One system. Many ways to gather.
Exhibition Furniture Design · Cairo, Egypt · 2025 · Completed
This family of exhibition furniture was developed for recurring Coventry University exhibitions in Egypt. The brief emerged from direct experience: installation time was short, layouts changed between venues, and assembly was often carried out by rotating teams of academics rather than specialist installers.
The response is a material and assembly system that can be transported, understood, and reused. Its simplicity is practical as well as visual. A limited set of elements can form tables, vertical display surfaces, and supports for architectural models.
01 / THE BRIEF
Make installation part of the design
Make installation part of the design
Exhibition furniture has to perform before the exhibition opens. Access windows in high-cost venues place pressure on setup time, while changing teams make complicated assembly sequences difficult to repeat reliably. The design therefore considers transport, handling, installation, and reconfiguration alongside the finished appearance.
Flexibility is equally important. A display system that works only in one arrangement would be poorly suited to recurring events. The elements are conceived as a family, capable of being combined and adapted to different objects and spatial conditions.
02 / MATERIAL LOGIC
Begin with a standard sheet
Begin with a standard sheet
The table is the starting point. A standard 1.20 × 2.40 m MDF panel establishes the tabletop, and the same linear language continues into the legs. The dimensions of the material inform the form, giving the furniture a clear relationship to how it is made.
An interlocking assembly joins the parts without additional hardware. Tongue connections secure the legs to the tabletop on both sides. By shifting the legs inward, the joints are concealed and the table reads as a clean, continuous surface.
03 / CONFIGURATION
Combine, mirror, stand upright
Combine, mirror, stand upright
Two tables can be paired or mirrored to create different exhibition layouts. Combined elements form larger surfaces for collective presentations, while separate tables isolate particular objects from their surroundings.
Placed vertically, the same logic produces a display wall approximately 2.4 metres high. The element reads as a freestanding monolithic plane while remaining part of the same reusable system. This ability to move between horizontal and vertical uses extends its value across exhibition types.
04 / SUPPORTING THE OBJECT
One construction language, several roles
One construction language, several roles
The structural logic continues into smaller, purpose-made supports. For suspended sectional models, support elements are concealed between paired sections. Minimal finger-like connections balance the pieces while keeping the visible assembly light.
These supports do more than hold the work. They control how the object is encountered, allowing sections and models to be read clearly without a competing frame or an excessive base. The furniture provides a consistent visual language across displays of different scales.
05 / REUSE AND THE VENUE
Freestanding, adaptable, repeatable
Freestanding, adaptable, repeatable
The freestanding elements allow displays to be introduced without relying on the walls of the venue. Wood can also receive temporary attachments, helping the system accommodate changing exhibition needs while protecting sensitive surroundings.
The project treats the furniture as exhibition infrastructure rather than a disposable backdrop. Reconfiguration, transport, and repeat assembly are part of the design’s everyday life. A restrained material palette and concealed joints keep attention on the work being presented.
PROJECT RECORD
Project: Exhibition Furniture Design
Client: Coventry University Egypt
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Project year: 2025
Status: Completed
Design team: Mamdouh Hani, Nada Elmenyawi
Supervision: Prof. Moataz Samir
Project: Exhibition Furniture Design
Client: Coventry University Egypt
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Project year: 2025
Status: Completed
Design team: Mamdouh Hani, Nada Elmenyawi
Supervision: Prof. Moataz Samir