{"id":65116,"date":"2025-11-10T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T06:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/?p=65116"},"modified":"2025-11-12T22:27:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T18:27:54","slug":"the-middle-easts-best-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magpie.ae\/staging4\/the-middle-easts-best-buildings\/","title":{"rendered":"The Middle East\u2019s best buildings?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The inaugural RIBA Middle East Awards were handed out during Dubai Design Week. The qualifications are pretty generous \u2013 submissions had to have been completed between July 2020 and July 2024 by a qualified architect (not necessarily an RIBA architect) \u2013 and the aim is of course to recognise the best of the region\u2019s new architecture (and to highlight the architects responsible). <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But RIBA President Chris Williamson also identified the near-obligatory Higher Purpose, saying the projects recognised in the RIBA Middle East Awards \u201cshow architecture\u2019s growing influence in shaping how people live, learn, and come together across the region\u201d and \u201ccelebrate progress, not only in design and technology, but in how buildings can create opportunity, inclusivity, and lasting cultural value\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The awarded projects do seem to be united by a sensitivity to context \u2013 heritage, landscape, culture \u2013 which is exactly what you\u2019d expect from successful architecture, especially in this region. With some of the winners, the context is key \u2013 the Buhais Geology Park Centre couldn\u2019t have been a concrete slab dumped into the desert, the new STEM centre for Dubai College needed to fit into its physical surroundings and reflect the evolving education it will help deliver, the Serai Wing gets its class and atmosphere from sensitive modernisation of existing buildings that carry a tradition of their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kerem Cengiz, the Jury Chair for the awards, made this point well: \u201cThe winning projects reflect an architectural language that is deeply rooted in the Middle East\u2019s evolving identity, one defined by stewardship of heritage, climate consciousness, and social transformation. Each shows how architecture can mediate between tradition and progress: preserving memory while embracing innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly the award categories have been chosen to reflect a broad range of projects and therefore architectural impacts. Good architecture often costs good money, and many such awards are limited to the biggest and boldest of statements for clients with the deepest of pockets. The RIBA Middle East Awards include some of those, but many of the nine winners are smaller, quieter projects with perhaps a more subtle impact \u2026
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Design for Living Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
Al Wasl Plaza, Dubai<\/mark> <\/strong>
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not that subtlety is an absolute requirement. Al Wasl Plaza, the centrepiece of Expo 2020 Dubai, is an exuberant, extravagant (in the best sense of the word) space that has evolved into a busy, vibrant centre for Expo City. Its iconic dome is the big plus, of course; Guinness World Records agrees it\u2019s the world’s largest immersive dome, a trellis structure that provides shade during the day and transforms into a 360o<\/sup> projection surface at night. The Plaza hosts year-round events \u2013 shows, performances, musical productions and more, including the current Dhai Dubai<\/a><\/strong> light art installations. It\u2019s striking and fun, it\u2019s as sustainable as it could be (a high recycled content and minimised carbon emissions during construction), and it will last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Future Project Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
King Salman Park, Riyadh<\/mark> <\/strong>
Gerber Architekten i+ Buro Happold \/ Setec<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And you wouldn\u2019t expect anything less from a project in Riyadh \u2013 the repurposing of a former airport as the world\u2019s largest urban park (more than 13km2<\/sup>). Its landscaping will include theatres, art galleries, and sports facilities, meeting the community-service requirement \u2013 indeed, it\u2019s described as \u201da vital green intervention to the heart of Riyadh \u2026 designed to enhance biodiversity, improve air quality, and promote active, healthy living\u201d. That ticks lots of boxes. It will of course need a lot of water \u2013 150,000m3<\/sup> per day \u2013 but apparently this will come from treated wastewater, especially TSE (treated sewage effluent), so there\u2019s a hopefully sustainable and climate-resilient element to all that greenery \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Adaptive Reuse Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
The Serai Wing, Bait Khalid Bin Ibrahim, Sharjah<\/mark> <\/strong>
ANARCHITECT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s the smaller projects, the ones that perhaps won\u2019t get so much public footfall and eyeball, that really caught our attention. ANARCHITECT has transformed a pair of 1950s pearl-merchant homes into a boutique hotel for Chedi al Bait that echoes Shariah’s past and offers contemporary comfort \u2013 especially by retaining and restoring the original character of the building (spiral staircases, original stonework etc) while introducing new spaces and contemporary elements (travertine, perforated metal, a commendably minimalistic aesthetic). As adaptive projects go, it isn\u2019t the most outlandish repurposing you will find \u2013 but it has been done with sensitivity and taste. Wouldn\u2019t you want to stay there?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sustainability & Resilience Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
Jafar Centre, Dubai College<\/mark> <\/strong>
Godwin Austen Johnson<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another discreet development, and one that has already collected a clutch of awards including Social Infrastructure Project of the Year (MEED 2023) and a Design Middle East Award for education in the same year. The Jafar Centre is a purpose-built STEM facility that replaced underused space in Al Sufouh; GAJ designed a compact vertical building which prioritises daylight, acoustics, thermal comfort, and sustainability \u2013 indeed, it\u2019s aiming for LEED Gold certification. Perhaps equally important, it was delivered with minimal disruption to the surrounding area and the life of the school. And while the exterior is elegant enough, it\u2019s the interior design that grabs the attention \u2013 lots of emphasis on flexibility and collaboration, for instance with moveable walls between classrooms; an indoor garden sits in the central atrium with several different areas surrounding it, including pods for socialising or study and an open plan library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

RIBA Member Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
Buhais Geology Park Interpretive Centre, Sharjah<\/mark> <\/strong>
Hopkins Architects<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Set within a protected desert landscape, the educational centre for Buhais Geology Park features a group of striking, shell-like buildings inspired by fossilised sea urchins found on site. That\u2019s the kind of starting point you\u2019d expect, but there\u2019s no preference for form over function here \u2013 the centre really works. Hopkins Architects designed five interconnected pods of varying sizes for exhibition areas, a theatre, and a caf\u00e9 and gift shop; looping around the site is an outdoor trail with viewing areas, an outdoor classroom shaded by a canopy, and raised walkways across natural rock formations and ancient burial sites. It all looks great, even slightly prehistoric (that\u2019s sea urchins for you), and it does blend gently into the surrounding terrain; there\u2019s a strong sense that visitors are well served with information and eduction about the fragile desert environment from the architecture as well as the content. It\u2019s been up and running since 2020, so it only just snuck into the eligibility window \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

RIBA Member Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
Expo 2020 Thematic Districts, Dubai<\/mark> <\/strong>
Hopkins Architects<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A complete contrast (in scale at least) from Hopkins Architects \u2013 a district masterplan for Expo City, creating a human-scaled, walkable environment inspired by traditional Arab urbanism as a modern interpretation of the oasis, with shaded courtyards, tree-lined streets, and adaptive reuse at its core. The challenge was to design something which would meet the highly functional, temporary needs of exhibitors, but would also adapt easily to deliver a lasting legacy project. That seems to have been achieved: the project has been successful at serving both the initial function of Expo 2020 and the area\u2019s evolution into a coherent mixed-use urban space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Social Architecture Winner<\/span> <\/strong>
Al-Mujadilah Center and Mosque for Women, Doha<\/mark> <\/strong>
Diller Scofidio + Renfro<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Conceived by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and designed by one of the hottest architecture studios around, the world\u2019s first purpose-built contemporary women\u2019s mosque features a grand 875m2 prayer hall designed for up to 750 worshippers, plus classrooms and other side-spaces under a spectacular undulating roof with 5,500 small conical light wells. It\u2019s the soft wash of natural light from those that really makes the building so special; there\u2019s no direct sunlight. Structurally, the large steel span eliminates the need for interior columns, creating an open, uninterrupted space where visitors can see olive trees and feel a connection to the surrounding landscape. Elizabeth Diller said it\u2019s a place for education and work: \u201cringing those together under one roof, with classes and discourse and debate, was very important, because there was really no space for that to happen. It\u2019s a paradigm-shifting thing \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Temporary Architecture Winner<\/span> 1 <\/strong>
Singapore Pavilion, Expo 2020, Dubai<\/mark> <\/strong>
WOHA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Singapore’s Pavilion was genuinely one of the best at Expo 2020 \u2013 a lush oasis of vertical gardens, achieving net-zero energy and water use with recyclable materials and techniques that showcased the country\u2019s innovation in sustainability and biodiversity. It works both in architectural terms and as a good fit for the client\u2019s brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Temporary Architecture Winner<\/span> 2 <\/strong>
World Food Waste Teahouse (Arabi-an), Dubai<\/mark> <\/strong>
Mitsubishi Jisho Design<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This one is probably the most self-consciously innovative of the winners and in an aesthetic sense the least designed, using tea leaves, dried fruit and recycled paper to create \u201cthe world\u2019s first food concrete structure\u201d. Fully biodegradable and climate-adaptive, the pavilion (one of two built by Mitsubishi Jisho in 2023 \u2013 the other was in Venice) can be disassembled into parts for further upcycling, and then reassembled and redistributed as furniture that can be shaped in various ways: \u201ccircular design in a culturally meaningful context\u201d as the press release put it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The RIBA Middle East Award jury members<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n