Programme Structure
Phase I: Foundations & Concept Development
4 weeks in duration
This phase focuses on establishing a strong foundation for furniture design practice. Fellows develop a clear design direction grounded in user needs, material understanding, and early feasibility considerations, while gaining familiarity with the workshop environment and core making processes.
*Critique session concluding Phase I
Phase II: Design Development & Partial Prototyping
6 weeks in duration
Fellows develop their concepts into technically resolved designs, testing critical aspects of buildability and feasibility. Design decisions are refined through structured development and validation processes, ensuring readiness for full-scale fabrication.
*Critique session concluding Phase II
Phase III: Full Prototype Fabrication
6 weeks in duration
This phase is dedicated to the fabrication and refinement of a full-scale furniture prototype. Fellows translate their design into a physical outcome, focusing on execution quality, detailing, and presentation.
*Critique session concluding Phase III
Phase IV: MVP Fabrication
8 weeks in duration
Building on the completed prototype, fellows progress toward producing a single Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This phase introduces real-world production considerations, either through in-house fabrication or external manufacturing collaboration.
*Public Showcase Phase IV
Showcase
Following the conclusion of Phase IV, each cohort concludes with a public showcase presenting the final prototypes developed during the programme.
The showcase highlights Athath Fellowship’s contribution to the local furniture design scene by presenting custom-made, culturally influenced furniture designs to a broad public audience, including both children and adults.
The public showcase for Cohort 2025 was held at Downtown Design during Dubai Design Week in November 2025.
Seminars
Scheduled throughout the programme, the seminars feature a curated selection of guest critics and speakers from across academia, industry, and professional support services.
Through engagement with these practitioners and industry leaders, fellows expand their professional networks and gain insight into diverse perspectives, practices, and career pathways, with opportunities for mentorship and collaboration.
Notable past speakers include Dr. Pradeep Sharma, Nada Debs, Studio D04, Omar AlGurg, Carla Baz, Achraf Mizilly, Caitlin Nation, Suraya Turk, and Claudia Rus, among others.
