Al Fahidi Fort

At Al Fahidi Fort — built in 1787 and the oldest existing building in Dubai — RBS turned the ground itself into an artwork. The forecourt is laid as a scaled map of Old Dubai, rendered entirely in resin-bound natural aggregate: the streets, blocks and creek of the historic city drawn in contrasting tones of bound stone, set out with cut templates and hand-finished on site by the RBS crew.

It is a demanding piece of craft — every district of the map is its own pour, each colour meeting its neighbour on a crisp line with no seam or lip between them — and it earns its place at a conservation site on performance as much as looks. The bound aggregate is fully permeable, so rain drains straight through rather than pooling against historic walls; it sits flush and trip-free for the visitors crossing it daily; and once locked, nothing migrates, holding both the artwork and its heritage-toned palette under full Dubai sun.