Water Drinking Fountains

The Sabeel Fountain project reimagined the traditional public drinking fountain for Expo 2020 Dubai. Rooted in the regional tradition of providing free water to travellers and communities, the project transformed an everyday piece of infrastructure into a collection of distinctive public artworks—expressing generosity, hospitality and the importance of water as a shared resource. Our team began by researching the cultural history, meaning and contemporary relevance of the sabeel. From this research, we created a development brief defining the project’s narrative, visitor experience, locations, functional requirements and long-term legacy. We then partnered with Art Jameel to develop an open competition and artist commissioning process, inviting artists and designers to reinterpret the sabeel for a contemporary audience. The selected concepts were developed into two signature designs, reproduced across the Expo site, and two larger artistic commissions—creating a family of 39 fountains in total. Our team then led the technical development and engineering required to transform the artists’ ideas into safe, durable and fully functioning drinking fountains. Working closely with the artists, specialist fabricators and contractors, we integrated chilled and filtered water systems, contactless sensor taps, drainage, ventilation, structural supports and maintenance access while protecting the integrity of each original design. Prototypes, material studies and detailed technical coordination enabled the fountains to meet public-health, operational and accessibility requirements while remaining faithful to their artistic and cultural intent.