Dubai Design District (d3) has launched a Design for Good programme that it hopes will spur the design community in the UAE to promote social change.
Two projects will be rolled out this year: the first one is inviting designers from across the country to compete in creating a piece of furniture or functional object. The winning design, picked by an expert jury, will then be mass-produced, with all proceeds of sales allocated to Dubai Cares to benefit Syrian refugees.
The second project, called The Mesh, is a collaboration between the Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative (FBMI) and Emirati designer Roudha Al Shamsi. Al Shamsi has been commissioned to design three shading structures for the d3 community that will be produced by Afghan women through FBMI. The proceeds will be utilised for the education of the women to further develop and enhance their skill sets. The three structures will be displayed at Dubai Design Week in November 2018 and then permanently placed in d3.
“Design offers solutions to any problem and through the power of design we can ensure a positive impact on various communities,” said Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, CEO of d3. “Collaboration has also proven to achieve greater creativity and improved solutions. Our decision at d3 to launch Design for Good is based on these fundamentals. We are confident such efforts will bring the local design community together to work towards the cause of supporting and encouraging social change.”
The deadline for submitting entries for the furniture design is August 16. More information is available at www.dubaidesigndistrict.com.
