Christopher C.M. Lee

Hello, I’m Chris Lee, Principal of Serie Architects and the  Arthur Rotch Design Critic at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design,  and the architect of the Jameel Art Center in Dubai.

When we first participated in the competition to design the Art Center, I was really struck by the ambition and vision of Fady Jameel he told us that the center must first contribute to the community and harness the power of art to transform their lives and nurture the next generation of artists.

In a way this departs from the conventional order of privileging art over everything else in the design of building its nature.  So, we responded with an architecture that is open, welcoming and calm, made up of a series of courtyards and desert islands.  This, in many ways, is an anthem to the exuberant architecture that you find in Dubai and we’re delighted to know that after two years of the Center’s opening, it has truly become the house of culture of Dubai.  We continue to receive messages of appreciation and compliments from everyone who has visited the Center.

And I really think that the Center is a true transformative gift that Fady and Art Jameel have given to the community and to the larger art world. And i wish them every success and blessings for many years to come.

 

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