sumayya vally’s counterspace to design elie khouri art foundation in dubai

sumayya vally appointed to design elie khouri art foundation

Architect Sumayya Vally and her practice Counterspace are appointed to design the permanent home of the Elie Khouri Art Foundation (EKAF), transforming an existing villa in Dubai’s Jumeirah 1 into a contemporary art institution. Expected to open in late 2028, the project will bring together exhibition galleries, educational spaces, pavilions and gardens.  Founded by French-Lebanese collector and philanthropist Elie Khouri, the foundation builds on more than 20 years of collecting contemporary art. Under the direction of Caroline Louca, its program will combine works from Khouri’s collection with changing exhibitions, institutional collaborations, loans and educational initiatives.

For the architectural transformation, Vally draws on the layered urban fabric of Beirut and the inward-facing spatial organization of traditional Gulf courtyard houses. The proposal considers how the existing domestic character of the building can inform a new public identity. Doors, cornices, balustrades and the original arrangement of rooms become starting points for a contemporary architectural language. As Vally explains, the project explores how the intimate geometries of a house can acquire a public scale, with the memory of the existing building informing the future identity of the foundation.

an existing villa in dubai becomes a space for art and exchange

The planned spaces by the Johannesburg-based team at Counterspace extend beyond galleries to include pavilions, a garden, hospitality areas and outdoor settings for seasonal events and gatherings. This mix of exhibition, learning and social spaces reflects the ambition of the foundation to encourage encounters with contemporary art beyond the traditional museum experience. The appointment comes as Dubai continues to expand its contemporary art and cultural infrastructure. While the foundation will draw on a private collection, its program is intended to extend beyond it, creating opportunities for exhibitions, education and exchange with artists and institutions in the UAE and internationally. ‘I hope that artists, designers, researchers and makers from the region will bring other imaginations into the work, and that the institution will continue to acquire forms and meanings we cannot yet anticipate,’ Vally says.

With its opening scheduled for late 2028, the project positions the existing villa as the starting point for a new cultural institution.

project info:

name: Elie Khouri Art Foundation (EKAF)
architect: Sumayya Vally / Counterspace | @_counterspace
founder: Elie Khouri | @eliekhouridxb
director: Caroline Louca
location: Jumeirah 1, Dubai, UAE