In the heart of the Giardini della Biennale, in the city of Venice, surrounded by the pavilions of Denmark, Germany, and the United States, something quietly rises. An elevated structure, colourful and geometric, it subtly moves with the Venetian breeze, shading those who sit beneath it.
This is the Manameh Pavilion, the UAE’s offering to the 19th Venice Biennale Architettura, one of the world’s most important architecture and urbanism events. Helmed by Emirati creative director Amna Abulhoul and curated by Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib, the pavilion reimagines the manameh, a traditional Gulf seating structure once used for shade and social connection.
Beyond its functional purpose, the manameh has also become a symbol of cultural continuity and sustainable innovation. “The Manameh Pavilion was born from a longing to honour the quiet genius of our ancestors,” Abulhoul tells Vogue Arabia.
“It draws breath from the elevated, open forms of traditional Gulf structures, where simplicity wasn’t a lack, but a language of elegance.” This isn’t nostalgia, it’s reinvention, Abulhoul elaborates. Designed using passive cooling principles and fabric-based solar panels, the pavilion blends ancestral knowledge with modern technology to create a breathable, sustainable space.
Abulhoul who is the executive Creative Director at Expo City Dubai and curator of the cultural Light Festival Dhai Dubai, sees value in looking to history for inspiration. “It’s a reinterpretation of ancestral wisdom through the lens of today’s technology,” she says. “This pavilion is not just a structure, it’s a soul echo.”
Sustainability can often be reduced to sleek materials and net-zero targets, But Manameh’s approach is shaped by deep-rooted regional memory. It’s an approach that Abulhoul feels holds value not only regionally but globally. “A regional view of sustainability matters because it’s not theoretical, it’s lived,” Abulhoul says.
“Our ancestors thrived in one of the world’s harshest climates, guided by instinct and necessity. Here, sustainability isn’t a trend, it’s a legacy shaped by heat, constraints, and the need for community.”
That ethos is woven, sometimes literally, through every element of the pavilion. Wind towers channel natural airflow. Modular construction allows adaptability. Woven textiles nod to heritage while serving function.
“Our solutions are rooted in context, they don’t just conserve, they connect,” Abulhoul says. “It’s a sustainability that remembers where it comes from and gently guides where we’re going.” More than an architectural structure, Manameh is a statement on how identity can inspire true innovation and that a regional perspective has global resonance.
“Showcasing Emirati heritage on the global stage was never about nostalgia,’ Abulhoul adds. “it was about presence.” That presence is being felt at the Venice Biennale Architettura which is running until November of this year. Many visitors from across the globe have already rested and reflected beneath the pavilion’s shade.
“The true highlight has been watching people from all over the world sit beneath Manameh, pausing, breathing, and connecting in a space shaped by our heritage,” Abulhoul says.
“There’s something deeply moving about seeing our traditions spark curiosity, dialogue, and inspiration on a global stage.”
