Niko Kapa, a Greek designer based in Dubai, designed a collection of innovative products inspired by the natural environment of AlUla, “interpreting the region’s natural and cultural legacies into exceptional products for contemporary audiences” while taking into consideration AlUla’s landscape, archaeology, and history. Nature becomes a design tool in mass-produced objects possessing handmade qualities, bringing the ancient in dialogue with the contemporary, and AlUla in dialogue with the world.

Inspired by volcanic landscapes, desert dunes, and sandstone mountains, the products developed through extensive material research aspire to combine local craftsmanship and contemporary design, merging art with functionality. The collection of utensils follows a zero-waste-making process involving upcycling and recycling. Revealing sculptural attributes of Arabian scenery, these are translated into functional objects, receptacles, and valet trays. Using the material of landscape, desert sand is bonded with recycled concrete and recycled ceramics, and is coloured by natural earth pigments.

Highlighting relationships between form and the material that it is made of, construction uses one of the area’s most abundant natural resources: sand. Developed through material research, dessert sand comprises the main component of an environmentally conscious cement composite containing recycled AshCrete as a bonding agent for sand. AshCrete is composed of 97% fly ash, reusing a waste product and replacing most of the energy-intensive components of traditional concrete. Merging material technology with design processes, the substance has a stone-like matte finish texture that recreates the porosity of the local rocky landscape, while red clay is used as a natural pigment to replicate the warm colour palette of the earth. By exploiting proximity to the resource origin, the transportation cost of principal raw materials is reduced to a minimum.

The manufacturing process reduces the impact of mining for natural resources and energy by reusing and recycling waste products and locally-available pure sand. The product line is made locally, reducing the carbon footprint by abiding by the principles of the circular economy. Moreover, the simplified manufacturing process doesn’t require technical expertise or special mechanical equipment, thus minimizing workmanship and labour costs, while optimizing logistics and fabrication time, thus rendering objects suitable for mass production. Artefacts will be produced and presented at AlUla’s cultural and retail outlets in Saudi Arabia, a globally significant heritage and culture destination.

Technical sheet

Collection: AlUla

Location: AlUla, KSA 
Client: Royal Commission of AlUla
Materials: recycled concrete, desert sand, recycled ceramics, natural earth pigments, brass
Uses: homeware, office utensils and decorative objects
Designer: Niko Kapa
Product launch: 2023