Sana Sajan launches Wabi Sabi, a community art space
Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life, keeping this thought alive a new studio was launched this weekend in Dubai which is going to make waves in the art community in the UAE- Wabi Sabi is a community arts space that aims to engage audiences, promote local artists and support the development of Dubai’s art scene through its extensive art programmes, educational initiatives, and community projects.
Through their diverse public programmes, they aim to increase knowledge and appreciation for the arts in the UAE, their objective is to build a bridge between the arts and education, opening cultural dialogue in a non-judgemental environment, and help carry the ideation process into creation. As a means to do so, they host workshops, talks, events and opportunities to bring together a like-minded community.
Wabi Sabi will be housed in the communal art studio Meraki Art studio in Al Quoz, who’s founders Pooja and Kajol, are a powerhouse of talent and are deeply passionate about the arts, and are active supporters of the art scene in Dubai, Kajol, a qualified interior designer, put her skills at work at the studio which is evident in the elegant and abstract interiors of the art space. their studio is a multi-concept space that offers workshops to help their patrons de-stress, a space to build resin furniture, Wabi Sabi – which will be their painters area.
Their studio is open to people of all skill-levels. Anyone interested in painting, candle-making, soap-making, resin art, woodwork or other forms of art and design can come to the venue and practice the art of their liking, the studio has a variety of payment and membership options and has already caught the fancy of art aficionado’s across the city.
“For professional artists who want a regular space to work, they can opt for the monthly membership. For those who want to unwind with a single session of painting after a long day at work, they can do that at nominal charges,” says Pooja co-founder of Meraki Studio.
The space is also a perfect co-working space for artsy peeps to get their thinking caps on, at a convenient location at an affordable price.
Sana Sajan owner of Wabi Sabi was quoted “My collaboration with Meraki is the perfect amalgamation of where I would want to see my passion for art being able to touch the lives of people who are as inclined towards the arts as I am, Wabi Sabi will allow you to give your thoughts an output through the medium of painting”
The art scene in the UAE has seen a radical shift, post the opening of the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, the region has seen a major influx of expat community off late, open immigration policies and an oil-fuelled economic boom have drawn creative minds to the UAE, and collectors and museum professionals have followed, looking to discover art from the region.
The art scene is a massive industry in the UAE and catching onto this early worm are these 3 entrepreneurs, who are going to leave no stone unturned in fuelling the minds of young budding artists and veterans alike.
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Nakheel’s new Murooj Al Furjan community begins construction, with a completion date of 2024
Dubai-based master developer Nakheel has awarded a contract for infrastructure work and the construction of 620 homes at Murooj Al Furjan, its sell-out, gated community at its Al Furjan master development.
Nakheel has appointed Dubai-based Al Shafar General Contracting to deliver the villas and townhouses and associated infrastructure work at the new community, with completion due in 2024.
Launched in May 2021, the Murooj Al Furjan community is close to Al Furjan’s retail Pavilion, community club and Dubai Metro station. The homes are set among extensive green spaces, scenic walkways and a wealth of amenities including swimming pools, jogging tracks, sports courts and shaded play areas.
Spanning 560 hectares and currently home to nearly 30,000 people, Al Furjan is one of Nakheel’s biggest and most popular mixed-use developments.
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IMKAN partners with artist Jack Lee to bring urban art to Abu Dhabi community
Abu Dhabi-based IMKAN Properties has partnered with the award-winning Chinese artist Jack Lee to create an art mural at the newly-opened Sheikha Fatima Park. The project is part of the developer’s commitment to bring urban art to the community and enhance the appeal of the capital’s landscape.
Set in the middle of the Khalidiya neighbourhood, the former park that historically catered to women and children only was transformed by IMKAN in partnership with Abu Dhabi Municipality into the emirate’s first urban lifestyle park, integrating conventional park elements with new components and activities. It also became the first park in the capital with a dedicated area for pets, which is reflected in the new animal-themed mural.
Jack Lee expressed hope that his work enhances the visitor experience at Sheikha Fatima Park and engages the capital’s community through engagement and conversations around the art mural. “Nature and art make us human, heal our psyche, and provide rejuvenation when we most need it,” Lee said. “The success of my work will depend on its ability to engage the public. Moreover, artwork is created by individuals, but they are ultimately valued and empowered by society.”
Art lies at the heart of IMKAN’s effort to create a fresh and lively landscape in Abu Dhabi and reframe notions of what a park should be and how it should relate to visitors.
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AECOM partners with Royal Commission for AlUla to provide training to the local community in North West Saudi Arabia
Partnering with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), AECOM is delivering project management and leadership training to the local community of AlUla, supporting RCU’s strategic mission to develop the region’s human capital and build a thriving economy.
“RCU is one of our key government clients with whom we are partnering to transform the country under Saudi Vision 2030,” said AECOM’s Soner Keskinel, Vice President, Program Management and Construction Management (PMCM) in Saudi Arabia. “As we develop the heritage-rich AlUla into a world-class destination for nature and culture, an important responsibility is ensuring the local people have the skills that will prepare them for success in the modern job market, enabling them to be active participants in the region’s economic and cultural development.”
The program is being delivered virtually using AECOM’s global learning management platform, with content developed in close collaboration between RCU leaders and subject-matter experts from AECOM’s local team, as well as regional and global resources. Designed with careful consideration to the needs of the local community, the program consists of seven leadership and project management modules that combine guided, expert-led sessions with self-study and online assessments, ending with a case study assessment.
Mohamed S. Alshamari, Chief Economic and Social Development Officer at RCU, said: “HRH Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s vision puts developing people before place. So at the heart of establishing AlUla as a vibrant cultural destination is developing our community’s skills-base, creating new economic opportunities and improving their quality of life. Such large-scale transformation is best achieved through public-private partnerships similar to the collaboration between RCU and AECOM.”
The first cohort of the training program successfully ran from 21 March 21-May 31, 2021, with 94 participants. The second cohort will be welcomed in August.
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This newest sustainable community in Abu Dhabi is offering Spanish-inspired villas!
Jubail Island Investment Company has unveiled its designs for the first phase of villas currently under construction, offering Mediterranean-inspired living at the heart of Abu Dhabi’s newest sustainable community.
With four distinct styles to choose from, the villas provide a range of unique designs to suit buyers and are available for sale immediately. The developer has drawn inspiration from the historical styling of original Spanish haciendas, offering residents a contemporary, stylish and unique family residence amid a beautiful natural setting.
Taking design cues from traditional Spanish architecture such as overhanging terracotta pitched roofs, coloured external renders and classic Spanish metalwork, the villas represent an organic, luxurious and modern take on the hacienda. In addition to main entry courtyards, special features include towers concealing staircases, balconies, and colonnades as well as covered terraces – all adding the element of discovery, yet facilitating practical living spaces for modern families.
The Mediterranean-style villas will be offered across multiple villages in Jubail Island: Marfaa Al Jubail, Souk Al Jubail and Seef Al Jubail, and Nad Al Dhabi.
Mounir Haidar, managing director of Jubail Island Investment Company, said: “We are delighted to announce that our Mediterranean villas are on sale, providing families with a traditional design built to the most modern standards of construction using the best materials available.”
“Set amid Abu Dhabi’s outstanding natural beauty, discerning purchasers have the choice of four separate styles – yet each one connects luxury with the aesthetic of a true hacienda house. We set out to demonstrate a sense of Mediterranean architecture mixed with the luxurious, bespoke features that perfectly represent the vision of Jubail Island. These villas are perfect for families seeking a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary living,” stated Haidar.
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POLI.design announces webinar on olfactive design for the UAE’s design community
POLI.design, Politecnico di Milano’s post-graduate school, will host a free webinar on olfactive design for the UAE’s design community on Monday, March 22, 2021, from 6 – 7 pm (UAE time).
The olfactive design, one of the least explored fields of design of all time, focusses on indoor air quality for residential, retail and office environments, exploring antibacterial efficiency and how the choice of materials may absorb or diffuse odour, related to emotional marketing.
Architecture and interior design professionals working across both commercial and residential sectors, as well as student design graduates interested in fundamentals of olfactive design, can register for the webinar here: https://share.hsforms.com/1ueKCRTutQK26JN8SXzjbqg4rs5n
Politecnico di Milano’s professor Anna Barbara will be leading the presentation, together with a scientific director Roger Schmid, and will discuss the relationship between scents, spaces, and spatial design.
Commenting on the “design of the invisible” concepts related to the sense of smell, Anna explained that scents are no longer the monopoly of the beauty industry and perfumery.
“Scent, and all its ramifications, also belong to architects, designers, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and professionals that are constantly immersed in the daily invasion of smells that surround us,” said Politecnico di Milano’s professor, adding:“In the post-Covid world, olfactive designers, as a professional profile, are now becoming in demand by the world of hospitality, retail, interior design, branding, manufacturing, as well as in the experience sector, from museums to entertainment.”
Marina Mrdjen, the founder of Dubai-based design marketing agency Intelier, will be moderating the session and the Q+A session at the end.
This webinar is part of POLI.design’s Webinar World Tour, a series of digital events, which allow design professionals worldwide to expand their knowledge in a specific design field while directly engaging with the professors of Politecnico di Milano. During the webinar, attendees will also learn about the first international online course on Olfactive design, scheduled from May 25, 2021, to December 17 , 2021.
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Arada launches Masaar, an upscale forested community in Sharjah
Arada has announced the launch of Masaar, the developer’s third project, a mega community in the Al Juwaiza’a district of New Sharjah with a sales value of AED8 billion. The 19 million square foot upscale project will include 4,000 villas and townhouses in total, all set in eight gated districts linked by Masaar’s signature feature, a lushly landscaped and walkable ‘green spine’. Construction on Masaar will begin in the second quarter, and the first homes are scheduled to be handed over in the first quarter of 2023.
Masaar, or ‘path’ in Arabic, has been carefully designed to enable its residents to transform their lives by encouraging healthy living in harmony with nature. Featuring over 50,000 trees, Masaar’s green spine will be activated by footpaths and a range of different sporting facilities, all hosted in a safe, serene and nature-filled environment. Families residing in Masaar will enjoy a peaceful yet world-class living experience, with acres of green space allowing for forest walks, picnics, running, cycling or meditation.
One of Masaar’s main attractions will be a five-kilometre looped and continuous two-lane cycling track that will be able to cater to leisure riders as well as professionals. Residents and visitors from outside the community will be able to ride through lush woodlands, with resting spots and healthy cafes located adjacent to the track.
The focal point of Masaar is a forested heart featuring an experience centre, a Zad food truck district, a full-service fitness centre, a skatepark, a children’s adventure playground and an events space. Masaar’s community centre will contain an anchor supermarket, shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a wide variety of services to cater to residents’ day-to-day needs. Also included in the Masaar masterplan is a large international school and nursery, located to the north side of the project.
HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, said: “Masaar offers a path to the ultimate lifestyle transformation, and a major addition to Sharjah’s residential landscape. It is a serene, exclusive and forested environment that also offers all the comforts of a modern urban district, offering you the best of both worlds.
“Our own results tell us that interest in high-quality, well-designed master-planned communities in Sharjah remains strong, and we are confident that the Masaar lifestyle and the impressive list of amenities will resonate with end-users and investors. Our ability to enhance both social and economic development is allowing Arada to take an ever more prominent role in the growth of Sharjah’s economy as well as the regional real estate industry as a whole.”
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal, Vice Chairman of Arada, said: “Masaar has been designed to make its residents happier and healthier, while at the same time providing substantial benefits for the environment. “The abundance of green space, and an active lifestyle will also help to reduce the stresses of urban life, especially at a time when the importance of safety and security has never been higher. We believe that by uniting people with nature, this community will set a new standard for living in the UAE.”
Each home at Masaar has been designed to bring the nature-filled surroundings inside the house, while ensuring the privacy of its residents. Characterised by straight lines that complement the organic landscape around the home, the architecture of each unit has been designed to provide a continuous flow between outdoors and indoors, using floor-to-ceiling glass. Smart features, including remote access, climate and lighting control will be a standard feature of every Masaar unit. Every home also has direct access to leafy parks and will also incorporate natural features such as trees into its design. The community will be built to the very highest construction standards, catering to smart and sustainable living.
To conserve precious natural resources, Masaar’s green spaces will be irrigated by recycled water from the community’s onsite treatment plant. Water distribution will also be undertaken by a state-of-the-art irrigation system that will reduce the amount of water required and also monitor any leaks or losses in the system. Forested areas at Masaar will be grown using a mixture of species native to the UAE and lush plants and trees, that will together create a micro-climate that contributes to a reduction in overall temperatures, thus reducing cooling costs within the community.
Sales for the first district to be offered to the public, Sendian, began on Sunday 31 January. Sendian, which means oak tree in Arabic, consists of 445 homes, ranging in size from two-bedroom townhouses to five-bedroom Sendian Park Villas, all located close to the leisure and entertainment zone in the heart of Masaar. Construction on the Sendian district will begin in June this year, with the first homes scheduled to be handed over in the first quarter of 2023. The entire Masaar master plan is expected to take seven years to complete.
Masaar is ideally located in the up-and-coming district of Juwaiza’a, close to Tilal City, the Sharjah Mosque and Arada’s first project, Nasma Residences. The community has easy access to Emirates Road and Mleiha Road, and is 15 minutes’ drive from Sharjah International Airport, and 20 minutes’ drive from Dubai International Airport. The location is ideal for a convenient and traffic-free commute from Sharjah to Dubai or the Northern Emirates.
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