Alserkal Avenue reveals plans for Dubai’s first building by Rem Koolhaas’ OMA
Dubai's leading creative hub Alserkal Avenue revealed plans for the United Arab Emirates' first building by Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) at Dubai Art Week, held between 14–19 March. The 1,000 sq m project is a multi-purpose venue, set to transform four warehouses on the avenue into an event and project space. With concrete spray Bauhaus-inspired looks, the building fuses the industrial and cultural features of the neighbourhood.
The proposal has a full-height transparent sliding door structure, similar to OMA's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, completed last year. Inside, eight sliding doors allow for a flexible use of space. The completed space is set to open in autumn 2016; Alserkal Avenue, like OMA, is dedicated to the artist's stronger involvement in community life. The vision for the new cultural hub has always been to build a home for creative industries.
'We selected OMA to design our new project space because they share our commitment to bold ideas and experimentation,' explains Abdelmonem Bin Eisa Alserkal, the founder of Alserkal Avenue, which has been running since 2007.
Vilma Jurkute, director of Alserkal Avenue, hopes that the involvement of OMA will foster more international attention and collaborations with the Dubai art scene. Jurkute states that the space 'will offer a new opportunity to facilitate a closer dialogue between East and West while strengthening the infrastructure for the arts locally'.
Pritzker Prize-winner Rem Koolhaas's OMA has a wide portfolio of cultural projects including Seoul's Leeum, Samsung Museum of Arts; the Taipei Performing Arts Centre in Taiwan; Moscow's Garage Museum of Contemporary Art; the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec; and Faena Arts Centre in Miami, opening imminently.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Alserkal Avenue website
Photography courtesy Alserkal Avenue
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Remembering Richard Serra (1938-2024), American art’s man of steel
American artist Richard Serra, whose vast sculptures transformed landscapes around the world, has died aged 85
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Architectural gardens around the world to soothe the soul
From small domestic gardens, to nature reserves, urban interventions and local parks, here are some of the finest green projects that place nature at their heart
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Corfu hotel Domes Miramare redefines beachfront bliss
Make like Jackie O at Corfu hotel Domes Miramare, a property with contemporary luxury and echoes of 1960s glamour in spades
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Art Jameel pavilion in Dubai is a dome to fight climate doom
Art Jameel pavilion by Lebanese practice theOtherDada flags sustainability in Dubai, and opened to coincide with COP 28
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Installation SUPER LIMBO activates the empty building site of Sharjah Mall
SUPER LIMBO installation by Limbo Accra and Ivorian textile brand Super Yaya uses weaving methods to activate the paused building site of Sharjah Mall during Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023
By Nana Ama Owusu-Ansah Published
-
Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023 celebrates the ‘beauty of impermanence’
The Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, curated by Tosin Oshinowo, focuses on beauty, impermanence and adaptability; and it has just launched in the UAE
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
East Architecture Studio, Lebanon and UAE: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023
East Architecture Studio, with a base in Lebanon and the UAE, joins the ranks of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2023, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Buffalo AKG Art Museum opens, inviting us into its OMA-designed home
Buffalo AKG Art Museum opens its new, OMA-designed home in the USA
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Factory International by OMA is set to be a moveable feast
Factory International by OMA is a Manchester cultural centre designed to break barriers between audience and performer
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Oberoi Beach Resort, Al-Zorah by Piero Lissoni is an understated UAE gem
The Oberoi Beach Resort, Al-Zorah by Piero Lissoni offers beach breaks and contemporary design in the UAE
By Daven Wu Published
-
Buffalo AKG Art Museum by OMA looks to the future
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is reborn with a striking OMA-designed extension, site-specific installations, and a new focus on the local community
By Amy Serafin Last updated