The Majlis & The Manama (Wind Catchers) Pavilion, designed by architects Ahmed and Rashid Bin Shabib, presents a groundbreaking reinterpretation of Gulf vernacular architecture at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition in Venice, Italy. This innovative installation, supported by Expo City Dubai and curated by Miwa Negoro, transforms traditional architectural concepts into a contemporary structure that serves as both a cultural bridge and environmental statement.
Anchored in personal memory and regional tradition, the pavilion draws inspiration from two fundamental Gulf architectural archetypes: the Majlis and the Manama. The design team, including collaborators Rashid bin Shabib, Ahmed bin Shabib, Amna Abulhoul, Vladimir Yavachev, Yusaku Imamura, Jonathan Shannon, Davide De Carlo, Valentina Chiesi, Grazia Sechi, Mohammed Alruways, Abdullah Al Kenani, and representatives from Dhai Dubai and Expo City, created a living scaffold that demonstrates how vernacular intelligence can inform future architectural practices.
At its core, the pavilion functions as a majlis for Venice, establishing a space for both scheduled and spontaneous ritual activities where visitors can sit, speak, reflect, and reconnect with traditional cultural practices. The architecture transcends mere symbolism by integrating spatial, thermal, and social elements that actively engage with the environment and community. Constructed as a lightweight, elevated, and porous structure, the pavilion employs passive cooling strategies inspired by the traditional Barjeel wind tower, utilizing fabric panels and soaked sails to create natural ventilation systems that welcome both air circulation and human interaction.
The pavilion's design philosophy is deeply rooted in the indigenous architectural wisdom of the Gulf region, particularly drawing from the Manama - a seasonal shelter traditionally constructed with palm-frond roofing to provide relief during Dubai's extreme summer heat. This vernacular structure embodies adaptive environmental design principles, achieving cooling through strategically placed windcatchers, humidity absorption systems, and creating communal experiences through carefully planned porosity and shade distribution. The traditional Barjeel, long celebrated for its climatic responsiveness, serves as more than just an environmental control device in this contemporary interpretation.
The Barjeel functions as both a cultural and conceptual anchor that choreographs social life and community interaction. In traditional Gulf architecture, its presence structured daily rhythms, ceremonial activities, and community gatherings, maintaining functionality even during the region's most inhospitable summer conditions. This historical significance informs the pavilion's contemporary application, demonstrating how traditional environmental solutions can be adapted for modern architectural challenges.
The pavilion's conceptual framework is enriched by generational narratives that connect past and present architectural traditions. These include a grandmother's vivid memories of Shindigha, historical family photographs taken in traditional Manama structures, and documentation of ceremonial Majlis usage during wedding celebrations and community gatherings. These traditional spaces were never designed as sealed environments; instead, they breathed naturally with climatic conditions, facilitated meaningful conversations, and provided frameworks for community interaction and cultural continuity.
In Dubai's architectural history, the act of providing shade represented far more than a simple climatic response - it constituted a fundamental act of generosity and community care. The Majlis tradition continues this legacy, standing not as a static monument but as a dynamic paradigm of communal architecture that maintains cultural and social relevance by adapting traditional forms to contemporary needs and contexts. It functions as an ongoing scaffold for kinship development, meaningful dialogue, and the practice of hospitality across generations.
The Venice installation offers a sophisticated contemporary reinterpretation of this architectural legacy, creating a hybrid pavilion that seamlessly merges historical ingenuity with modern fabrication techniques and materials. This approach proposes a renewed relationship with natural environmental systems through thoughtful architectural intervention, drawing from both material traditions and emotional intelligence embedded in Gulf architectural practices to curate meaningful ritual experiences in real time, both spatially and symbolically.
What the Majlis & The Manama brings to the Venice Architecture Biennale extends beyond a physical installation to encompass a comprehensive philosophy of living architecture. This approach preserves cultural memory while embodying enduring social values and performing climate-responsive functions with environmental grace and cultural authenticity. Rather than retreating into nostalgic representation, the project represents a forward-looking act of cultural continuity that demonstrates how traditional wisdom can inform contemporary architectural innovation.
This architectural exploration continues the design team's ongoing investigation of architecture in relation to regional ecology, building upon research previously presented in collaboration with Rizzoli in the publication "Anatomy of Sabkhas." This work formed part of the UAE Pavilion presentation that received the prestigious Golden Lion Award in 2021, establishing a foundation for continued exploration of how regional environmental and cultural knowledge can contribute to global architectural discourse and sustainable design practices.
