"What are we doing differently?" - AlZaina Lootah
For Emirati architect and designer AlZaina Lootah, the future of design lies in the stories we inherit, the perspectives we share and the possibilities we create together.
Some creative practices are defined by a particular material, discipline or aesthetic. For Emirati architect and multidisciplinary designer AlZaina Lootah, the common thread is something less tangible: storytelling. Moving between architecture, objects and material experimentation, her work explores the relationship between identity, place and the experiences that shape our understanding of both.
Yet a career in design was not always part of the plan: "Since I was a child, I never had in mind that I was going to study design. I was going to be either an engineer or a doctor," she recalls.
"When it came to the time when I needed to decide what I wanted to study, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. There was somehow this sense in me that I liked to create things. I just liked to make things out of nothing."
Architecture eventually offered her a way to connect that instinct with something deeply personal: the stories of the region and the importance of telling them from a local perspective. Encouraged by a supportive family, AlZaina found the freedom to pursue her own creative interests, gradually establishing a practice that has grown organically since 2023.
"I did not feel the need to prove why I needed to study this. They're all about following your passion," she shares. "I feel very empowered. Even seeing a lot of the things that I'm doing, they feel like I'm representing the vision of an Emirati woman and Emirati talent."
That connection to her roots remains central to her work. The UAE's geological formations, agricultural traditions and maritime heritage are recurring sources of inspiration, interpreted not necessarily through their literal forms but through the feelings and associations they spark.
"I think what connects everything is the stories. Every time I set foot in a new project, I always go back to the ethos of my practice," she explains. "I get inspired by everything around me. Not literally, but maybe through the feelings that these things evoke in me as a person."
This sensitivity extends to her family's history. Her grandfather's archives became the foundation for Whispers of the Desert, a light installation that explored personal memory through a contemporary creative language. While different from her work in architecture and objects, the project reflects a consistent approach to bringing meaningful narratives into physical form.
"I don't like to restrict myself to a specific medium, and I think that's the beauty of the practice. I'm not just an interior designer. I'm not just an architect. I'm a person who discovers multiple skills and different sensory experiences that I want to create through my work."
For AlZaina, however, this exploration is rarely a solitary pursuit. Collaboration has become increasingly central to her practice, not only as a means of bringing different skills together but as an opportunity to discover perspectives beyond her own.
"One of the important things to me, especially when I look for a collaborator, is that we share the same passion, the same interests," she explains. "Sometimes we share similar experiences, and we get to understand each other on a deeper level. This is where new ideas are generated."
t's a philosophy that extends beyond fellow designers to the artisans, researchers and specialists involved in bringing her projects to life.
"I think design is generally a collaborative practice. I don't think it's a soloist practice. You're not doing things on your own. You're talking to a larger audience, and sometimes when you open that door, you have other people seeing something in your work that you have not seen."
Even the terminology she uses reflects this belief: "I don't usually like to call them suppliers. I like to call them material partners. It's true that I'm the designer, but I have other people who have pitched in and given their effort. They always bring their expertise."
This approach finds particular expression in her latest undertaking as Design Collaborator for the UAE Designer Exhibition at Downtown Design 2026. Presented under the theme Inherited Futures, the exhibition brings together around 30 UAE-based designers, exploring the relationship between cultural heritage, contemporary creativity and the generations that will shape the region's future.
For AlZaina, the exhibition has also created an opportunity to bring new voices into the design process. A conversation with Richard Wilson of Colab introduced her to Clarisse Merlet, founder of FabBRICK, whose work transforms discarded textiles into new materials. What began as an introduction soon developed into an exchange of ideas, alongside a further collaboration with Earth Collective.
"I think every material researcher should be part of the design field because they can add more value," she explains. "There's always this space to bring in newer people who are testing certain materials. We found an area to collaborate, and she also suggested things from a material standpoint when it came to the design. It was a back-and-forth process."
These exchanges have become part of the exhibition's identity, allowing material experimentation and different forms of expertise to influence the design of the space. Yet bringing together nearly 30 creative voices has presented its own challenges. AlZaina admits that she initially felt nervous about working with so many designers, each bringing their individual perspectives and personalities. Looking back, however, she describes it as "a beautiful journey".
At the centre of Inherited Futures is a question about what today's generation of designers can contribute to the future of the creative economy: "How are we, as the younger generation, tackling the creative economy in 30 or 50 years? What are we bringing differently to the table that the past generation has not brought? What are we doing differently?"
The exhibition brings these questions into a shared physical space. From traditional crafts to emerging technologies, material science and experimental prototypes, each participant contributes a different interpretation of how inherited knowledge can inform what comes next.
While the exhibition's architecture remains deliberately simple, AlZaina has paid particular attention to the relationships between the works, their creators and the people experiencing them. The result is intended to encourage movement, curiosity and exchange rather than presenting each practice in isolation.
"Different designers can bring different stories to the table, whether it's through crafts, technologies, material science or prototypes," she explains. "I'm not just looking at the UAE in this particular element, but the region in general, because the region is starting to have one conversation together."
It's a perspective that extends beyond the exhibition itself. As creative communities across the Middle East become increasingly connected, AlZaina anticipates a future in which collaboration will play an even greater role in shaping the region's design identity.
"I think it's slowly starting to happen, but in the next 30 or 50 years, within the design industry, I feel like there's going to be more harmony," she reflects.
Perhaps this is where Inherited Futures finds its most compelling meaning. The future is not simply something to be imagined independently, but something shaped collectively through the stories, knowledge and experiences passed between generations.
And for AlZaina, the most interesting possibilities may lie precisely in what happens when those different perspectives come together. ◆
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