CONCRETE, DUBAI

Rem Koolhaas’ first completed project in the UAE, the culturally-inclined building in Alserkal Avenue is one of a kind. While the recently opened Shed in NYC is garnering column space for its flexible cultural space concept, with its movable walls Concrete is a pioneer — not only in the Arab world, for its adaptive space that can host public events, art exhibitions, performances and conferences of varied scales. The 1,250-square-metre plot is enveloped in a built structure sprayed with a mix of concrete with glass and mirror aggregates that creates creating a reflective rough texture that whilst alluding to the building’s industrial zone context, stands out among the other new-age developments at Alserkal Avenue. Inside, flexibility is maintained via four eight-metre-high walls that can rotate and slide to make way for multiple space configurations.