A three-minute stroll through the sand and tyres made dune-like pavilion by Wallmakers studio for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial hopes to bring attention towards the accelerating accumulation of waste in our ecosystems, particularly tyres that amount to two per cent of total global waste. The 925 sqft installation aptly titled the 3-Minute Corridor is a passage cut through 1425 waste tyres collected from across various facilities in Sharjah, put to shape using desert sand—a material generally deemed unsuitable for construction. Led by architect Vinu Daniel, the project is one of the many practices from the 'Global South’ proposing a new model of thinking—one that underpins the idea that everything is impermanent and subject to repair and reconstitution.

Curated by Nigerian architect and designer Tosin Oshinowo, the ongoing triennial sheds light on the architecture of the future that embraces the uncelebrated traditions of the Global South and its many diasporas. With the theme, The Beauty of Impermanence: An Architecture of Adaptability, a collective of architects, designers, artists, researchers, artists and planners from the region are showcasing ‘design solutions conceived under conditions of scarcity, shedding light on a promising path to reshape our discourse on sustainability’.

Recipient of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award 2022, Daniel who sees himself at the helm of an ‘alternate’ practice continues to strengthen his arsenal of inventive architectural works (both temporary and permanent) that are built using local materials and showcase uncanny forms. From creating an airy house made of brick walls pirouetting in the air, a café interior furnished in discarded cloth and concrete, to a recently finished art complex whose sloping tiled roof doubles as outdoor seating, Wallmakers continues to push the boundaries of materiality, techniques, and of perceptions around architecture and construction. The Kochi-based studio firmly believes that the method of unstabilised sand and tyre masonry that was used to build the 3-minute Corridor can prove its mettle as a strong and reliable building material. “This modified form of masonry showcases the possibility of designing buildings in arid regions like the UAE, with materials found in its proximity,” says the design team.

What looks like a big mound of desert sand on the outside takes up an elaborate aesthetic on the inside—a whirling form abstracted by tyres that softly jut out of the wall surface. The pavilion’s cavernous entrance and the enclosing nature of the space create a dome-like feature in the roof that brings the outside in. The meditative installation is designed to stay thermally insulated to stand in Sharjah’s desert climate that witnesses scorching summers and mild winters. The sand and tyre masonry as per Wallmakers studio is a rooted solution to coping with the desert heat—needing no artificial means for active cooling—while providing beautiful habitable spaces. “With more than 280 million tyres discarded annually and only 30 million of them being retreaded or reused, the remaining 250 million scrap looms like a dangerous eventuality before us. The best way to neutralise this toxic material is to use them as a part of construction,” states the team which includes Oshin Mariam Varughese, Preksha Shah, Rakshita Kumbari, Arya Nair, with Vinu Daniel spearheading the design.

“The pavilion is made from 1425 tyres which is the number of tyres discarded globally during the three-minute walk a visitor makes through the passage. But the pavilion stands, not just as a horrifying reminder of our problems but also as offering a solution to the doom that haunts us.”

In tune with the overarching theme of the triennial that upholds the beauty of the impermanence of art and life, the 3-Minute Corridor is also envisioned to transition into nature once the event concludes. The pavilion is drawn heavily from the fleeting perception of deserts—entire mounds of sand shifting along with the wind—that has continued to fascinate generations. Another key reference for the design extends to how Buddhist monks destroy sand mandalas after making them painstakingly, through days of extensive work. “95 per cent of the pavilion,” Wallmakers hopes, shall become “a part of the desert after its use”.

Having opened to the public in November last year and on view till March 10, 2024, the triennial is conceived as the “first major platform for architecture and urbanism in the Middle East, North and East Africa, and Asia.” STIR recently featured an incisive unpacking from the triennial, a piece situating the post-colonial through the rhetoric and a closer observation of the fascinating pool of displays, practices and philosophies. We also spoke to architects Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzari of the Palestine Regeneration Team (PART) to discuss their exhibition, The Power of Invisibles, which is also on view at the triennial.