The UAE produces 750,000 tonnes of dates annually (14 percent of the global output). Nationally and internationally, the fruit is consumed in its raw form but together with its seed, it is used in the manufacturing of sweeteners, coffee powders, medicinal pastes and cosmetics. Coupled with coffee, the date is a symbol of hospitality and prosperity and adorns the table of homes and businesses across the MENA region.

Focusing on the by-product of date stoning, Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalkha embarked on an investigation to understand the design capabilities of the humble date seed. The design duo studied vernacular building methods across the MENASA region before setting out to identify a sustainable and low-cost process to convert raw date seeds into a cementitious design material using their home as a laboratory. The resulting material utilizes the seeds\’ mechanical properties. Datecrete possesses both a smooth texture and a cultural relevance that has the potential to serve as a local alternative to Portland cement.

Academic researchers in Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan and Libya have investigated the application of date palm seeds as a suitable filler material in glass–epoxy composites as well as a coarse aggregate in concrete production (as an alternative to stone). What makes Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalkha’s outcome stand out is that they claim to have developed the world’s first date seed-based cementitious material with no trace of concrete or resin. Datecrete was first developed during Sara and Khaled's participation in Tashkeel's Tanween program.