DUBAI: Jeddah-based SIBYL Design Studio is known for its unorthodox approach to design, overseen by architects Rahaf Al-Muzaini and Meaad Hanafi. The pair, who founded the studio in 2016, spoke to Arab News about their mission, as well as their involvement in the recently concluded Downtown Design fair in Dubai. “In SIBYL no two projects will look or feel the same,” the designers told Arab News in a joint statement. “We are driven by an unorthodox approach to design, valuing exclusivity and a redefinition of the norms. Each space we design in SIBYL is a combination of research, values and continuous development, responding to the human factor in all experiences. Yet we are keen to express Saudi culture and style in a non-traditional, literal way via the marriage between traditional and contemporary elements.” Their clients are largely interested in the non-traditional design style they deliver and the way in which their brand is not defined by current trends. “In short, SIBYL is here to stay, not to be a trend,’” the two stated of the studio, which also operated in Riyadh. For Downtown Design the firm staged a prominent outdoor installation titled “CYCLE.” “It responded to the rapid transformation the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed over recent years,” the pair said. “It falls in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which guides our steps toward the future on every level of society.” SIBYL Design Studio previously participated in Downtown Design in 2020 with an urban design concept titled “VOW,” which reflected Jeddah’s physical and psychological urban ecosystem. “Our concept was that of a multilayered pedestrian system that explores how infrastructural interventions can support an organic evolution of the Middle East’s urban fabric,” they said.