Cultural And Public Architecture
MEAN* (Middle East Architecture Network) is an architecture practice in Dubai, based at Dubai Design District (d3), and designs cultural and public architecture in the UAE and the Gulf. Its work for public life ranges from the Sharjah Modern museum proposal for the Barjeel Art Foundation (Proposal, 2019) to Modulus, urban furniture built as a prototype for Dubai Design District (Built, 2021). Modulus and Shell Star (2012, with MATSYS) are built; the other projects are proposals.
All projects: Projects.
A.R.M. Majlis Pavilion
MEAN*’s proposal for A.R.M. Holding’s majlis pavilion at Art Dubai 2026, Madinat Jumeirah: fabric arches, a sunken majlis and a planted roof.
Lamella
Lamella, proposed shading structures for NEOM: a 3D printed concrete trunk, a UV-resistant polymer canopy and a steel frame, shaped after trees in a grove.
Penumbra
Penumbra is a proposed carbon fiber shading pavilion in Dubai: polygonal cones 5 mm thick on slender columns, arranged across the site in the 15th type of pentagonal tiling, found in 2015.
University of Sharjah Innovation Hub
A proposed Fab Lab interior for the University of Sharjah Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub, set into the existing library with little change to its frame.
Voxel
Voxel is a proposal to turn a public space in DIFC, Dubai into a gathering place: tiered modular seating under colored canopies, with food and drink stalls.
Wormhole
Wormhole is a proposed installation for Dubai Design Week 2023 by MEAN* and DezignTechnic: portals of pool noodles that would later become urban furniture.
Modulus
Modulus is a modular 3D printed urban furniture system for Dubai's public spaces, built as a prototype for Dubai Design District, after the Dubai 2040 plan.
Expo 2020 Oasis At The UAE National Pavilion
Oasis is a proposed waiting area outside the UAE National Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai: an interactive landscape designed to welcome visitors before they enter.
Expo 2020 Boulevard Roundabout Pavilion
A proposed 8-meter landmark for the Expo 2020 Dubai boulevard roundabouts: a walk-through forest of 3D printed concrete palms fitted with branching LED lights.
Sabeel
Sabeel, a competition entry for Expo 2020 Dubai, is a proposed public fountain designed to draw part of its drinking water from the air, as some beetles do.
Sharjah Modern
Sharjah Modern, a museum proposal for the Barjeel Art Foundation: limestone arcades, shaded terraces, flexible galleries and a courtyard designed to cool.
UN Square Murals
Proposed murals for the United Nations Square on the Historic Promenade of Jordan in Amman, honoring Jordanian peacekeepers with an algorithmic photo montage.
Urbani Balkoni
Urbani Balkoni, a competition entry for an observation tower in Zagreb: a concrete ramp clad in oak, spiraling 40 m up past balconies to a public platform.
Sadaf
Sadaf is a proposed 3D printed bus stop for Dubai's RTA, shaped after the seashells on the city's beaches and printed in interlocking pieces.
MEAL* Design Innovation Campus
A 2017 proposal for a 640 sqm design innovation campus in Dubai, drawing on research and workshops by MEAL*, the Middle East Architecture Lab.
Yeoui-Naru Ferry Terminal
MEAN*’s 2017 competition entry for the Yeoui-Naru Ferry Terminal on the Han River in Seoul: a transparent terminal under a canopy of giwa-inspired modules.
Willow Pavilion
Willow is a 2016 competition entry for Socrates Sculpture Park in New York: four canopies that give shelter from the elements and an identity for the park.
Shell Star
Shell Star, with MATSYS, sheltered visitors to Detour 2012 in Hong Kong. Its star shape recalls the sea and the five-petal Bauhinia on the city's flag.