Delivering a digital future – Design Middle East
Kerem Cengiz, managing director of LWK + PARTNERS, discusses how digital solutions are drastically altering operational practices and accelerating project delivery.
At this last year’s Cityscape Global at Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo 2020, LWK + PARTNERS hosted a capsule display inspired by travelling trunk shows, the exposition titled “MACRO – TO – MICRO | CITY – TO – HOME”
At a stroke, this has transformed the practice into an agent of digital change. One not merely talking design of the intelligent environments, instead of true digital transformation. The design, production, and integration of smart and automated systems for the built environment with their sister companies is BIM and Know. Kerem Cengiz, managing director, MENA states “that as innovators we seek a better urban future for the global communities in which we are established, LWK + PARTNERS has long adopted a multidisciplinary approach that we have developed across our technology-led research studios to harness the possibilities of the future through digital transformation, integration and now automation both in our studios but in people’s workplaces and homes.” Cengiz went on to say: “By 2025, it predicted that there will be at least 26 major intelligent cities around the world. While some still believe that as our cities get more intelligent, they will resemble dystopian science fiction movies, the reality is that the quality of life in these cities has already, and will continue to dramatically improve. Cities are becoming more efficient with better services.”
To reach these ideals, Cengiz spoke of the process itself and evaluated the challenges that LWK + PARTNERS and its sister companies isBIM and Know faced in their respective journeys of coming together and how they responded to technology and innovation in their planning, architectural design, and how the execution of the projects is pivoting. “The traditional project execution paradigm currently in use has limitations and is not well equipped to handle the complexities of implementing the significant capital projects we are seeing in the region today,” Cengiz stated. He went on to explain that “these traditional execution models can lead to cost and schedule overages. There are many examples of significant recent projects taking longer than expected to complete at a higher-than-expected cost.” As cities continue to develop, new tools emerge to change the way architects, contractors and consumers envision and create the built environment. Building data and codes are becoming more accessible, and in turn, have begun to reach a point where homeowners and developers can input a set of information and an optimised design is produced. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, generative design and automation have begun to our industry as we know it. As systems and tools to reimagine the built environment, they present diverse opportunities to rethink traditional workflows and accessible automation products for the way we wish to live our lives. For example, this year we showcased one of our groups designed Robotic Baristas at Cityscape, it attracted an incredible level of attention and delight, yet automation has been widely adopted by the manufacturing industry for decades. We want to bring this into what we do and what we offer. Yet, we seldom find high levels of automation in the construction industry or in our homes. We asked ourselves why is this and how can we make it a reality? Ultimately, the least discussed but most powerful benefit of robotics and automation in construction is the unlocking of design possibilities and the automation of our day to day living environments and how this practically interfaces at the city intelligence scale.
We decided to actively explore our partnership with sister company Know to explore opportunities to commercialise robotic technologies, automated systems, and AI. To adapt them to the workspace and our homes in a way that would encourage the adoption of automation within our communities and cities. For us it has been a paradigm change, it is disruptive and causes the business to redefine how it works so that it delivers a positive customer experience. Digital solutions are significantly changing operational standards and streamlining project delivery. Key to this shift has been the technical data hub and the common data environment created by our sister company isBIM which is at the core of digital execution. Without these two essential unifying elements, the various information systems we use would be nothing but a collection of information silos. The common data environment is vital to providing project participants with one set of data to describe the various aspects of the project and is essential in maintaining data integrity. The hub gathers information and is the single access point for all project participants and stakeholders to get project data and documents easily and quickly. What is different in our common data environment is how information is stored and shared among these applications and the high degree of integration among these information systems, which eliminates the silo effect. This makes it easier to unlock the full potential of new digital technologies, such as augmented reality, in the design and construction of a capital project. Cengiz concluded by stating: “Intelligent city technology doesn’t necessarily consist of autonomous vehicles and drones. In fact, it can take on simpler initiatives like air quality sensors near highways, water sensors in stormwater drains, etc.”
Governments and communities believe that technology can solve problems, Cengiz rephrased it, “putting people at the centre of the equation, we can initiate a better conversation, determine specific issues, and find contextual technology-based solutions to fix obstacles.” He continued: “Smart cities have become a tool for marketing, with identical strategies implemented everywhere in the world, we suggest starting small. With precisely contained activations, city leaders can identify key problems and explore them with intelligent technologies. Different technologies can be explored, monitored and amended according to tangible results, cities can reach more efficient solutions. These are the discussion that LWK + PARTNERS and Know are having with governmental entities across the region right now.”
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du announces latest collaboration with Digital DEWA to deliver new 5G use case for smart grids
du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has announced a new collaboration with Digital DEWA, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and its subsidiary, InfraX, to develop a new 5G use case for smart grids in the city.
The leading UAE telco provider has made invaluable 5G contributions to Emirati society since rollout activities began, providing residents, businesses, and industries with valuable connectivity benefits through the technology. With 5G housing the capabilities to drive transformative and sustainable impacts, InfraX will now access a highly capable 5G network to deliver a seamless use case that bolsters on-site operational efficiency. The collaboration was announced at GITEX Technology Week 2021, which is currently taking place at Dubai World Trade Center.
Fahad Al Hassawi, CEO, EITC, said: “du has always been immensely proud of its track record for supporting government entities on integral sustainability projects and ensuring they integrate the necessary technological capabilities for desired outcomes. Therefore, we are delighted to be honoring this tradition once more alongside Digital DEWA and its subsidiary Infra X. This year, we have worked together to deliver numerous tech-based use cases for digital transformation purposes, and the shared success we have enjoyed means we enter this latest project even more prepared. 5G is a fundamental pillar of our society now and in the future, and we are enthused by the prospect of facilitating 5G benefits to propel the industry to new heights.”
Inspired by a shared vision to drive digital transformation through 5G, du will support InfraX and Digital DEWA with 5G use cases integration for operational purposes. With boosting efficiency and reducing water and power supply industry costs topmost priorities in the years ahead, the two parties will deliver on these obligations by automating related processes through the use of robots and drones. With these key enablers set for immediate implementation, project deliverables will subsequently be met through a series of 5G network features and functionalities, including cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent power distribution systems, edge computing analytics, thermal cameras, site inspections, video streams, and live broadcasting.
Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of Digital DEWA, added: “As Digital DEWA looks to the future, new technologies will be crucial to supporting the government’s vision to promote sustainable development and drive energy and water usage efficiency. We are delighted to announce our collaboration between InfraX and du to meet upcoming technology and transformation aspirations for the local community .”
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GROHE launches digital platform ‘GROHE X’
Picture: Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA and Co-CEO GROHE AG
With GROHE X, LIXIL EMENA launches an industry-first digital platform for its leading global sanitary brand, GROHE. Visitors to the hub have the opportunity to create their own individual GROHE brand experience thanks to informative and inspirational multimedia content tailored to the needs of its professional business partners and consumers. Whether an industry customer wants to know which global trends are impacting the sanitary business, an installer is looking for how-to videos to make their working day easier, an architect is seeking inspiration from the latest trends, or a consumer is searching for state-of-the-art product innovations to make their dream bathroom a reality – GROHE X allows everyone to explore the world of GROHE and expand their horizon for a better way of living, whenever and wherever they want it. Originally intended as an alternative to the biennial ISH, the world’s leading trade fair for water and HVAC, from which GROHE withdrew due to the covid-19 pandemic, GROHE X is now more than a trade fair substitute:
Besides uniting thought-provoking and entertaining stories in one place, GROHE X brings the world closer together as a platform for engaging exchange with and gaining support from the brand’s experts. Now that opportunities for face-to-face meetings are limited, GROHE X provides the perfect environment for collaborating and sharing ideas – GROHE X is the new place to meet. In addition to the comprehensive free editorial content available, the platform launches on March 16 with dedicated event formats tailored to GROHE’s professional business partners.
“GROHE X is a result of our disruptive way of thinking. We embraced the new normal and understood challenges as new opportunities,” is how Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA and Co-CEO Grohe AG explains the central role that GROHE X plays for the global brand. “For me, GROHE X is proof that, especially at times like these, you need to exchange ‘but’ for ‘imagine if’ and I’m more than proud that everyone at GROHE was so bold to think open-minded like this. With GROHE X, we offer our customers a central, always-available brand hub to get inspired but also to interact with us – wherever they are, whenever they need us. Also in the future, we aim to pave new paths with GROHE X. The digital platform is just the beginning of an own experience ecosystem that will drive engagement with our customers in the years to come. As soon as it is possible again, GROHE X will be supplemented by hybrid or truck tour events,” he adds.
“Although physical distance is key these days, we still want to offer our customers a unique setting to experience our innovations and to exchange with us directly,” says Thomas Fuhr, Leader Fittings LIXIL International and Co-CEO Grohe AG “GROHE X allows everyone to immerse in the diverse world of GROHE and it gives you the building blocks to create your individual brand experience. You will get exclusive, behind-the-scenes insights of our plants and how our customer-centric supply chain connects them to the global markets, learn more about our latest technologies developed in our in-house R&D department located in Hemer, Germany, and we will also take you along with us on our sustainability journey to which we will add another milestone. It is amazing what our teams brought to life in such a short period of time.”
Putting customer-centricity at the heart
With tailored content carefully curated for each target group, GROHE X also reflects GROHE’s new commercial strategy, which was introduced in July last year. Based on comprehensive feedback from GROHE’s business partners of what they expect from the brand, the leadership team developed a go-to-market approach that offers a differentiated product portfolio and dedicated services to each of the target groups: wholesalers and installers, architects, designers and planners, as well as end-consumers.
The focus on the needs and aspirations of customers will also be of central importance with regard to the new products that GROHE will present on GROHE X: Developing relevant product solutions that improve consumers’ lives requires a deep understanding of what consumers expect from their living spaces. This is why GROHE is anticipating even unarticulated consumer needs at an early stage of the development process. To find out which consumer insights the brand is building on, which solutions will offer consumers added value in the bathroom and kitchen of the future, and how the brand plans to further expand its sustainability transformation as a double winner of the German Sustainability Award 2021, visit grohe-x.com from March 16, 2021, onward.
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The biggest and most advanced digital art gallery is coming to the GCC region
InfinityArt and Culturespaces Digital have announced their partnership in bringing to Dubai the future of art, at the Infinity des Lumières – the biggest and most advanced digital art gallery in the GCC region, in the heart of Downtown Dubai, and located in its iconic landmark, The Dubai Mall.
In collaboration with Culturespaces Digital – the most renowned pioneers in creating digital art centres and immersive digital exhibitions – InfinityArt will introduce to Dubai a completely innovative, technology-driven art and cultural platform, thus contributing to Dubai’s profile as the City of the Future.
As a ground-breaking concept, spread over an impressive 2,700 sq. metres within The Dubai Mall, Infinity des Lumières will bring to life iconic and contemporary art through 130 projectors, 58 speakers and an incredible 3,000 HD digital moving images. With the largest digital facade within The Dubai Mall – a magnificent art projection with a total display area of 200sqm – all visitors will be transformed by the concept of living dynamic art. The Infinity des Lumières’ Boutique, an experience in its own right, will be accessible directly from The Dubai Mall and open to everyone.
An internationally renowned digital art pioneer, Culturespaces Digital has produced immersive exhibitions since 2012, offering the public a truly 21st century experience. Their four immersive venues established a landmark breakthrough in the way people experience and feel art. Received with enormous acclaim, at the Atelier des Lumières in Paris, as well as the Carrières de Lumières in Provence, the Bassins de Lumières in Bordeaux and the Bunker des Lumières in South Korea, over 2 million visitors have been captivated by fine art painters such as Van Gogh, Monet, Chagall, Dalí or Japan’s 19th-century art, and moreover contemporary artists creating digital journeys especially for these art venues.
Luc Archambeaud, Head of Business Development of Culturespaces, commented: “We are delighted to bring these impressive immersive digital art exhibitions to the most visionary, vibrant and future-oriented city of the GCC. For the first time in this region residents and tourists alike will have the opportunity to experience an unforgettable multi-sensory journey, as they watch art come to life all around them – a feeling that is enchanting, entertaining, and educational.”
Van Gogh, Dreamed Japan and Verse exhibitions, will run simultaneously at the Infinity des Lumières, guiding visitors through diverse imaginative worlds, where images come to life as a wondrous animated symphony of light, colour, sound, movement and rhythm.
Catherine Oriol, Director of Infinity des Lumières, explained: “We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Culturespaces Digital in establishing our technology-driven, engaging, and transformative platform. Visitors will have infinite possibilities to be at the centre of art, fully immersed and connected to it. The inspiring exhibitions speak universally to different audiences, of all ages and cultural backgrounds.”
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Ideal Standard announces its participation in Downtown Design Digital Fair 2020
Ideal Standard announces its participation at Downtown Design, the key event of Dubai Design Week. The exhibition will launch from November 9-14, 2020, presented this year in a new hybrid format across physical and digital platforms.
Ideal Standard will showcase their latest collections digitally on Downtown Design’s website www.downtowndesign.com The digital fair will be complemented with a virtual talks series featuring Roberto Palomba, international renowned designer and architect and Ideal Standard Chief Design Officer, joining other international and regional design leaders such as Sacha Walckhoff (Designer and Christian Lacroix Maison Creative Director ) and Jennie Binchy (Architect and Design Director Binchy and Binchy Architecture ) who will all speak about how innovation and creative collaboration can offer tradition and heritage a voice on the contemporary design stage.
Palomba Serafini Associati have been trendsetters in bathroom design for the last 25 years. Beyond the bathroom space they collaborate with leading international brands like Kartell or Samsung. Their work is internationally recognised having received a multitude of prestigious awards, including the acclaimed Compasso D’Oro. To date, PS+A is the only designer who received this award for a bathroom project.
Earlier in December 2018, Ideal Standard announced its collaboration with Italian design studio Palomba Serafini Roberto Palomba. This partnership sees Ideal Standard draw on its strong design heritage, taking inspiration from previous iconic products to create new, contemporary collections that will drive the brand’s overall design philosophy and shape the bathrooms of the future, and that’s how ‘Atelier Collections’ was born.
Atelier Collection is Ideal Standard’s latest contribution to the culture of design. Aimed at fostering the process of creation, every suite from this laboratory of design-led products brings together innovation and beauty to enable the realization of timeless projects. The collection comprises a range of unique ceramics and fittings, as well as furniture and bathtubs, and a return to the use of color to enhance modern interiors projects.
A true example of reinterpreting a classic masterpiece for the modern era is the Conca basin collection, which takes inspiration from the original, designed in 1972, by Paolo Tilche – a range that signaled a shift from pure practicality to a combination of form and function in the bathroom. Palomba Serafini Associati has taken the traditional rounded basin and revamped it with a minimalistic square design to align with contemporary trends, while retaining its unique, sophisticated character.
Roberto Palomba’s Virtual Talk will premier on their website and on Dubai Design Week’s Youtube channel, 12 November 2020 at 4pm.
Nadim Choufi wins Art Jameel’s special commission for digital art
Art Jameel announces that the Lebanese artist Nadim Choufi has been awarded Art Jameel Commissions: Digital. Choufi’s winning proposal embraces the theme of smart cities and the time cycles that govern its foundations.
Launched earlier this year, Art Jameel Commissions: Digital invited artists to submit proposals through an online Open Call which attracted nearly 200 project submissions; the winning work is to be launched and exhibited online for at least six months in early 2021. The commission also provides an opportunity for mentoring by technical experts from MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL).
Responding to this year’s theme of ‘Time’, and thinking through how the concept of time has been challenged by technology and circumstance, the commission presented artists with an opportunity to rethink “digital art” and the ways in which it can question, investigate and form meaningful connections and experiences.
Choufi’s winning project, titled The Sky Oscillates Between Eternity and Its Immediate Consequences, digitally renders environments of a space colony on Earth, where two narrators attempt to unbound the perpetually promised possibilities in imagining the future and creating a space of multiple presents to question the clock running the planet through their lived experiences. The work will debut online and be accessible via Art Jameel’s websites.
Choufi’s proposal was selected by an esteemed, expert jury which included: Nadim Samman, Curator for the Digital Sphere at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Finnish word, living media and sound artist Jenna Sutela; Ben Vickers, Publisher and Chief Technology Officer at the Serpentine Galleries, London; and members of Art Jameel’s curatorial team.
Havelock One Interiors launches COVID-19 Defender, an AI-enabled digital concierge for safer spaces
In a post-Covid world, it is important to keep customers, guests, visitors, and staff as safe as possible. To tackle this challenge, Havelock One, Admira, and Samsung have partnered up to develop Covid Defender. The sleek digital display unit incorporates AI and IoT technology to ensure compliance with recommended COVID-19 safety measures.
Covid Defender offers basic and optional features such as mask and temperature detection, capacity and appointment management, as well as social distancing control. An integrated touchless hydro-alcoholic gel dispenser and the provision of additional PPE, like masks and gloves, further enables safer access to shops, restaurants, clinics and offices, for example.
The standard unit is available in metal or Corian and comes with a 32” Samsung screen (1080×1920 px) and a thermal camera. Providing a SaaS (software as a service) platform, real-time data and display content can be easily managed from one proprietary app.
“Having decades of experience, working for clients in hospitality, retail, commercial and entertainment sectors, we have a great understanding of the needs around reception desks and welcome counters,” says Mark Waters, Division Director – Retail Manufacturing at Havelock One. “Collaborating with the Spanish technology company, Admira, and Samsung Display Solutions has allowed us to integrate their AI and digital display know-how and technology with our regional fit-out and manufacturing expertise.”
Depending on the size, material and integrated features, the list price of a single unit varies between EUR 2916 and EUR 5233. For bulk orders, discounts are available and further customisation like branding can be discussed, as the units are manufactured and assembled in Havelock One’s factory in Askar, Bahrain. Admira’s software licence comes at EUR 35 per month and a subscription of remote support and monitoring services costs EUR 25 per month.
Syed Kashif Akhtar, Group Managing Director of Havelock One, adds: “For now, the challenge is Covid-19. However, in the future, digital interfaces will play a stronger role in welcoming and onboarding customers and clients. We truly believe, that QR codes, NFC tags and interactive displays are here to stay. Therefore, investing into solutions like Covid Defender, makes our and our clients’ business more future proof,” Akhtar continues.
Downtown Design 2020 will be a mix of digital and physical format
Featuring a conceptual exhibition, a digital fair, an online talks programme and tailor-made physical brand experiences, the hybrid format will be presented within the d3 Design Quarter at Dubai Design District (d3) for the full duration of Dubai Design Week, 9-14 November.
D3 ARCHITECTURE FESTIVAL 2020 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RIBA
A platform for regional architecture, urbanism and sustainable development, the d3 Architecture Festival in partnership with RIBA Gulf Chapter will stage its inaugural showcase under the theme ‘Identity, Context and Placemaking in the Gulf’ at Dubai Design Week in November.
‘PLEASE SIT HERE’ BY AMERICAN HARDWOOD EXPORT COUNCIL (AHEC)
Collaborating with Emirati designers, AHEC will develop a series of outdoor seating for use in public spaces in the UAE, titled ‘Please Sit Here’, that addresses the need to offer solutions for behavioural change brought about by the pandemic.
OPEN CALL: URBAN COMMISSIONS 2020
Supported by A.R.M. Holding, the Urban Commissions programme calls upon the creative community to propose an innovative solution to design and conceptualise a multifunctional boutique for an outdoor retail experience.
MENA GRAD SHOW
Drawing from the Global Grad Show programme that in 2020 will be produced in a digital format, the inaugural MENA Grad Show will exhibit university student projects from the Middle East and North Africa.