In brief
During Dubai Design Week, Meraas revealed the Meraas Creative Living Space—a sensory experience that visualises the Dubai Design District’s masterplan. The installation, built with Duette Studio, breaks the district’s five future zones into interactive zones, while hosting talks, workshops and music sessions that explore design’s role in public and residential life. Partners including SOM, Woods Bagot and U+A contribute panels on the creative economy while visitors can feel how future homes and streets will connect people and cultures.
Meraas, a Dubai Holding Real Estate arm, opened a sensory installation at Dubai Design Week that translates the Dubai Design District (d3) masterplan into a walkable experience. The event ran from November 4 to 8 and aimed to let visitors see how design can shape everyday life in the district’s future neighborhoods.
The Meraas Creative Living Space was created in partnership with Duette Studio and is organized into five zones representing d3’s planned areas: The Creekside, Design HQ, SOHO, The Sanctuary and The Mindspace. Each zone offers touch‑point experiences that highlight how homes, public spaces and cultural venues will interact in the coming years.
Talks, workshops and music sessions are scheduled to run throughout the week. Architectural and creative partners such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Woods Bagot and U+A host panels that discuss the creative economy, the design process and how d3 will grow as Dubai’s creative hub.
Evening programmes at the SOHO zone feature listening sessions with Ben Palace, DJ Liutik and Karrouhat, inviting visitors to experience music as part of the district’s cultural life.
According to Meraas, the installation reflects the company’s goal of creating distinctive destinations where design shapes how people live, meet and spend time. The space also offers a way for attendees to go beyond d3’s architecture and explore how shared culture and social experiences can give the district its character.
Dubai Design Week, which opened on November 4, also showcased more than 40 projects by designers from over 50 countries. Senior Vice President Khadija Al Bastaki of Dubai Design District noted that design plays a central role in shaping how people interact with their surroundings. CEO Shaima Rashed Al Suwaidi of Dubai Culture added that the event supports Dubai’s creative economy by linking creative ideas with production and commercial opportunities. Natasha Carella, Director of Dubai Design Week, said the programme examines how design and human connection intersect while experimenting with materials, traditional crafts and emerging technologies.
