Hand-carved reliefs and marquetry particulars elevate the customized joinery inside this equestrian academy in Abu Dhabi, the place French-Lebanese duo David/Nicolas has designed a library and saddle workshop.
Set throughout 65,000 sq. metres on Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi Royal Equestrian Arts (ADREA) is billed because the world’s first faculty of classical horsemanship exterior of Europe, full with 60 stables, a veterinary clinic and a climate-controlled area.
David/Nicolas was tasked with designing two separate areas for the college – a saddle workshop and an equestrian library holding greater than 14,000 books and manuscripts.
ADREA’s curriculum blends the European haute école custom with the Arabic knightly self-discipline of furusiyya, which dates again to the Center Ages and emphasises rules of horsemanship, chivalry and the mutual dependence between man and horse.
This wealthy Islamic equestrian custom and its related craftsmanship drove David/Nicolas’s inside scheme, combining heritage parts with a up to date architectural language.
“What impressed us most about Furusiyya was its technical and aesthetic dimension,” the duo informed Dezeen. “The armour, horse gear and development particulars revealed a powerful geometric language the place operate and sweetness coexist.”
“These geometries straight knowledgeable the patterns and compositions developed for the marquetry, translating technical rigour into crafted architectural surfaces.”
The library is organised round a central studying room framed in customized shelving, the place deep-red carpet and ambient lighting create a quiet, intimate ambiance.
Ornamental marquetry crafted from oak and mahogany was used to brighten the cabinets with putting geometric patterns.
They mirror motifs present in Center Jap and Emirati structure, and utilised the talents of craftsmen the studio had beforehand labored with on tasks equivalent to its refurbishment of a Twenties residence in Milan.
“The method mixed machine precision with in depth handwork, with all marquetry assembled by hand,” David/Nicolas stated. “Engraved areas have been launched to create reduction, distinction and a larger sense of depth throughout the surfaces.”
David/Nicolas balances basic and modern in renovated Gio Ponti residence
The studying room is surrounded by curved metal bookshelves that kind a steady circulation route across the house to encourage “motion, interplay and trade”.
The saddle workshop can also be organized as a room inside a room, with storage organised round a central house devoted to educating artisanal saddle-making abilities.
Right here, storage was “conceived as one thing to be exhibited reasonably than hidden”, the designers defined, with saddles, instruments and leather-based parts displayed on each side.
A modular system of moveable pegs permits for versatile reorganisation of the shows, whereas carved particulars echo the ornamental surfaces of the library, creating a way of cohesion between the 2 areas.
The workshop house is floored with pink vinyl and a sensible, hard-wearing sisal carpet. Illuminated ceiling panels generate even lighting all through the house to help with the intricate craftsmanship.
“Throughout each areas, proportion, materiality, and craftsmanship information the expertise, providing a up to date interpretation of Emirati equestrian heritage that’s rooted, exact, and forward-looking,” David/Nicolas stated.
Raffoul and Moussallem, who each come from Beirut, met whereas learning structure on the Lebanese Academy of High-quality Arts in 2006 and based their studio collectively in 2011.
Earlier tasks from the duo embrace a limited-edition furnishings assortment impressed by the night time sky, crafted from travertine stone and palm wooden.
The pictures is by Ziga Mihelcic.
