Dezeen School Shows: a wellness centre that features zones catered to different stages of the menstrual cycle is among the architecture projects from the American University in Dubai.

Also featured is a proposal for the Dubai Police Academy using biomaterials, and a shelter in Egypt for single mothers made from 3D-printed concrete.

American University in Dubai

Institution: American University in Dubai
School: School of Architecture, Art and Design
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Tutors: Jose A Carrillo and Mattia Gambardella

School statement:

"This capstone course allows students to implement their thesis research by developing a project that integrates all principles of design, showcasing a comprehensive understanding of architectural design and professional capability.

"The course culminates in a senior showcase, where a panel of experts evaluate the projects. The 2025 Architecture Senior Showcase was held online from 30 April to 2 May, concluding with an in-person exhibition and award ceremony on 2 May.

"A jury of international experts from industry, academia and the press reviewed the projects, awarding first, second and third places, as well as honourable mentions and design awards.

"A special jury, led by Andrea Pane, the scientific director of the International Architecture Magazine Compasses, awarded a special publication prize.

"Additional awards involved the local and global community, including professors, alumni and faculty members. A special award from Aedas was presented to two students for their thesis projects.

"For the second consecutive year, all senior projects addressed one or more Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in alignment with the commitments outlined during COP28 in Dubai."

Abandoned by Faisal Osman

"Abandoned is a thesis project that reimagines forgotten architecture and places as a valuable cultural and economic opportunity.

"Set in Al Madam, an abandoned village in the UAE, the proposal introduces a visitor centre that celebrates the aesthetics of decay and the story of rural decline.

"Through respectful intervention, the project transforms the site into a controlled tourist destination – generating revenue, supporting local jobs and preserving heritage.

"Fragmented and partially buried forms blend into the desert, shaped by wind and sand. Passive cooling strategies ensure sustainability, while the design offers visitors an immersive experience that turns abandonment into beauty and neglect into potential."

Student: Faisal Osman
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Awards: 1st Place Award and Aedas Design Award
Email: faisal.osman[at]mymail.aud.edu

Corals by Meera AlHawai

"Corals explores the preservation and revival of coral reef ecosystems in the UAE through architecture that merges biomimicry, sustainable materials and advanced technology.

"It investigates how nature-inspired design can aid reef restoration by mimicking coral growth and reef structures to create artificial habitats that foster marine biodiversity and ecological resilience.

"The project incorporates biorock technology and bio-concrete to support coral settlement while reducing environmental impact.

"Beyond the ecological focus, it addresses socio-economic factors and highlights the potential of architecture to contribute to long-term environmental recovery. Corals envisions a regenerative architectural approach to marine conservation along the UAE's threatened coastal reefs."

Student: Meera AlHawai
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Awards: 2nd Place Award and Faculty and Alumni Award
Email: meera.alhawai[at]mymail.aud.edu

Edible Arts by Dana Kharsa

"Edible Arts is a culinary educational hub that reimagines how we design and experience learning environments.

"Located in Al Bahyah, Abu Dhabi – an area known for its agricultural richness but often disconnected from the public realm – the project represents education, food culture and architecture through the logic of spatial recipes.

"A spatial recipe treats architecture like a dish: composed of sensory ingredients such as light, sound, smell and texture, each space is carefully assembled to suit its function.

"Classrooms, kitchens, courtyards and tasting labs are all generated through this adaptive process, shaped by both environmental context and user experience.

"The design follows a non-deterministic and heuristic approach. Spaces evolve through variation and trial like a recipe being refined. The result is a flexible, immersive campus where learning is not only taught but also sensed, discovered and tasted."

Student: Dana Kharsa
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Award: 3rd Place Award
Email: dana.kharsa[at]mymail.aud.edu

Rooted by Mahra AlEassa

"This project explores the intersection of traditional healing practices and modern architectural design through the development of a wellness and research centre.

"Rooted in the cultural and medicinal heritage of the UAE, the design seeks to revive and reintroduce traditional medicine in a contemporary setting.

"By integrating herbal farming, therapeutic spaces and educational facilities, the project fosters both awareness and accessibility to indigenous healing knowledge.

"The architectural language emphasises sustainability, cultural symbolism and sensory experiences offering a holistic environment for healing, learning and retreat.

"The centre serves not only as a treatment and research hub, but also as a cultural landmark that bridges the past with the future."

Student: Mahra AlEassa
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Design Studio X
Award: Future Architect Award
Email: mahra.aleassa[at]mymail.aud.edu

Sikkas in Bloom by Lina Kataw

"Sikkas in Bloom imagines the narrow pedestrian alleys of Al Jaddaf not as residual spaces but as active agents of revival, bringing back community life, seasonal rituals and child-centred urbanity.

"Inspired by principles of culinary optimisation, the project draws from ingredient pairing, tool adaptation and local knowledge to create an evolving streetscape. Each sikka acts like a living recipe: assembled from local elements, open to mutation and responsive to direct user input.

"Canopies, kitchens, gardens and learning zones bloom seasonally, transforming the sikka into a shared platform for play, nourishment, learning and repair. The result is a participatory spatial framework where the city's smallest paths nurture its biggest transformations."

Student: Lina Kataw
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Design Studio X
Award: Aedas Design Award
Email: lina.kataw[at]mymail.aud.edu

Entropy by Aly Ahmed

"Entropy is a bold architectural intervention by Aly Ahmed that reimagines Kuwait's vast tire graveyard as a circular economy hub and cultural landmark.

"Utilising over 50 million discarded tires, the project transforms waste into opportunity, integrating recycled rubber into insulation, foundations and sculptural forms.

"Set within 19-metre tire gaps, Entropy hosts artist studios, recycling labs, workshops and a museum of recycled art.

"Blending sustainability community and innovation, it turns environmental degradation into a platform for ecological awareness and green tourism.

"Entropy exemplifies how regenerative architecture can reshape narratives, from entropy and excess to creativity and resilience."

Student: Aly Ahmed
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Design Studio X
Award: Compasses Magazine Award
Email: aly.ahmed[at]mymail.aud.edu

Transendence by Lena Zaher

"Transendence is a thesis project that focuses on providing opportunities for refugees in Lebanon through prefabricated modular tensile architecture.

"The lightweight nature of tensile structures allows rapid installation and deployment, while the modular system ensures scalability, enabling communities to expand organically while maintaining structural integrity and aesthetic harmony.

"Inspired by traditional Levantine architecture, the design incorporates elements such as courtyards, arches and mashrabiya screens, offering passive cooling strategies.

"The project provides a supportive environment that addresses the community's needs, including educational facilities, vocational training, a healthcare clinic, a market and a cultural centre, allowing the community to learn, work, heal and grow together."

Student: Lena Zaher
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: lena.zaher[at]mymail.aud.edu

The Dhow Museum by Salwa Almutairi

"Once famed for its masterful wooden dhow building, Ajman Dhow Yard risks fading into obscurity, overtaken by fibreglass boats due to industrialisation.

"Disappointed visitors search for tradition but find only industry. It's time to reignite the soul of this historic site through immersive heritage workshops, cultural showcases and storytelling tours that bring the past to life.

"These initiatives breathe new energy into forgotten skills while supporting sustainable development goals like quality of education, decent work and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities.

"Reviving the yard isn't just preservation – it's a powerful step toward honouring the UAE's maritime legacy and inspiring a new generation of makers."

Student: Salwa Almutairi
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: salwa.almutairi[at]mymail.aud.edu

Ecolíth by Alia Almarri

"Ecolíth is a bio-generative campus embedded within Dubai’s shifting sabkha terrain, where nature disguises as architecture.

"The project reimagines the Dubai Police Academy site as a living system shaped by biomaterials and microscopic ecosystems.

"Through the use of mycelium, algae and parametric erosion patterns, the design forms an adaptive, regenerative structure that grows with its environment.

"The project behaves like an organism that is self-sustaining, resilient and responsive to its surroundings.

"Ecolith challenges the boundaries between the built and the natural, creating an innovative blueprint for future developments that integrate ecological intelligence into form, function and materiality."

Student: Alia Almarri
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: alia.almarri[at]mymail.aud.edu

Gastro-Genesis by Dana Otoom

"Exploring the intersection of architecture, gastronomy and parametric design through the creation of edible objectiles – geometrically-driven food forms that act as catalysts for designing an entire multi-sensory dining experience.

"Drawing from the theories of Bernard Cache, Greg Lynn and Patrik Schumacher, the project translates infinite variability into spatial and experiential diversity.

"Each objectile is generated through a parametric algorithm based on flavour perception, sensory attributes and contextual cues such as temperature, aroma and emotional response.

"The edible forms define not only the food but also influence the design of cutlery, furniture, spatial layout and user journey within a dining environment.

"The project culminates in a metabolically inspired spatial sequence that mirrors digestion, transitioning from urban farming to sensory labs, with the buffer zone acting as a sensory terrain of sweet, rounded objectiles to ease entry and exit."

Student: Dana Otoom
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: dana.otoom[at]mymail.aud.edu

Verde Heights by Shaam Guzlan

"Verde Heights is a vertical community in Dubai that restores a vital human right lost to rapid urbanisation: daily connection to nature.

"In a city dominated by high-rises, this project integrates greenery, food systems and wellbeing into the structure itself. Three towers are shaped and spaced to preserve views, airflow and daylight.

"Slabs curve in fluid lines, providing shade, supporting vegetation, and adding rhythm to the facade. Terraces wrap each floor as productive green landscapes. Ramps and bridges connect all levels, promoting walkability and interaction.

"This is not a utopian vision, but a grounded response embeds nature into Dubai's future."

Student: Shaam Guzlan
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: shaam.guzlan[at]mymail.aud.edu

Her by Nazanin Hosseini

"Her is a wellness-culinary hub that reimagines architecture through the rhythms of the menstrual cycle. Located on the red shores of Hormuz Island in Iran, the project translates hormonal and sensory shifts into spatial experiences across four distinct phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulation and luteal.

"Each zone caters to the evolving needs of the female body, offering nourishment, healing, expression and reflection.

"Rooted in the island's geology and bloody shoreline, Her is both tactile and emotional. While deeply honouring female embodiment, it also invites men to witness, engage and reflect. This is architecture that listens and bleeds with the female body."

Student: Nazanin Hosseini
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: nazanin.hosseiniharat[at]mymail.aud.edu

Veiled by Somaia Haggag

"This project explores how architecture can help address gender-based marginalisation in Al Samaha Village, a women-only village in rural Egypt that houses over 300 single-mother families.

"As an attempt to reimagine traditional arched forms using 3D-printed concrete, the design combines cultural symbolism with modern construction to reflect the strength of its residents.

"The design responds to the village's social fabric, focusing on thresholds, privacy and shared spaces.

"More than just shelter, it offers a framework for healing and empowerment, allowing women to reclaim space, identity and economic stability within a supportive environment built on dignity, resilience and community."

Student: Somaia Haggag
Course: ARCH 502 – Architectural Studio X
Email: somaia.haggag[at]mymail.aud.edu

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and American University in Dubai. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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