Dubai Design Week (DXBDW) is pleased to announce the return of Urban Commissions, DXBDW's annual competition that offers the opportunity to develop outdoor infrastructure in the public domain for Dubai Design District.

2025 Theme

This year's Urban Commissions theme, 'Courtyard', explores its role as a communal urban infrastructure across local and global architectural, urban planning and public practices.

Designs should examine the courtyard’s historical function as an inclusive space fostering social interaction and community, emphasising its significance as a central gathering point whilst balancing public and private perspectives. Proposals should consider how courtyards, and by extension urban built environments, can shape communities by blurring the boundaries between public furniture and communal architecture.

Reflecting on the courtyard’s elements through spatial design and modularity, balancing between intimacy and openness, the space should encourage movement, pause, and interaction, fostering a fluid relationship between enclosure and the expansive outdoors. Designs should incorporate materials and strategies that enhance airflow, cooling and shading whilst maintaining an open connection to the sky.

Beyond the physical design, proposals should incorporate opportunities for community-led activities and adaptable programming, drawing from the social and cultural role of the historic courtyard as an urban infrastructure. The selected proposal will have the opportunity to closely collaborate with the Dubai Design Week team to implement these activities.

Production Bursary

The winning proposal will be granted a production budget of AED 120,000 for project development, technical plans, renders, production and installation.

Submission Process

Submitting an application requires providing initial 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

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.

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 4 November 2025

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

Applications for Urban Commissions are now closed. For enquiries, please reach out to [email protected].