Dubai Design Week's annual competition, Urban Commissions, offers the opportunity to develop outdoor infrastructure in the public domain for Dubai Design District.

2026 Open Call: Atmospheres

Architects have long understood that a space is experienced before it is consciously read. The body registers light, temperature, sound, material and spatial sequence as a kind of primordial language, shaping mood, attention and behaviour before the mind has formed a judgement. These conditions are grasped simultaneously and in totality as a lived, physiological encounter with space that has, across cultures and throughout history, shaped how people move, gather, feel and relate to one another.

It is in the public realm, shared, contested and inhabited by different bodies and different needs at once, that atmosphere becomes most consequential and where the capacity of architecture to shape human experience and collective life carries most weight.

Urban Commissions 2026 invites architects, spatial practitioners and interdisciplinary designers to propose pavilion-scale installations that turn space into a physical and psychological experience, rendering atmosphere visceral and present.

Proposals may consider space as performance. Interventions may be processional, contemplative or communal, exploring how the deliberate orchestration of spatial conditions can engage the nervous system, influence patterns of thought, mood and sense of safety, and enable collective inhabitation without prescribing how that space is used. The most compelling proposals will operate simultaneously as form, environment and social infrastructure.

​Production Grant

The winning proposal will be granted a production grant to include project development, technical plans, renders and production and installation.

Submission Process

Applicants are required to complete the submission form below by July 15 2026, which requires providing essential information and the following documents:

  • Proposal concept statement
  • Portfolio of previous works and CV
  • Proposal image references and renders
  • Use of materials
  • Approximate cost to produce and install the proposal
  • Dimensions, space and technical requirements
  • Timeline of project completion

Criteria & Conditions

The proposal must:

  • Demonstrate an evident relationship to the theme
  • Adhere to a responsible design approach, taking into account sustainable use of materials and production processes, construction, installation and operational processes
  • Incorporate suitable materials for outdoor use, taking into consideration the year-round weather conditions in Dubai
  • Weight of the final installation must be less than 350kg per square metre
  • Be produced entirely or partially in the UAE
  • Adhere to a well-defined timeline for production with the installation ready for the opening of Dubai Design Week scheduled on 3 November 2026

The applicant must:

  • Be able to confirm ownership of all relevant intellectual property rights associated with the submission
  • Be available for virtual calls with the Dubai Design Week team
  • Be present in Dubai to oversee the production and installation of the proposal

Selection Process

The winning design will be selected by a jury panel of experts in the design field. The panelists will grade proposals based on the predefined criteria, originality of the design and relevance to the competition's theme.

For enquiries, please contact [email protected].