Jun 5, 04:04 pm
Articles published in the Al Manakh book by Archis
Al Manakh, a book described as the first comprehensive guide to architecture and urban design in the The Gulf, was launched at the International Design Forum in Dubai. The book is jointly published by AMO – the consultancy arm of Rem Koolhaas’ Office for Metropolitan Architecture – with Dutch magazine Archis and IDF organiser Moutamarat.
Al Manakh offers a detailed analysis of the history, culture and architecture of The Gulf region including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, *Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah and discusses the implications of the rapid development of these territories for the rest of the world.
Statement from Moutamarat:
Design worldwide shows a growing ambition not just to shape things or to create form, but also to engage with events, processes and experiences. It has expanded its mandate beyond beauty. But can it also address the burning issues of our time?
Dubai attracts global attention for its mind boggling speed by which it creates a new urban theater. As one of the emerging powers in the Gulf Region, it has put itself on the map as an arena for business and leisure, producing new images of the city today. But can it also be an engine of new ideas to address the burning issues of our time?
These two questions will interact in Al Manakh, a special publication edited by Volume, the international acclaimed magazine project by Rem Koolhaas’ AMO + Columbia University, New York and the Archis Foundation, Amsterdam. Al Manakh is co-developed by knowledge-based organization Moutamarat and will be released on the occasion of the International Design Forum (IDF) due to take place in Dubai on 27-29 May 2007.
The IDF falls under Moutamarat’s International Design Initiative (IDI), the first high-profile creativity and design platform of its kind to emerge from the Arab world. After the IDF, Al Manakh will be distributed worldwide.
Al Manakh: The Report Covers recent or upcoming developments in society and design worldwide. Al Manakh: The Guide Discovers potential and opportunities for design to play a role in processes of beautification, conceptualisation, innovation, transformation and politics.
Al Manakh is divided into three sections
I. The Dubai Guide: This opening chapter edited by MOUTAMARAT considers current projects, productions, plans and ideas happening specifically in Dubai. Highlights include essays by George Katodrytis, Elie Domit and Nadim Karam.
II. Gulf Survey: This sizable section presents the in-depth research on The Gulf region carried out by AMO, the creative think tank of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA). Writings by Rem Koolhaas, Reinier de Graaf and Todd Reisz offer vital insight into the significance of the phenomena of The Gulf in the contemporary global context. At the end of this section a comprehensive overview of all the current urban and resort developments in The Gulf is offered. This is the first list of its kind that acts as an invaluable resource providing detailed information on projects taking shape today.
III. The Global Agenda: The last section edited by ARCHIS reflects concepts and strategies for design to provide shelter, security, sustainability, fairness and dialogue. Authors and artists like Nader Ardalan, Stefano Boeri, CRIT, Ricardo Devesa, Emiliano Gandolfi, Jiang Jun, Jeroen Mensink, Bas Princen, Ilka & Andreas Ruby, Urban Think Tank and others reflect on ‘what can be the mission for design today’. Thirteen ‘Creative Design Agendas’ are compiled as a design manual for the greater good.
Al Manakh Facts
Editors: Rem Koolhaas, Mitra Khoubrou, Ole Bouman
Managing editor: Arjen Oosterman
Design: Irma Boom, Natasha Chandani, Sonja Haller
Format: 24×17, 500 pages
Publisher: Archis Foundation
Filed under: PUBLISHED-ARTICLES+ Texts-CITY