Activating the Qatari capital once again, the second edition of Design Doha returns with an expanded event that gathers the regional design scene, with over 20 exhibitions and more than 300 multidisciplinary designers and studios participating.

Located in the historic neighbourhood of Fereej Al Asmakh – a set of about 60 heritage houses, courtyards and shaded passageways that are now being restored and repurposed for cultural use – the biennial event (until 31 January 2027) will showcase its headline show ‘Arab Design Now’ and several satellite shows and installations around this hub (read our interview with two participating designers, Ola Znad and Aya Moug).

One of the most anticipated programmes is the Public Design Commissions, presenting five winning spatial installations designed for public use, all drawing on regional approaches to water, materials, craft, climate and the built environment.

Curated by Javier Peña Ibáñez, the installations are all research-based explorations to how regional design and craft heritage can be transformed for our modern challenges and needs, from ancient irrigation techniques to sustainable vernacular craft.

Wallpaper* chats with each of the winning designers to unpack their installations.

‘Salsabil’ by Meriem Chabani

Created by award-winning Algerian architect and urbanist Meriem Chabani, ‘Salsabil’ draws on Qatar’s heritage of water cooling through ceramic craftsmanship, combining passive cooling techniques with contemporary urban misting.

Formed from dozens of ceramic spheres that function as architectural bricks, the installation acts as an urban shelter that aims to create cooler, more pedestrian friendly public spaces – a rising concern in the Middle East as climate change pushes record temperatures higher every year. Chabani’s installation asks how architecture can help.

‘The project takes inspiration from the traditional salsabil, a water feature found in courtyards and gardens across the Arab world,’ Chabani says. ‘By allowing water to flow over a textured surface, these devices used evaporation to cool the surrounding air, creating places of comfort and gathering. They were not simply decorative objects, but part of a sophisticated understanding of climate, architecture and hospitality.

‘I wanted to revisit this ancestral knowledge, not as a nostalgic reference, but as a source of intelligence for addressing contemporary urban challenges,’ she adds. ‘With “Salsabil”, we translated this principle into a contemporary, modular structure that combines shade and fine mist to create pockets of climatic relief in Doha.’

Ceramic craft has a long history in the region, both as a practical material and as tool used to adapt to Qatari’s changeable desert coastal climate. The deep royal-blue ceramic spheres – developed in collaboration with Doha-based brick maker SACO – form their own geometric architectural language, and can be reassembled according to need.

The water misting adds a touch of contemporary technology, transforming the otherwise static architectural structure into an active climate-regulating device.

‘I am interested in this relationship between material, technology and inherited knowledge. Rather than introducing an entirely new technological solution, I wanted to explore how existing principles, materials and crafts can be reinterpreted to address the environmental conditions of today,’ Chabani says.

‘At the heart of “Salsabil” is a simple thought: if we can’t plant trees, perhaps we can make clouds. In a city where planting and maintaining trees is not always possible, I wanted to explore how we could create small microclimates and offer an alternative form of urban comfort.’

‘Cooling Pots’ by Haitam Daoudi and Oscar Cruz / +.atelier

The result of a collaboration between architects Haitam Daoudi and Oscar Cruz under +.atelier, ‘Cooling Pots’ similarly focuses on heritage craft. Looking at how earthenware vessels traditionally were used across the region to store and cool water, their installation adapts those principles into a large passive-cooling project, creating a localized oasis in the heart of the city.

Taking the form of a suspended canopy of porous terracotta pots of varying diameters and heights, the installation filters sunlight, generates layers of shade, and cools the surrounding atmosphere through evaporative cooling.

‘The pots rest on a lightweight, modular steel structure that allows them to be suspended at different heights, creating a dense canopy with varying degrees of transparency and shade. Rugs cover the ground, providing a comfortable surface for gathering and rest while reducing heat radiated from the paving,’ the duo share. ‘It also evokes the compact spatial qualities of traditional Arab urbanism, where narrow passages and closely spaced buildings create shaded, protected environments.

‘We envision the installation as a climatic landscape that offers a temporary space for gathering, rest and shared experience within the city,’ they add. ‘Its spatial organization follows three interconnected modules: the Forest, a dense perimeter of terracotta pots that provides shade, privacy and atmospheric enclosure; the Walkway, which guides visitors through the installation; and the Chamber, an intimate central space for pause, conversation and rest.’

Beyond its climatic function, the project explores architecture as an act of hospitality and a means of collective appropriation of public space. As a temporary intervention, its value lies in the experience it offers and the possibilities it suggests for creating shared, inhabitable spaces through minimal and adaptive strategies.

‘Shoreline’ by Platau | Platform for Architecture and Urbanism

Tracing Doha’s former coastline, reshaped by decades of land reclamation, Lebanese architecture studio Platau creates a playful urban shelter that invites visitors to rest and reflect on Doha’s natural heritage and their roots in maritime life.

Rising from a bed of sand, the studio has constructed a leisure area that doubles as a playground, made from modular wooden elements, timber columns, sail-like canopies and maritime ropes, reminiscent of traditional dhow fishing boats.

‘Over the last century, the shoreline of Doha has been remade drastically, being pushed further into the Gulf through land reclamation, transforming the nature of the shore from a productive space where dhow making, pearling, fishing and trading was the centre of the economy,’ Platau co-founder Sandra Frem says. ‘There’s also the relation of leisure activities on shores and beaches, so we tried to combine both elements, both through materiality – the sand, the wood – and the topography that evokes playfulness and the versatile perception of the shore.’

The installation also reinterprets the structure and look of dhow vessels through a contemporary lens, with mast-like pillars and beams connected by rows of thick maritime ropes, which form a shady canopy that echoes sails.

‘We took a look at different typologies of dhows. This is a dying craft, and it’s no longer part of living economy related fishing and trading,’ she adds. ‘We looked through the different museum collections in Doha, to really understand the different types of dhows and used teak wood, which was historically shipped from Africa, to build these boats.’

‘Falajscape’ by Studio By Three’s Eugenio Fernandez and Victor Nouman

Inspired by the falaj, the ancient gravity-fed irrigation system used for centuries across the Arabian Peninsula, ‘Falajscape’ by Dubai-based Studio By Three’s Eugenio Fernandez and Victor Nouman uses age-old technology to bring water to a public space.

Crafted from steel channels and paddles, the sculptural water features uses the same gravitational force to move the water through the installation. Rocks strung onto the upper channels act as counterweights that swing when filled or emptied with water.

‘We wanted to transform this knowledge through a contemporary expression and outdoor installation, built on the same ancient principles,’ Fernandez says. ‘We built a vertical piece, but it was mainly to show that these irrigation systems can still be used in a modern urban context, in roundabouts, or plazas, to create micro oases in the city.

‘The sound and passive cooling of the water creates a refreshing moment for people, but also provides water for birds and vegetation, which fills the empty spaces of the city,’ he adds. ‘It’s a closed system, so the water is constantly recirculating, and anything that does splash will water the wild plants in the plaza.’

The installation is soothing to watch and listen to, perfectly displaying now heritage techniques can be seamlessly applied to contemporary design and function. As the pieces are modular, the ensemble can be customized to work for spaces of all dimensions.

‘Palm Construct’ by Abdalla Almulla

Transforming date palm into a building material, Emirati architect Abdalla Almulla reshapes rigid palm elements into fluid forms, drawing on traditional palm weaving.

‘Palm Construct’ seeks to open new architectural possibilities for one of the region’s most familiar natural resources, looking to its past use in vernacular architecture to create new spatial experiences.

From traditional khoos weaving of palm fibre to using blocks of the wood itself, Almulla presents a sheltered pavilion made entirely from palm material

‘The palm is at the heart of the installation, both as a material and as a source of inspiration. Rather than focusing solely on its visual characteristics, we were interested in understanding its construction techniques, structural possibilities, and versatility,’ Almulla says.

‘By exploring different ways of working with the palm, the installation demonstrates how a familiar material can be reinterpreted through contemporary design while maintaining a connection to its cultural origins.

‘Through its form and spatial arrangement, the installation encourages visitors to engage with the structure and reflect on the relationship between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary public spaces,’ he adds. ‘Ultimately, we hope it creates a dialogue between the past and the present, demonstrating how local knowledge can continue to shape the spaces we inhabit.’