Bahrain’s award-winning pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Architecture may inspire several new structures across the kingdom – its passive cooling technology offering construction workers shade and respite from the heat.
“The idea is to replicate this prototype across several sites in Bahrain,” explains Noura Al Sayeh-Holtrop, deputy commissioner of the project. “The pavilion served as a test for a shading structure that we hope to implement across Bahrain in the near future.”
Heatwave is commissioned by Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities. It is curated by architect Andrea Faraguna.
The project explores how architecture can respond to rising temperatures. The geothermal cooling system on display draws from the techniques used in vernacular architecture from Bahrain and the wider region. However, it has been bolstered by contemporary innovation.
The structure combines a geothermal well, which brings cool air from underground, as well as a solar chimney that expels the warm air out. These two forces are connected in what the designers call a “thermo-hygrometric axis” that creates a gentle, controlled climate inside the space – all without machinery.
“Temperatures are rising across the world, but their effects are unequal, and the Gulf is one of the regions that will be the most affected,” Al Sayeh-Holtrop says. “The urgency of the situation is what compelled us to focus on this topic for our national pavilion at the biennale. These public shading spaces are conceived to provide shade and cooling for the most vulnerable members of society and those most exposed to heatwaves: construction workers on work sites.”
The pavilion underscores this connection between climate, architecture and social equity through its scenography. Sandbags are piled around the central geothermal well – acting as seating to visitors.
“The proposal starts by acknowledging the alarming issue of rising temperatures and its consequences, specifically for the Gulf region,” Al Sayeh-Holtrop says.
“Yet, it is also a call not to be fatalist about the situation but to investigate what the current possibilities are, reinvesting existing technologies and practices and thinking of simple ways of deploying them in an affordable, modular and replicable manner.”
Heatwave, Al Sayeh-Holtrop adds, may be rooted in traditions from the Gulf, but it invites architects worldwide to consider “local solutions” to climate challenges.
“From Bahrain and from the Gulf, we aim to propose local solutions to global challenges that, while rooted in the contemporary realities of our urban conditions, are inspired by ancestral methods of dealing with the heat,” she says.
While Heatwave may go on to inspire innovative shading structures across Bahrain, there are plans for the project in Venice to be reappropriated after the biennale concludes in November.
“We are in discussion with a few partners in Venice to relocate the installation to a location in the laguna, where it can serve as a public shading structure,” Al Sayeh-Holtrop says. “In terms of sustainability, it would not make sense to ship this installation back to Bahrain, so we are looking for a site that is in or close to Venice.”
Heatwave is Bahrain's second Golden Lion win. The country’s pavilion also received the top honour at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2010. That project, entitled Reclaim, examined the social implications of extensive land reclamation in an island nation.
“Awards are always great motivations to continue working and talking about important issues,” Al Sayeh-Holtrop says.
“It's important for us in Bahrain to have a seat in international architectural dialogues and exhibitions and to use these platforms to shed light on the urgent issues that we are addressing.”
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Results
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
