Bahraini Architecture

As Expo 2025 Osaka passes the midpoint of its six-month duration on July 13, the international exposition continues to serve as a global platform for architectural experimentation, cultural exchange, and technological innovation. Officially opened on April 13 on the reclaimed island of Yumeshima, the event is organized under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," and has already welcomed more than 13 million visitors as of late July. Conceived as a space for collaboration across disciplines and borders, the Expo brings together more than 150 national, thematic, and corporate pavilions.

The Kingdom of Bahrain is being widely acknowledged recently through their worldwide architectural contributions at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, with their Anatomy of a Dhow pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh; or at the Venice Biennale, where the Heatwave exhibition was awarded the Golden Lion for Best National Participation. However, for the past few years Bahraini cities like Muharraq have been lending the stage for regional and international architects to discover their typical Persian Gulf architecture and add their own touches to the local sites. It's through the works of Leopold Banchini, Anne Holtrop, or Valerio Olgiati that the old has been brought back to life, along with the efforts of the local authorities and cultural figures.

A place of rebirth, the city of Muharraq in Bahrain has undergone a visionary cultural and urban transformation, emerging as a pioneering model for culturally-led regeneration in the Arab world, particularly in the Gulf region. Once the capital of the country's pearling industry, Muharraq has preserved, reinterpreted, and reintegrated its historical legacy into its evolving urban fabric.

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Architect Andrea Faraguna is the curator of the Kingdom of Bahrain's national pavilion at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. The exhibition, titled Heatwave, is a site-specific installation that explores passive cooling strategies for public spaces, inspired by Bahrain's traditional architecture and reimagined through contemporary approaches. Its technical response to the global challenge of rising urban temperatures was recognized by the Biennale's international jury, which awarded it this year's Golden Lion for Best National Participation. While on site in Venice, ArchDaily's editors had a chance to discuss with curator Andrea Faraguna about the context that gave rise to the pavilion, the mechanisms put in place, and his perspective on events such as the Venice Architecture Biennale.

The Kingdom of Bahrain's Heatwave exhibition, curated by architect Andrea Faraguna has been announced as the winner of the Golden Lion for the Best National Participation at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. The winner has been selected by an international jury comprising of Swiss curator, critic, and art historian Hans Ulrich Obrist as jury chair, South African architect, lecturer, and curator Mpho Matsipa, and Italian curator Paola Antonelli. The awards ceremony is broadcast live from the headquarters of the Biennale at Ca'Giustinian. The pavilion stands out for addressing the pressing issue of extreme heat through a site-specific installation that showcases passive cooling strategies rooted in Bahrain's climatic realities and cultural context.

The Kingdom of Bahrain's national pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia was awarded this year's Golden Lion for Best National Participation. Titled Heatwave, the exhibition was curated by architect Andrea Faraguna and located in the historic Artiglierie of the Arsenale. Through a site-specific installation, Heatwave reimagines the design of public space by exploring passive cooling strategies rooted in Bahrain's climatic realities and cultural context. The project's aim, to offer a speculative yet grounded architectural response to the environmental urgency shaping urban life today, was recognized by the Biennale's international jury, which praised its "viable proposals for extreme heat conditions."

Opening on April 13th, 2025, Expo 2025 Osaka gathers countries and organizations from around the world under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." Located on the manmade island of Yumeshima, the event is expected to attract millions of visitors with a focus on innovation, sustainability, and cross-cultural exchange. The overall masterplan is led by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, who envisions a circular structure known as the Grand Roof, or the "Grand Ring." Measuring 1.5 kilometers in diameter, the floating canopy will connect the national and thematic pavilions below, functioning as a symbol of unity and collaboration while offering shaded walkways and event spaces.

Architecture competitions have long been a means for nations to shape their identity, cultural landscapes, and built environment. They provide a platform for international architects to contribute to national projects, often reflecting broader ambitions of modernization and global recognition. In 1976, Bahrain launched potentially the first major architectural competition—a call for designs for a National Cultural Centre, bringing some of the world's leading architects into the Gulf's emerging architectural discourse. Though the winning design by Timo Penttilä was never built, the competition remains a key moment in Bahrain's history, illustrating the challenges of translating external visions into local realities.

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The Arabian Peninsula represents one of the world's leading exporters and users of fossil fuels, an economic reality that influences the area's visions for the future and, implicitly, architecture and urban planning's role in these scenarios. A number of emerging offices are however countering these narratives, turning to contextual research to reframe the area's production of architecture. Among these, cultural practice Civil Architecture has become recognized for its provocative works that explore alternative narratives for the identity of the Middle East. While in Bahrain, ArchDaily's Christele Harrouk had the chance to sit down with Ali Karimi, who, together with Hamed Bukhamseen, co-founded Civil Architecture. In the video interview, they discuss the practice of architecture in the Gulf region and the narrative and research-focused approach of the office.

Foster + Partners have revealed their proposal for the Bilaj Al Jazayer Beach master plan, a new development aiming to introduce a new touristic destination along Bahrain's southwest coast. The 3.5-kilometer beachfront introduces a pedestrian-friendly infrastructure along with a mixed-use district fitted with residential areas, hotels, retail spaces, and public amenities.