Awnings Awnings Awnings, (2026)
Steel, Aluminum, Acrylic sheet, Fabric, and LED lights
Commissioned by Art Jameel

Shop awnings are part of the urban memory of historic Jeddah. For decades, they defined the character of commercial streets, attached to shopfronts, filtering sunlight, extending the interior outward, and carving a shaded edge along the sidewalk. Modest in form, unmistakable in presence, their striped fabrics, in bold and contrasting tones, introduced a visual rhythm across storefronts that cut through the brightness of the street and softened the weight of direct light.

Bricklab’s Facade Commission design takes this familiar element and shifts its scale. The awning is no longer tied to a single shop. It is expanded, repeated, and assembled across the entire façade of Hayy Jameel; a homage to the rhythm of Jeddah’s commercial frontages.

Awnings Awnings Awnings is grounded in the city’s artisanal history. Fabrics are sourced within Jeddah and fabricated through existing networks of suppliers and tailors, maintaining continuity with the way these elements have historically been made and circulated here.

The awnings presented here are not relics of the past. They are a living component of Jeddah’s visual and spatial language, a quiet attestation to their disappearance, and a call for their preservation. Fabric awnings are gradually being replaced by standardized materials like polycarbonates that flatten texture, reduce variation, and alter how streets are experienced. By returning to fabric, colour, and craft, the installation reasserts a material richness that once shaped everyday life in the city.

The variety presented in this installation is a playful take on an unnoticed architectural typology.

Thanks to Abidah Hamid Muhammad Al- Lahibi Est for the all Fabric Elements

Special thanks to:
Muhammed Anas
Sirajudeen
Muhammed Safeer
Abdul Salam
basheer Muhammed
Muhammed Shafeek
Said Alavi

AG Lamar for the steel structure, including:
Usman Koya Thekke Kottalakath
Shaliq Kannanthodi Saleem
Md Washim Hossain
Mohammad Auwal

Bricklab Team:
Adil Sherif
Osama Altal
Aseel Alamoudi
Abeer Nowailaty
Razan Alnajjar
Talal Alam
Bashayer Bamohsin
Sulafa Nawawi
Batoul Nassif

Further appreciation to:
Salem Bamehriz (Janoubiah Market Fabrics to be taken by Bricklab).
Majed Abdullah (Janoubiah Market Fabrics to be taken by Bricklab).
Hayy Jameel Team (for constant support).
Amal Attar (for inspirational support).
Basma Almashat (for inspirational support).

About the Hayy Jameel Façade Commission Open Call:
The Hayy Jameel Façade Commission is an annual programme that gives one artist or collective the opportunity to develop a major public work for the 25-metre “canvas” on the front of the building – a feature integral to the architectural intent. The last edition of the commission was awarded to artist Ashraf Abdullah and his piece ‘Messages from the Road’ – which was on view until April 2026.

About Bricklab:
Based in Jeddah, Bricklab is a studio for architecture, design and experimental research. It navigates the interplay between material research, practical design, and the built environment. Their portfolio—from cultural architecture to urban design and consulting, public space interventions, to scenography and installations—reflects a thoughtful response to the changing contexts of each project. The studio was formed in 2015 by Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz. Over the years, their team has expanded to include architects and designers from different backgrounds and interests.

About Zeinab Alireza:
Zeinab Alireza is a Jeddah-based Architect and Placemaking Consultant with over 15 years of international experience in urban design and sustainable environments. As a director and consultant, she specializes in creating vibrant public experiences through large-scale masterplans and spatial visions across the Middle East. Zeinab holds a Master’s degree in Housing and Urbanism and has held leadership roles at firms like AECOM, focusing on the social and environmental opportunities of urban projects. Beyond her extensive experience in urban design, she is a co-founder of the Sustainable Cities Lab for Saudi Women and the founder of Takween, an interdisciplinary educational platform for youth. Her work bridges the gap between professional practice and community development, serving on boards like the Friends of Jeddah Parks to advocate for quality open spaces.