waiwai is a Dubai- and Tokyo-based architecture studio founded by Wael Al Awar and Kenichi Teramoto, whose collaborative practice bridges environmental research, material innovation, and architectural design. Their work often emerges from close observation of natural phenomena and ecological processes, developing architectural responses that are rooted in place while resonating globally. For the UAE National Pavilion at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, waiwai presented a groundbreaking project that explores how crystallized salt and minerals from the region’s coastal sabkhas (salt flats) could form the basis of a renewable, low-carbon building material—an experimental alternative to Portland cement. This cross-disciplinary research, developed in dialogue with scientists and engineers, reflects the studio’s commitment to imagining sustainable infrastructures for the future. Through projects ranging from exhibitions to urban design, waiwai seeks to expand the role of architecture as both a scientific and cultural practice.