COP28 hosts tarabot, a modular interspecies pavilion at dubai’s jameel arts centre

designed by lebanese architect adib dada, the pavilion features modular and nested cones crafted from locally sourced materials, like date palm waste.

lea zeitoun December 11, 2023 3 min

Tarabot pavilion at jameel arts center during cop28

On the occasion of COP28 UAE in Dubai, Art Jameel, an organization that supports artists and creative communities, unveiled a sustainable and immersive ecotone-pavilion titled Tarabot: Weaving A Living Forum. Designed by Beirut-based architect Adib Dada from theOtherDada studio, the project is the cornerstone of broader programming at the city’s Jameel Arts Centre and was officially revealed to the public on December 7, 2023. The modular structure takes shape inside the Jaddaf Waterfront Sculpture Park, with the intent to host talks, presentations, and community programs throughout and after the global conference concludes in Dubai.

COP28 hosts tarabot, a modular interspecies pavilion at dubai's jameel arts centre - 1 — Tarabot pavilion by Adib Dada | all images © Kristina Sergeeva

an interspecies ecotone made of clay, mycelium, and palm waste

According to Adib Dada (see more here), Tarabot: Weaving a Living Forum acts as an interspecies ecotone – an area where two biological communities meet and integrate – hosting a shared space between humans and other species and organisms. The resulting pavilion at Jameel Arts Centre creates synergies between the natural world and manmade environments. More specifically, the architect used modular and nested cone components crafted from locally sourced, sustainable materials — including clay, mycelium, date palm waste and upcycled fabric. Ultimately, Dada hopes to leverage his creation as a call for the revival of urban spaces, through a focus on the hyperlocal and the creation of circular ecological support systems within new and existing material structures.

COP28 hosts tarabot, a modular interspecies pavilion at dubai's jameel arts centre - 2 — an interspecies ecotone – an area where two biological communities meet and integrate

adib dada weaves together urbanity and nature in dubai

‘Tarabot is our first project that meaningfully bridges our work of building habitats for humans with building habitats for other organisms. […] Tarabot – which means ‘to weave together’, offers a shared space for humans and other organisms to come together as interdependent equals, sharing food, water and habitat,’ the architect shares. Building on his words, the design incorporates four pillars that speak to its concept, construction and de-installation: Soil, Water, Plants, and Energy. After de-installation, the modular constituents of Tarabot: Weaving a Living Forum will be repurposed for domestic planting on land with the structure taking on new life as underwater habitat for coral and fish, linking life on land to life underwater. Also featured within the Tarabot Pavilion during COP28 is a series of artworks created by Dubai-based, multidisciplinary artist Solimar Miller in response to the impact of urbanisation on the environment.