Southeast view
of Bank Street
buildings, Shar-
jah. Image by
Ieva Saudargaitunderstand our agency and relationship with the
world differently.”
Most recently, the triennial announced the two
venues that it will be held at – the old Jubail veg-
etable market and the Al- Qasimiyah School, which
is currently being renovated to form the triennial’s
permanent headquarters.
The choice in venues was no coincidence, as-
serts Lahoud. They speak directly to the theme of
the triennial. Both buildings are leading examples
of the emirate’s 1970s and 80s architecture. And in
the adaptive reuse of these structures, the trien-
nial offers a sustainable approach and example of
working with existing infrastructure.
“The mission of the triennial is to serve as a
space for dialogue that supports an emerging gen-
eration of architects drawn from across the Global
South and their diaspora,” said Lahoud. “Ulti-
mately, we hope to prompt our audiences to re-
think the potential of architecture – to interrogate
existing models, disrupt dominant perspectives
and consider the alternative ways of living that can
be formed.
“Inherent to the theme of Rights of Future Gen-
erations is a commitment to legacy building, and I
hope to create a lasting community beyond the ex-
hibition,” Lahoud said. “Physically, the school will
serve as a central hub for architectural learning
within Sharjah. For those based in other regions,
texts and publications produced during the trien-
nial will be available across a variety of online plat-
forms long after the exhibition has ended, offering
a globally accessible resource for those who wish
to interrogate existing architectural discourse.”30 / COVER STORY