How Marwan Lockman’s RIBA-Nominated Firm Is Rewriting Modern Bahrain

Bahrain’s architectural identity is shifting and Marwan Lockman is leading the charge.

The Bahraini architect and his firm, S/L Architects, have been nominated by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) for a RIBA Middle East Award, thanks to their visionary design of the Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre a cultural landmark carved directly into the desert beside the Bahrain International Circuit.

Unlike the region’s usual high-rise spectacle, the Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre takes the opposite approach. It doesn’t rise from the sand it disappears into it. The open-air design is as bold as it is humble, blending into Bahrain’s landscape rather than dominating it.

Still, this venue has hosted some of the biggest names in global entertainment Bruno Mars, Kevin Hart, Tiesto, the Backstreet Boys, and leading Arab artists selling tens of thousands of tickets and proving that restraint can be just as powerful as extravagance.

Why should we care? Because architecture, like branding, is an act of identity. Both transform ideas into experience balancing aesthetics with authenticity, heritage with innovation, and storytelling with truth.

The Beyon Al Dana Amphitheatre is more than a concert venue; it’s a statement about Bahrain’s evolving creative confidence. With its RIBA nomination, S/L Architects could soon compete for the RIBA International Prize, one of the most prestigious honors in global architecture. If it wins, it will cement not only a new landmark in the desert but a new direction for modern Bahrain.