Bu'ed Nadhar – Experimental Labs

Bringing together architects, designers, researchers and practitioners, the two projects explore different ways of understanding and engaging with the environments around us. Through architecture, urban research, food traditions and collective practices, they examine how local knowledge, cultural memory and everyday experiences shape our relationship with the city and its spaces.

Together, the projects present two distinct explorations: one considers how the urban fabric of Al Asmakh can evolve through adaptive reuse and thoughtful transformation, while the other explores the connections between food, architecture and cultural memory through the idea of a shared meal.

Routes and Roots

How can food, shared experiences and cultural traditions shape the way we design and remember?

Led by architect and culinary storyteller Ayesha Erkin, Routes and Roots explores the connections between food, architecture and collective memory. Drawing on Gulf foodways and Sufra traditions, the project approaches the shared meal as a living archive, bringing together recipes, oral histories, making practices and research to explore the relationships between people, place and cultural identity.

Grafting Al Asmakh

How can the urban fabric of Al Asmakh be reimagined while retaining its history and character?

Led by sociologist Isabella Rossen and architect Reem Al-Muraikhi, Grafting Al Asmakh brings together architects and design practices from across the region to explore urban transformation, adaptive reuse and spatial resilience. Drawing on local knowledge and contemporary architectural approaches, the project considers how the neighbourhood can evolve while responding to the needs of its communities.