The 2nd Desert Architecture MENA Forum in Dubai

[Event Recap] Today, we had the pleasure of attending the 2nd Desert Architecture MENA Forum in Dubai, a focused platform convening industry leaders to examine the realities and future trajectories of design in arid environments. The discussions reinforced the urgency of integrating performance-driven thinking across architecture, façades, and landscape systems in response to increasingly extreme climatic conditions in the MENA region.

In the MENA region, the building façade stands as the primary interface against environmental forces. The panel on Future Facades brought together a strong group of experts, including Paul Schwarz (Dubai Acoustic Research Laboratory), Jawaher AlAmir (Dubai Electricity & Water Authority - DEWA), Anees Backer (Priedemann Facade Experts / Facade-Lab), Mamali Mirzaei (U+A), and Dario Perego (Azizi Developments). The discussion explored the evolution of façade systems into adaptive, high-performance envelopes that address heat, glare, and dust through material innovation and responsive technologies, while emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure durability and long-term maintenance resilience.

In parallel, the Landscapes of the Future session reframed landscape architecture as essential infrastructure rather than visual amenity. Moderated by Hani Bisada (Cracknell), the panel featured Stefan du Toit (DLR Group Middle East), Jide Sleiman Haidar, LEED AP (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Ahmed Tawakol (U+A), Rowan D'Arcy (ASPECT Studios), and Sérgio Ribeiro (Gerber Architekten). The conversation addressed water-sensitive design, the integration of native ecologies, and the role of landscape systems in shaping resilient urban environments, with a clear shift toward performance metrics as a measure of ecological and social value.

We value the opportunity to contribute to these critical conversations and to engage with peers driving innovation across architecture and urbanism in desert contexts.

U+A, a member of 10N Collective, created by Egis