Supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Dubai Design District (d3), Urban Commissions is a Dubai Design Week initiative that presents an annual opportunity for designers living in the UAE to produce an urban furniture product, unveiled at Dubai Design Week and installed permanently at d3.

Since its launch in 2014, Urban Commissions has received over 400 submissions from more than 30 nationalities, both by individuals and collaborating groups at varied stages of their design careers. The inaugural winning commission was IDO bench designed by architect Anna Szonyi; the winner of the second edition of the competition 2.0 was Hinjal Kumar for her design of hybrid shelter x bicycle storage named ‘bike d3’. The third edition 3.0 winner was SUPERFUTUREDESIGN* for their Communal Table MuTable. All completed Urban Commissions project are now installed in pedestrian areas of d3.

For edition 4.0 the challenge designers needed to respond to was 'Water Feature'. Dubai is synonymous with water, the shoreline that extends along the length of the city, the Dubai Creek, the mammoth Dubai Water Canal project, the Dubai Fountains, and is rooted in its culture of giving as the refrigerated potable water cabins outside of private residences for passersby who require thirsts be quenched. Moreover, regional architecture hosts water features as central elements in courtyards of homes, acting as a spiritual refuge. These features cool the air around them to enhance both the physical and audio landscapes with the serenity only natural elements command.

The winning design was announced during Dubai Design Week’s press conference on Tuesday 13th of November. Khalid Al Tamimi, designer of the winning proposal Fayyd was congratulated by Director General of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and CEO of Dubai Design District (d3). Selected from a shortlist of three diverse proposals, the winning project is ‘Fayyd’, which means overflow in Arabic, took inspiration from the traditional Japanese device the “Shishi Odoishi”, bamboo fountains, whilst encompassing elements of the city of Dubai including the colours and geometries of the night skyline. The installation sits between building 2 & 3 in Dubai Design District (d3).