 January), where the first 2020 collections will be on show in the presence of Designer of the Year, Michael Anastassiades.
Happy New Year – with much hope for 2020!