DEOND, a visionary studio co-led by Ross Lovegrove and Ila Colombo, presents the Exsalted Pavilion at Dubai Design Week (4th-9th November 2025). The studio is renowned for blending advanced research with artistic intuition in a sculptural, sensory-driven installation.
Commissioned by artist Ila Colombo and supported by MANE, the global leader in fragrance and sensory innovation, the pavilion is an exploration of geometry, lightness, and material expression. Situated in the heart of the D3 Dubai Design District, it is soon to be reinstalled elsewhere.
Developed in partnership with MANE, the pavilion transforms the company’s expertise on the art of fragrance into an immersive spatial experience, where scent, architecture, and atmosphere intertwine. The pavilion’s design is reimagined as an architectural lightness and complexity as a living sculpture, almost behaving like a living mineral organism, precise, feather-light, and responsive to its surroundings.
Crafted as a fluid and seamless surface made of delicate folded plates, it becomes a poetic fusion of geometry and perception, inviting visitors to move through a space where design feels alive, responsive, and quietly enchanting.
Geometry Development
The geometry of a continuous surface is inspired by the mesmerizing and unique complexity of an origami. Composed of a sequence of triangulated modules developed through parametric designs and executed by a robotic 3D printing technology. The prismatic surfaces unfold like crystallized shells or salt minerals that appear to be beautifully shaped by the sea and time that defines the atmospheric perception through the architecture.
The architecture is a striking example of folded geometry and salt-inspired dynamic form, which engages visitors in an experience of movement with the dynamic play of light and space. Nearly 96% of the structure is fabricated through robotic 3D printing using recycled polymer, showcasing architecture that celebrates material innovation and sustainable design. Its layered surfaces allow light to filter through each fold and joint, revealing the intricacy of its construction with a breathing presence that feels alive within its surroundings.
Designed with sustainability at its core, the pavilion is built as a fully disassemblable and reusable system, minimizing waste while reducing the environmental impact of transport and fabrication. From the outside, it appears like a shimmering crystalline cluster catching the sunlight, appearing as a unique amalgamation of material, light, and texture that breathes together. It is a unique spatial experience that lingers long after you leave, echoing co-founder Ila Colombo’s belief that “Architecture, like scent, exists beyond the moment; it remains within us as an invisible trace.”
The design of the pavilion results in a lightweight faceted skin that integrates the surrounding landscape and gradually shifts its striking tone throughout the day. It is an intricate architecture that celebrates the intersection of natural mineral concepts and modern computational geometry and methods.
Exsalted Pavilion Project Details
Project name: Exsalted Pavilion
Location: Dubai Design District, Dubai
Architect: DEOND (Ross Lovegrove and Ila Colombo)
Year: Dubai Design Week (4-9th November 2025)
Photography: Deed Studio
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