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
Dubai, UAE
A leading Dubai developer commissioned DONIS to envision an innovative project for the future of the desert city. Our conclusion was that the city's future should reconnect with the sea—its freshness, energy, and environmental potential. After analysing the high costs and ecological shortcomings of artificial islands, we proposed an alternative: long inhabited piers extending into the water. We named the prototype Dubai SouK, a one-kilometer-long mixed-use structure that reinvents the traditional marketplace, as a contemporary urban extension built over the sea while remaining connected to the land, infrastructure, transportation, and public life.
It was conceived as an energy-independent project, harnessing tidal and wave energy, integrating solar panels across its expansive roof, and incorporating a desalination plant to provide fresh water, creating a comprehensive model of sustainable coastal development applicable not only to the UAE but also to other countries in the region.
The initial proposal combined residential, commercial, a five-star hotel, and parking facilities. At ground level, a continuous floating promenade would form a generous shaded public space, providing direct access to boats and yachts belonging to both residents and visitors while creating a lively waterfront destination.
