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'The Luxury of Less' Pavilion
'The Luxury of Less' Pavilion
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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'The Luxury of Less' Pavilion
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2024
SIZE
0 sqft - 1000 sqft
BUDGET
$100K - 500K
BMW Middle East returns to Dubai Design Week 2024 to showcase the convergence of sustainability, innovation and design for well-being with a special commission, titled ‘The Luxury of Less’ conceived by Arianna Bavuso and Andre Chedid of multi-disciplinary practice AB+AC Architects.
Building on the brand’s design philosophy and circularity ethos, AB+AC’s ‘The Luxury of Less’ is a large-scale pavilion designed to stimulate the senses, encapsulate the essence of comfort and encourage audiences to explore luxury from a fresh perspective emphasizing a minimalist and conscious use of the finite resources available, a key element of sustainable living in the future.
“Our intention is to encourage a new philosophy of luxury based on the notion that the richest person in the future will not be the one who owns the most, but the one who will need the least,” comments the designer Arianna Bavuso. “At AB+AC, we believe that this is what luxury will look like in the future - stripping away the unnecessary and focusing on meaningful and intentional choices that still reflect the best in quality and comfort.”
Circular Economy and Sustainability. For BMW, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. Long-term thinking and responsible action have always been fundamental to the brand and its economic success. Sustainability and circular thinking go hand in hand. Technologies and entrepreneurship help develop solutions that lead us harmoniously into the future under the motto Re:duce, Re:use, Re:cycle, Re:think.
Likewise, the concept of modularity and reusability is also a critical part of AB+AC’s design. The entire structure of ‘The Luxury of Less’ pavilion, including its interior and exterior paneling, was constructed and assembled with the same modular approach as car components. The pavilion can easily be replaced, disassembled and reassembled as needed, to give another life cycle to the project, aligning with BMW’s core values and intentions.
A fresh perspective on Luxury: Essential, Pure, Impactful & Sustainable. The pavilion unfolds in layers, starting with an introduction to the BMW iX—a sustainable vehicle crafted using 100% green hydroelectricity and innovative recycled materials. This leads visitors through a transformative environment:
• A towering wooden cube draped in a sapphire blue chiffon connects earth to the sky.
• A liminal space adorned with bright orange silk captures the spirit of desert sunsets.
• The journey concludes in an intimate central room designed to calm the senses, with ecru Alcantara floor tiles mimicking sand dunes, and walls punctured for natural light and airflow.
The inner room of the pavilion evokes an intimate conversation space equipped with just the essentials: floor tiles in Ecru Alcantara to recall soft sand dunes; silky cream wall and ceiling
tiles punctured to allow the flow of natural light and air; a suspended scenographic mirror to help focus the attention on oneself; a central tray filled with the sweet ancestral scent of rose water; ambiance-inducing Tibetan bowls and crystal ringing from afar; and a rhythmic grid of warm lights, all organized in a symmetric and deliberate manner to comfort the human eye and, as a result, calm the nervous system.
This builds on the shared belief of both BMW Middle East and AB+AC Architects that designing with intention means designing for the senses, signifying a timeless experience that will resonate
with audiences.
Interactive Sustainable Design meets Neuroscience & Principles of Well-being. Guided by AB+AC’s research and teaching in neuro-architecture and psychology of spaces, the multi-sensory journey through the pavilion is designed to induce a virtuous cycle of excitement, awe and reflection, based on the neuroscientific principles of Curiosity, Anticipation and Pleasure.
Moving from paper to practice, AB+AC is interested in using architecture as a medium to bring people back in contact with their environment. Bavuso explains, “we have one million years of evolution to prove that our cellular biology is strongly tied to our surroundings, yet this is taken into consideration only marginally in the design of our cities and everyday spaces,” and concludes, “when beauty and harmony are experienced through design, the parasympathetic nervous system responds with endorphin release, fostering happiness, well-being, and even cellular repair.” These neuroscientific insights affirm the installation as both an aesthetic and restorative journey.
As the culmination of BMW Middle East’s and AB+AC Architects’ shared dedication to sustainability, The Luxury of Less represents not only a vision for the future of design but also a commitment to enriching human lives through purposeful innovation.
The Luxury of Less pavilion was shown at Dubai Design District (d3), as part of Dubai Design Week 2024, from November 5 to 10, 2024.
Building on the brand’s design philosophy and circularity ethos, AB+AC’s ‘The Luxury of Less’ is a large-scale pavilion designed to stimulate the senses, encapsulate the essence of comfort and encourage audiences to explore luxury from a fresh perspective emphasizing a minimalist and conscious use of the finite resources available, a key element of sustainable living in the future.
“Our intention is to encourage a new philosophy of luxury based on the notion that the richest person in the future will not be the one who owns the most, but the one who will need the least,” comments the designer Arianna Bavuso. “At AB+AC, we believe that this is what luxury will look like in the future - stripping away the unnecessary and focusing on meaningful and intentional choices that still reflect the best in quality and comfort.”
Circular Economy and Sustainability. For BMW, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword. Long-term thinking and responsible action have always been fundamental to the brand and its economic success. Sustainability and circular thinking go hand in hand. Technologies and entrepreneurship help develop solutions that lead us harmoniously into the future under the motto Re:duce, Re:use, Re:cycle, Re:think.
Likewise, the concept of modularity and reusability is also a critical part of AB+AC’s design. The entire structure of ‘The Luxury of Less’ pavilion, including its interior and exterior paneling, was constructed and assembled with the same modular approach as car components. The pavilion can easily be replaced, disassembled and reassembled as needed, to give another life cycle to the project, aligning with BMW’s core values and intentions.
A fresh perspective on Luxury: Essential, Pure, Impactful & Sustainable. The pavilion unfolds in layers, starting with an introduction to the BMW iX—a sustainable vehicle crafted using 100% green hydroelectricity and innovative recycled materials. This leads visitors through a transformative environment:
• A towering wooden cube draped in a sapphire blue chiffon connects earth to the sky.
• A liminal space adorned with bright orange silk captures the spirit of desert sunsets.
• The journey concludes in an intimate central room designed to calm the senses, with ecru Alcantara floor tiles mimicking sand dunes, and walls punctured for natural light and airflow.
The inner room of the pavilion evokes an intimate conversation space equipped with just the essentials: floor tiles in Ecru Alcantara to recall soft sand dunes; silky cream wall and ceiling
tiles punctured to allow the flow of natural light and air; a suspended scenographic mirror to help focus the attention on oneself; a central tray filled with the sweet ancestral scent of rose water; ambiance-inducing Tibetan bowls and crystal ringing from afar; and a rhythmic grid of warm lights, all organized in a symmetric and deliberate manner to comfort the human eye and, as a result, calm the nervous system.
This builds on the shared belief of both BMW Middle East and AB+AC Architects that designing with intention means designing for the senses, signifying a timeless experience that will resonate
with audiences.
Interactive Sustainable Design meets Neuroscience & Principles of Well-being. Guided by AB+AC’s research and teaching in neuro-architecture and psychology of spaces, the multi-sensory journey through the pavilion is designed to induce a virtuous cycle of excitement, awe and reflection, based on the neuroscientific principles of Curiosity, Anticipation and Pleasure.
Moving from paper to practice, AB+AC is interested in using architecture as a medium to bring people back in contact with their environment. Bavuso explains, “we have one million years of evolution to prove that our cellular biology is strongly tied to our surroundings, yet this is taken into consideration only marginally in the design of our cities and everyday spaces,” and concludes, “when beauty and harmony are experienced through design, the parasympathetic nervous system responds with endorphin release, fostering happiness, well-being, and even cellular repair.” These neuroscientific insights affirm the installation as both an aesthetic and restorative journey.
As the culmination of BMW Middle East’s and AB+AC Architects’ shared dedication to sustainability, The Luxury of Less represents not only a vision for the future of design but also a commitment to enriching human lives through purposeful innovation.
The Luxury of Less pavilion was shown at Dubai Design District (d3), as part of Dubai Design Week 2024, from November 5 to 10, 2024.
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