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How women architects are shaping the UAE's design identity

Not so long ago, legendary architect Zaha Hadid said, "For a woman to go out alone in architecture is still very, very hard." What happens to the ones who do? With Dubai acquiring a reputation for its futuristic and sustainable design models, we caught up with three 'lady' architects to find out how a feminine perspective changes the way we look at architecture in a modern city
 
 
 
'It's counterproductive when people label you': Raya Ani, Founder and Design Director, RAW-NYC
Raya Ani is not one to subscribe to easy labels - least of all, that of being a 'female' architect. "When you are a minority practising architecture, whether in the Middle East or on an international level, being a woman or an Arab woman or a visionary architect thinking outside the box, you face challenges and it becomes counterproductive when people label you, as it limits your full potential for contribution," says the Iraqi architect who heads the firm RAW-NYC and was President of the Middle East Chapter of American Institute of Architects in 2017.
There is considerable truth in that claim. To survive - and thrive - in a profession where men mostly set the template, being bracketed as a 'lady' architect does not always help. What does, emphasises Raya, is the perspective women bring to the table. "A lot of the buildings you see around are very much the standard; they look more or less the same, because a lot of designers are reluctant to think differently. If we, as women, choose to stay true to our perspective, we can create a different architecture, as we tend to be good listeners and empathetic designers. We understand the needs of the individual and the society, and are sensitive to the context within which we operate. This way, we can add a whole new dimension to the way we experience spaces, buildings and cities."
It is this perspective that Raya brings to her proposed project - the RAW WRAP in Al Furjan. The 24-storey building with 140 apartments and retail shops on the ground floor has a unique feature, which is a wrap of outdoor amenities that starts from the podium level to the fifth level. There's also a series of outdoor spaces - from a reflection fountain to a swimming pool to outdoor picnic areas to a playground, to meditation garden, and the wrap ends with a Romeo and Juliet outdoor theatre. "The challenge was to create a building that is affordable luxury with a unique design, while being highly efficient; we achieved 87 per cent efficiency with 8.3 per cent of return on investment," she says. That is not all.

A rendering of the RAW-WRAP; Photo Courtesy: RAW-NYC Architects
An advocate for sustainability, she has also been a strong champion for sustainable strategies in the design of buildings and environments. One of the ideas that she would like to see practised more is 'adaptive facades and smart skin technologies'. "There are too many glass buildings in the UAE; those are not environmentally-friendly, because you end up having a reflective glass to reduce heat gain. Adaptive skin is just like the skin on the body. When it's hot, the body sweats, so it can cool down. The building could adjust itself according to the environment. The building can have moveable shutters, automated by a computer system. It checks the environment outside and closes them, when there is heat gain. They implemented this concept in the Abu Dhabi Investment Council building. But I hope to see more smart buildings."
Rapid urbanisation has characterised much of the UAE's growth story. For architects, this translates into opportunities. But for architects like Raya, this also translates into an opportunity to showcase her Arab sensibilities and influences. "Being Arab is part of my identity, I strive to be innovative in a way that connects us to who we are as a culture with our own narrative and history. I am, however, a designer of my own time. I don't believe in copying certain structures or motifs from the past. I believe we need to value and learn from our past. But copying it would compromise its value and significance, as it takes it out of its context."
In an age of modernisation, architecture is where art meets commerce. Raya realises that one cannot be sacrificed at the altar of the other, a testament of which is Liberland, a micronation on an unclaimed land between Serbia and Croatia, designed by her firm. "When I designed Liberland, I had an economist on my team who helped me craft the vision for an economically feasible new nation with an innovation-led economy." In essence, the best of both worlds!

'You needn't be as tough as a man. Just be yourself': Sandra Woodall, design director, tangramGULF
As Sandra Woodall drives us past the majestic Burj Khalifa en route to an Al Manara site where she is currently helming a residential project, she finds herself answering a question asked to practically every architect in Dubai. "I think the Burj is a great statement in architecture. It represents the vision of Dubai."
Sandra should know. As an architect, she has now spent nearly two decades in the region - first in Al Ain and then in Dubai with her current firm tangramGULF, which begs another obvious question - what did the landscape of the UAE look like back then? "When I first came here, it was a very small community. So, I was able to understand my clients and their way of thinking. Grasping that was helpful in producing designs that catered to local needs," she says, adding that there are a lot more architecture courses now. "In Dubai, we have design courses at the American University, and architecture at the University of Sharjah that many students who've grown up here are able to take advantage of. It gives an extra dimension to the sector because home-grown architects are best able to understand what the needs of the local community are."
What about women architects? Sandra says that while an increasing number of women are entering the field, many choose to opt out since "they find it difficult to give it as much time as is needed to get a project through". "Architecture has never been a 9-5 job. You not only spend 15-17 hours a day working, you're also constantly thinking about work outside of this. Plus, in this part of the world, it's difficult to find part-time work in the field, an option many women prefer."

The Nadd Al Hamar Centre; Photo Courtesy: Sandra Woodall
One of her early projects was the Etisalat Tower in Dubai, but over a period of time, Sandra has also carved a niche for herself in health care design, having designed, among several other projects, the Nadd Al Hamar Health Center and the laboratory at Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation. "Health care design is constantly changing the way services are offered to patients because technology is always changing. So, it's very important to not just be on top of what the current trends are, but also what the best practices are. It's complex to tie the two. For that, we need to look across the world and ensure that any facility that is designed is capable of being managed locally by the operational staff."
In a city where rapid urbanisation is normative, it can be a challenge for architects to keep up. "Architecture takes time to deliver. Future-proofing a design is very, very difficult. The design decisions that you make today could be outdated in five years' time because you don't know what new ideas or ways of doing things will come up," says Sandra.
As we reach the Al Manara site, a group of engineers take Sandra through different parts of the property. She listens as carefully as she is listened to. "Women can nurture the misconception that they have to be as tough as the men in a man's world. Just be yourself - diversity is far more important than thinking we need to put on a suit every morning."

Photo: Supplied
'When women design, the process is more intuitive': Pallavi Dean, Design Director, Pallavi Dean Interiors
When Pallavi Dean was expecting her first child, the architecture firm she was working with was not only inflexible with her time, they also held back her promotion as she went on maternity leave. Though she did eventually get her well-deserved promotion, Pallavi decided to start her own interior design firm, Pallavi Dean Interiors. She has, over a period of time, also forayed into the world of architecture, in what she calls a 'backdoor entry'. "People think interior design is interior decoration. But a large part of the work is very architectural - we work with volumes within a space rather than simple pick finishes and furniture," says Pallavi.
Currently helming the Nursery of the Future in Dubai, along with projects in Saudi Arabia and Uganda, Pallavi, who was born and raised in the UAE, studied architecture from the American University of Sharjah, a course that has, over the years, acquired the reputation of being one of the best in the region. On one hand, if interior design and architecture are two sides of the same coin, it is surprising how very few women enter the latter. "I think you have to be a certain kind of personality to get the job done - you have to be assertive and confident. You've got to hold your own weight when you are on a construction site and the team is mostly male. That is the nature of our industry - like it or not."
In her own way, Pallavi is slowly and steadily busting gender myths associated with women in the sector with an all-girls' team that is now involved in conceptualising small-scale architecture. "Traditionally, there has been a glass ceiling in architecture. Promotions were easily handed out to men. This, in my opinion, was one main deterrent. But things are changing now - it's incredible to see some very strong female architects in the region."
What do women bring to the table that men cannot? "I have felt that when women design, the process is more intuitive. There is something in our DNA as nurturers that makes us look at things differently. I think a woman pays more attention to the tactility of the surfaces and to how users interact with a space. If you look at some of the all-time greats, like Le Corbusier, their work is beautiful, but it is also very stark. While if you look at Zaha Hadid's architecture, it's poetry. She introduced a whole movement in architecture with her feminine perspective."
As modernisation has come to define the region, it has also been mischievously labelled a 'concrete jungle' - a nomenclature Pallavi finds rather harsh. "Everyone talks about how we go for the biggest, the boldest and the flashiest statements. What people do not appreciate or realise is that we have the world's tallest tower in a desert city. And that can be possible only if you have an environment and infrastructure that supports and develops design and construction. When I was in London, it'd take me two years to build one project, whereas in Dubai, I have built over 50 projects in four years."
Wrapping up the conversation, we ask Pallavi if the UAE has finally found its design philosophy? "I often find that people tend to say that, 'Oh, the UAE is mimicking Hong Kong or Singapore'; my response is - these are new cities like us, and we're trying to find our design identity just like anyone else."
anamika@khaleejtimes.com