About
DONIS is an international studio of architecture, urbanism, research, industrial design, and art. The studio has won several international prizes, including the Dubai Frame, selected as the first-prize winner from 926 proposals in an international competition regulated by UNESCO-UIA; the first prize for the National Palace of Justice in Paris; and the winning design for a new landmark for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the City of London. DONIS designs, develops, and builds projects across a wide range of scales and programs, consistently pursuing innovative, sustainable, and socially engaged architecture. DONIS was founded by Fernando Donis, Mexican Dutch architect who received his Master’s degree from the Architectural Association in London through the Design Research Laboratory (DRL), where he studied under Patrik Schumacher and Brett Steele. He also received a PhD in Architecture from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), through the doctoral research program The City as a Project, led by with Pier Vittorio Aureli. His doctoral research, FRAME, is a five-chapter study of the archetype of the frame and its role in the architectural and urban history and culture of Mexico. Following his studies at the Architectural Association, Fernando Donis worked closely with Rem Koolhaas as an Associate at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) for nine years, from 2001 to 2009. During this period, he was the main designer of the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, among numerous other architectural projects and masterplans. He also collaborated with AMO, OMA’s research and design branch, contributing to research projects concerning the European Union. Fernando Donis has taught at the Berlage Institute and the Academy of Architecture in Rotterdam, as well as at Universidad Iberoamericana and Universidad Anáhuac in Mexico, integrating architectural research, design, and urbanism across multiple scales. His work and career have received international recognition. In 2011, CNN Expansión selected him as one of the 30 most promising and influential people in Mexico. In 2015, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected him as one of the country’s most creative Mexicans living abroad.
Dubai Souk
Ubicación – Dubái, Emiratos Árabes Unidos
Año – 2010
Programa – Muelle, hotel de 5 estrellas, apartamentos con servicios, centro comercial, estacionamiento, paseo público y muelle lineal para yates
M² – Muelle de 1 km de longitud distribuido en tres niveles principales
Un importante desarrollador inmobiliario de Dubái encargó a DONIS concebir un proyecto innovador para el futuro de la ciudad del desierto. Nuestra conclusión fue que el futuro de Dubái debía reconectarse con el mar: con su frescura, su energía y su potencial ambiental. Tras analizar los elevados costos y las limitaciones ecológicas de las islas artificiales, propusimos una alternativa: largos muelles habitados que se extienden sobre el agua. Denominamos este prototipo Dubai SouK, una estructura de usos mixtos de un kilómetro de longitud que reinventa el mercado tradicional como una extensión urbana contemporánea construida sobre el mar, manteniéndose conectada con la tierra, la infraestructura, el transporte y la vida pública.
El proyecto fue concebido para ser energéticamente autosuficiente, aprovechando la energía de las mareas y del oleaje, integrando paneles solares en toda su extensa cubierta e incorporando una planta desalinizadora para producir agua potable. De este modo, plantea un modelo integral de desarrollo costero sostenible, aplicable no solo a los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, sino también a otros países de la región.
La propuesta inicial integraba vivienda, comercio, un hotel de cinco estrellas y estacionamientos. A nivel del mar, un paseo flotante continuo generaba un amplio espacio público sombreado, ofreciendo acceso directo a embarcaciones y yates tanto de residentes como de visitantes, al tiempo que daba lugar a un dinámico destino frente al mar.
