Gazing into the future
Identity|February 2020
When Dubai hosts the biennial IFI Congress this month, the focus will be on the future of technology, design and education in the international design world.
DOROTHY WALDMAN
Gazing into the future

“The extraordinary design (in Dubai) is completely cutting-edge,” Shashi Caan, CEO of the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) told identity as she explained why Dubai was selected as the host city for the organization’s 2020 Congress and General Assembly. “Dubai is the largest city that has come into being during my lifetime.” In the world of architecture, this is an extraordinarily short time for a city to make such a major contribution.

The theme for this important event on the international design calendar will be Design 2050 – Technology, Design, Education. Expounding on this idea, Caan added: “In the next fifty years, there will be an exponential transformation in the world. Dubai is a city of the future.” Programming at the conference will focus on looking forward to the crystal ball of the future. A wide range of programs, keynotes, and workshops of interest to the profession, as well as others who are interested in interiors and design, will discuss what may or may not happen in these three key areas in the years to come. Renowned international experts (see below) in these divergent yet intersecting fields that affect our collective future will be in attendance to address important issues.

One of the highlights will be the announcement of the Global Design Award winners. Although design awards are “a dime a dozen,” the IFI award winners will be of the highest level, making this the ‘Nobel Prize of Design’, according to Caan. After the winners selected by a prestigious international jury are revealed, a commemorative book about these creative individuals and the outstanding projects they shaped will be unveiled. A copy of this volume will be available for distribution and will also become a part of the IFI’s library of design.

This story is from the February 2020 edition of Identity.

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This story is from the February 2020 edition of Identity.

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