Sharjah Architectural Triennial

Sharjah Architecture Triennial is the first major platform for architecture and urbanism in the Middle East, North and East Africa, and South and Southeast Asia. 

Our vision is to activate the field of architecture in the public sphere. The Triennial broadens the conversation, promoting buildings and urban spaces that respond to contemporary conditions. It aims to make architectural discourse accessible to a wider audience, including students, scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and members of the general public, thus advancing contemporary practice and the study and preservation of the region's rich modern heritage.

The inaugural theme is “Rights of Future Generations”. It aims to fundamentally challenge the way we think about designing societies and environments, with important implications for architecture, urban design, and planning. The exploration of this concept both within the context of the Arabic-speaking world and the Global South is at the heart of the inaugural Sharjah Architecture Triennial. Motivated by the unique circumstances faced by architects, scholars, planners and artists in the Middle East, North and East Africa, and South and Southeast Asia — from non-existent or fragmented archives, to restrictions on travel, or the absence of institutional support — 2019 Triennal Curator Adrian Lahoud aims to use the occasion of our inaugural edition to create a platform for dialog between an emerging generation of architects drawn from across the region, and its diaspora.

sharjaharchitecture.org