News

Photograph showing an example of Datecrete furniture, the Datecrete Console, which includes a mirror.
Source Name
Dezeen
Publication Title
Datecrete" furniture featured in showcase of UAE emerging designers at Dubai Design Week
Excerpt from Publication
Five designs were included in this year's edition that focused on innovative materials, such as a chunky console table attached to a rectilinear mirror by architect Sara Abu Farha and engineer Khaled Shalka...
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Sara and Khaled, photographed with a tower of Datecrete tiles between them, with a palm tree shadow cast on them. The heading of the photo reads "Datecrete". Below the heading, a paragraph reads "Palestinian architect Sara Abu Farha and Lebanese-Russian researcher Khaled Shalkha work to bridge the gap between science and design." Below this paragraph, an Arabic line in large red font reads "أصوات عربية جديدة", which translates to "New Arabic Voices."
Source Name
AD Middle East
Publication Title
New Arab Voices - Datecrete by Sara Abu Farha and Khaled Shalkha Is a Sustainable Twist on Building Materials in the UAE
Excerpt from Publication
Connecting the dots between science, design and culture, the eco-architect-couple hopes to reduce the carbon footprint of the local construction industry by creating concrete from the agricultural waste of date farming...
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Datecrete Studio & Lab co-founders Sara Farha and Khaled Shalkha photographed together in their workstation.
Source Name
GQ Middle East
Publication Title
Meet the Palestinian-Lebanese Duo Who Won The Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award
Excerpt from Publication
So for engineers Khaled Shalhka and Sara Abu Farha, the shoe fits. Their cement-free carbon-neutral concrete alternative, Datecrete, outperforms the incumbent cementitious material in lab testing despite consisting of nothing more than crushed date seeds and a binder. Patent-pending status notwithstanding, the duo won this year’s Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award with their submission: the Datecrete Bee Hotel — a living sculpture slated to debut on New York University’s (NYU) Abu Dhabi campus by November, in an announcement on July 30...
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Close-up shot of the top of the Datecrete Vessel, photographed with a decorative metallic insect statue.
Source Name
FT
Publication Title
Modern alchemists: the furniture makers to watch in 2023
Excerpt from Publication
At the cutting edge of research are the makers repurposing natural detritus: architect Sara Abu Farha and engineer Khaled Shalkha turn surplus, UAE-sourced dates into a material called “datecrete” for their minimalist furniture, showcased at last year’s Dubai Design Week...
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Close-up of the Datecrete Console, focusing on the bottom of the mirror, the brass lining, and the texture of the concrete.
Source Name
Cyril Zammit
Publication Title
Tanween by Tashkeel unveils its 2022 Collection
Excerpt from Publication
Datecrete Console 0.1. by architect/urban planner and chemical engineer Sara Abu Farha & Khaled Shalkha (Sharjah) - a console using the world’s first date seed-based cementitious material with no trace of concrete or resin...
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Full shot of the Datecrete Console, with Sara Farha, one of the Datecrete co-founders, shown in the reflection on the console's mirror.
Source Name
YUNG
Publication Title
UAE-Based Couple Launch Datecrete
Excerpt from Publication
Now, Sara Abou Farha, an architect and town planner, and her husband Khaled Shalka, an engineer, are focusing on the by-product of date stoning, to create the first date seed cement, Datecrete, and have also created the first table made using date seed...
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