{"id":356859,"date":"2026-01-07T10:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T10:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/356859\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T10:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T10:37:12","slug":"arabian-knights-influence-abu-dhabi-riding-school-by-david-nicolas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/356859\/","title":{"rendered":"Arabian knights influence Abu Dhabi riding school by David\/Nicolas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hand-carved reliefs and marquetry details elevate the custom joinery inside this equestrian academy<\/a> in Abu Dhabi<\/a>, where French-Lebanese duo David\/Nicolas<\/a> has designed a library<\/a> and saddle workshop.<\/p>\n

Set across 65,000 square metres on Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi Royal Equestrian Arts (ADREA) is billed as the world’s first school of classical horsemanship outside of Europe<\/a>, complete with 60 stables, a veterinary clinic and a climate-controlled arena.<\/p>\n

\"LibraryDavid\/Nicolas has designed two spaces for ADREA in Abu Dhabi<\/p>\n

David\/Nicolas<\/a> was tasked with designing two separate spaces for the school \u2013 a saddle workshop and an equestrian library holding more than 14,000 books and manuscripts.<\/p>\n

ADREA’s curriculum blends the European haute \u00e9cole<\/a> tradition with the Arabic knightly discipline of furusiyya<\/a>, which dates back to the Middle Ages and emphasises principles of horsemanship, chivalry and the mutual dependence between man and horse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"ShelvingAmong them is a library with a wood-framed reading room<\/p>\n

This rich Islamic equestrian tradition and its associated craftsmanship drove David\/Nicolas’s interior scheme, combining heritage elements with a contemporary architectural language.<\/p>\n

“What inspired us most about Furusiyya was its technical and aesthetic dimension,” the duo told Dezeen. “The armour, horse equipment and construction details revealed a strong geometric language where function and beauty coexist.”<\/p>\n

“These geometries directly informed the patterns and compositions developed for the marquetry, translating technical rigour into crafted architectural surfaces.”<\/p>\n

\"ReadingPlush red carpet and ambient lighting create an intimate atmosphere<\/p>\n

The library is organised around a central reading room framed in custom shelving, where deep-red carpet and ambient lighting create a quiet, intimate atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Decorative marquetry crafted from oak and mahogany was used to embellish the shelves with striking geometric patterns.<\/p>\n

\"MetalMetal book shelves spiral out from the central reading room<\/p>\n

They mirror motifs found in Middle Eastern and Emirati architecture, and\u00a0utilised the skills of craftsmen the studio had previously worked with on projects such as its refurbishment of a 1920s apartment in Milan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“The process combined machine precision with extensive handwork, with all marquetry assembled by hand,” David\/Nicolas said. “Engraved areas were introduced to create relief, contrast and a greater sense of depth across the surfaces.”<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Casa<\/p>\n

David\/Nicolas balances classic and contemporary in renovated Gio Ponti apartment\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The reading room is surrounded by curved steel bookshelves that form a continuous circulation route around the space to encourage “movement, interaction and exchange”.<\/p>\n

The saddle workshop is also arranged as a room within a room, with storage organised around a central space dedicated to teaching artisanal saddle-making skills.<\/p>\n

\"SaddleDavid\/Nicolas also created a dedicated saddle workshop for the school<\/p>\n

Here, storage was “conceived as something to be exhibited rather than hidden”, the designers explained, with saddles, tools and leather elements displayed on both sides.<\/p>\n

A modular system of moveable pegs allows for flexible reorganisation of the displays, while carved details echo the decorative surfaces of the library, creating a sense of cohesion between the two areas.<\/p>\n

\"SaddleRed vinyl and sisal provide durable flooring<\/p>\n

The workshop space is floored with red vinyl and a practical, hard-wearing sisal carpet. Illuminated ceiling panels generate even lighting throughout the space to assist with the intricate craftsmanship.<\/p>\n

“Across both spaces, proportion, materiality, and craftsmanship guide the experience, offering a contemporary interpretation of Emirati equestrian heritage that is rooted, precise, and forward-looking,” David\/Nicolas said.<\/p>\n

\"SaddlesA system of moveable pegs allows for flexible reorganisation of the displays<\/p>\n

Raffoul and Moussallem, who both come from Beirut, met while studying architecture at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts in 2006 and founded their studio together in 2011.<\/p>\n

Previous projects from the duo include a limited-edition furniture collection inspired by the night sky<\/a>, crafted from travertine stone and palm wood.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Ziga Mihelcic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hand-carved reliefs and marquetry details elevate the custom joinery inside this equestrian academy in Abu Dhabi, where French-Lebanese…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[8630,6225,6485,6486,137253,1120,1398,96,30779,1904,40339,41654,56,5387,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-356859","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-abu-dhabi","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-artsanddesign","12":"tag-david-nicolas","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-education","15":"tag-entertainment","16":"tag-horses","17":"tag-schools","18":"tag-sectionall","19":"tag-sectioninteriors","20":"tag-uk","21":"tag-united-arab-emirates","22":"tag-united-kingdom","23":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}