AA alumni Suzan and Sara Ibrahim present new material research at the Dubai Future Forum 2025

AA alumnae sister-duo SUSA (Suzan and Sara Ibrahim) presented new material research on soft architectures at the Dubai Future Forum 2025, following an installation at Dubai’s Museum of the Future during Urban Future Week. Their work asks whether softness can become an architectural strategy in harsh climates, using materials that swell, contract and 'communicate' to rethink how buildings regulate themselves.

Drawing on ferrofluids, hydrogels and ferrogels, the project explores matter that moves, gathers and reconfigures in response to magnetic fields, moisture and heat. Hydrogels – water-rich networks first developed to interface with living tissue – can absorb and release moisture and modulate heat without pumps or power, while ferrogels gain an added layer of responsiveness and spatial control. In the installation, two illuminated 'nuclei' structured the experience: one inviting visitors to manipulate ferrofluid behaviour, the other suggesting how these materials might aggregate into larger, architectural formations.

By leveraging swelling, evaporation and latent heat, the research points toward facade and interior systems capable of smoothing thermal peaks, lowering cooling loads and adapting to Dubai’s extreme climate. Situated within Forum themes such as 'Exploring the Unknown' and 'Optimising Systems', SUSA position responsive softness as a tool for governance, urban resilience and planetary care everywhere.

Image: SUSA, Suzan and Sara Ibrahim, Dubai Future, Museum of the Future, 2025.