Sumayya Vally's Counterspace to Design EKAF in Dubai
Architect Sumayya Vally and Counterspace will transform a Dubai villa into the Elie Khouri Art Foundation, opening in late 2028.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Sumayya Vally and Counterspace appointed to design EKAF in Dubai
- Transforming a Jumeirah 1 villa into a contemporary art institution
- Architecture blends Beirut urban fabric with Gulf courtyard house traditions
- Project scheduled to officially open to the public in late 2028
Architect Sumayya Vally and her practice Counterspace have been commissioned to design the permanent home of the Elie Khouri Art Foundation (EKAF), transforming an existing villa located in Jumeirah 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, into a contemporary art institution. Scheduled to open in late 2028, the project will bring together exhibition galleries, educational spaces, pavilions, and landscaped gardens into a cohesive cultural destination.
Founded by French-Lebanese collector and philanthropist Elie Khouri, the foundation builds upon more than two decades of contemporary art collecting. Under the direction of Caroline Louca, the institution's program will combine works from Khouri's personal collection with changing exhibitions, institutional partnerships, artwork loans, and various educational initiatives to foster public engagement.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The adaptive reuse of an existing residential villa into a cultural institution highlights a growing architectural trend toward preserving spatial memory while introducing new public functions. By merging the layered urban fabric of Beirut with the inward-looking spatial planning of traditional Gulf architecture, the project addresses Dubai's expanding cultural infrastructure and its ambition to foster vibrant regional and international artistic exchanges.
For the architectural transformation, Vally draws direct inspiration from the layered urban fabric of Beirut and the inward-facing spatial organization characteristic of traditional Gulf courtyard houses. The design explores how the intimate domestic geometry of a building can be scaled up to serve a public identity, utilizing existing elements such as doors, cornices, balustrades, and original room layouts as the foundation for a contemporary architectural vocabulary.
"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,"
Sumayya Vally
The planned spaces extend far beyond traditional galleries to incorporate pavilions, a public garden, hospitality areas, and outdoor settings designed for seasonal events and community gatherings. This diverse combination of exhibition, learning, and social environments reflects the foundation's core ambition to encourage encounters with contemporary art beyond the confines of a conventional museum experience.
Source: designboom
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