A Spatial Exploration of Construction in the Gulf Region.

Look around and you may be fooled into thinking the UAE’s cityscape is its natural geography. Browsing archival photos can demonstrate how architectural projects have replaced the desert along the shore in most major emirates. And the cities are only continuing to grow over the years. The staggering rate of construction that I was witnessing made me think of the resources that were needed to sustain this rapid growth, mainly natural resources and building materials. Surely, there was a kind of symbiotic relationship wherein the desert sand, which makes up 80% of the country’s land area, was repurposed into the urban constructions, however that is not the case. Desert sand is too uniform and fine to be effectively used as concrete. As a result, sand is imported from across the world. In 2014, the UAE imported $456m worth of sand, stone, and gravel from Australia. The cost of this decision is not just a financial one, however, as there is an environmental and ethical cost, given that sand is the world’s second most consumed natural resource and the trade is mostly unregulated. I wanted to imbed these concerns into my project, staging an intervention within the natural landscape of the desert to visualize the amount of foreign sand being brought in and its intrusion on the UAE’s topography. 

Foreign Dunes is constructed out of s BC-flute cardboard and cardboard paper rolls. The project is a layered sequence of curved shapes that formed a slope, reminiscent of a desert dune. There are 8 layers, recalling the land area distribution of the region, and they are unconnected. However, they are presented as a combined unit. The paper rolls stabilize each of the layers and anchor them into the sand. I arrived at this design by simplifying and removing any complications, such as the original cardboard connector that strung through the layers. On an aesthetic level, the coloring of the cardboard allows it to be visually integrated into the desert landscape. The imagined final project would still be made out of this material, except it would be scaled up, with the smallest layer being 1.5 meters so that it would be about the height of an average standing individual. 

The simplicity of the work on one hand and its seamless integration into the landscape is in line with Dieter Rams’ ideal of unobtrusive design. However, with this project, I was also exploring new fields of artistic interventions revolving around the region’s sustainability concerns. Notable artists working within this tradition are those like Brad Downey who rethink unconventional materials, like bricks, to artistically intervene in the urban setting to convey something about everyday objects and their uses. His work is fleeting, just as mine– in its final form– will be. I am following this tradition, as well as the spirit of The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award which encourages abstract architecture that conveys a message, but remains temporary as a one-time installation. Ultimately, I aim to have it as an ad hoc exhibition, adding to the metaphor that of construction within the region as these buildings in the city are not built necessarily to be long-lasting. Given more time, I would work on integrating themes of physical labor into the project, expanding my focus. I hope this work will inspire a deeper awareness of materials and resources, they have never been and are no longer ‘at our disposal’ and each decision causes ripples.