Sumayya Vally Designs Elie Khouri Art Foundation Home in a Dubai Villa

The Elie Khouri Art Foundation (EKAF) has appointed Sumayya Vally of the Johannesburg- and London-based practice Counterspace to design its permanent home in Dubai. The Elie Khouri Art Foundation Dubai project is scheduled to open in late 2028 and will occupy a repurposed villa in the Jumeirah 1 district. The existing residential property and its grounds will become a space for contemporary art exhibitions, education, and public programming, and the commission forms part of the foundation’s plans to establish a permanent platform for contemporary art in the city, with architecture and curatorial programming developed in parallel.

Vally will lead the architectural transformation of the villa, which will gain galleries, educational spaces, pavilions, and a garden. Hospitality areas and outdoor spaces for seasonal events and gatherings will sit alongside them, so the site can host both daily visitors and larger occasions. The project will keep the domestic character of the property while its spatial organization and landscape are adapted for public use, an approach closely tied to adaptive reuse of existing buildings.

Because the foundation did not want a conventional museum, the design will explore the relationship between the existing house, its architectural features, and its future role as a cultural institution. The concept draws on two spatial references, the street architecture of Beirut and the inward-facing organization of traditional Gulf courtyard houses. According to the practice, the villa’s doors, cornices, balustrades, and room arrangements will inform a contemporary architectural language that translates elements of domestic architecture into a setting for public and cultural exchange.

• Client: Elie Khouri Art Foundation
• Architect: Counterspace, led by Sumayya Vally
• Location: Jumeirah 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Existing building: a repurposed villa with surrounding grounds
• Planned opening: late 2028

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The project is intended to establish a relationship between the memory of the existing building and its new institutional function. That idea suits the practice behind it, since Counterspace, founded by Vally, approaches architecture through research into social histories, collective memory, and vernacular spatial practices. Its work often combines architectural design with artistic and curatorial research, and it engages with underrepresented narratives and the cultural contexts of the places where it operates.

The foundation itself was established by Elie Khouri, a French-Lebanese art collector, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, and it builds on more than two decades of collecting and engagement with the international art world. Under the direction of Caroline Louca, EKAF is developing a programme that will bring together works from its collection, temporary exhibitions, institutional collaborations, and loans. Its activities will extend beyond presenting artworks to include learning initiatives and public events intended to encourage dialogue and exchange around contemporary art.

Through exhibitions, educational activities, and collaborations with artists and cultural institutions, the foundation aims to make its collection and wider contemporary art practices accessible to a broader public. It also intends to contribute to the cultural landscape of Dubai. The villa in Jumeirah 1 is scheduled to open to visitors in late 2028.