In its various manifestations throughout history, the architectural element of the platform has been a mediation between social formations and the ground – whether as house plinth, temple basement, or theatre stage. Architecture office Dogma investigates historical examples of platforms – such as the Aboriginal Bora rings, Ancient Greek threshing floors, the stairs of the Apadana in Persepolis, and Adolphe Appia’s eurhythmic spaces – to understand the meaning of a quintessential and yet overlooked architectural element. A new commission by DOGMA in the centre of Sharjah will engage with the thriving public space of the city.