The 4th year architectural design course at UNIVPM will focus again on Mina Zayed in Abu Dhabi. Students have the chance to choose their course and again there was a great turnout and interest in our topic. I look forward to the collaboration with Prof. Mondaini, president of the degree in engineering architecture, and to starting working on projects
MATERIAL / INTERVIEW WITH WAEL AL AWAR - WAIWAI
“……despite years of discussions, even if the awareness of traditional construction methods' impact on the environment is now higher than in the past, fully sustainable solutions are yet to become conscious and shared practice. A generalized effort to convert the most polluting construction processes and re-think the sustainability of their materials is still to become a reality. Therefore, your research is definitely contemporary. It fits into the abacus of human actions that we must now peremptorily deem "necessary"……
I am looking forward to the next issue of Compasses Architecture & Design with my interview with one of the winners of the Golden Lion at the Architecture Venice Biennale.
Farshad Mehdizadeh to lecture @ D6 Architecture Program / Heriot-Watt Dubai
The fall semester already looks exciting at HW, with the first Open Series lecture by one of the region's most interesting architects. Despite his young age Farshad Mehdizadeh is already the author of notable projects and winner of several international awards. Here is the link to register for his online lecture titled "The Structure of Context."
D6 Architecture Open Series 2021 Tickets, Thu, Sep 30, 2021 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite
“Urban Renaissance” / Inarcassa Foundation Architecture Workshop @ Expo 2020
Workshop @ Expo Dubai / Italian Pavilion with Guendalina Salimei, Paolo Desideri, Cristiano Luchetti, Andrew Shaw, and Steven Velegrinis
Press; release: Italian excellence in architecture and engineering arrives at Expo 2020 Dubai, the Universal Exhibition scheduled from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. From November 4 to 6, during the Urban & Rural Development week, the "Urban Renaissance" workshop will be held at the Italian Pavilion and at the Foundry, an art space located in downtown Dubai. It’s a project conceived and promoted by the Inarcassa Foundation with the support of the General Commissariat for Italy's participation in the Dubai Expo 2020 and EMAAR, the leading real estate developer in the Gulf region. The 30 participants will be 15 young Italian practitioners and 15 young architects who were selected in the UAE through an international call. The participants will work in teams led by renowned academics and practitioners both from Italy and the UAE: Steven Velegrinis, Andrew Shaw, Cristiano Luchetti, Guendalina Salimei, and Paolo Desideri will lead the urban regeneration workshop. The design ideas will focus on the Downtown Boulevard area. The workshop will start on November 4 in the presence of, among others, the Italian ambassador to the UAE, Nicola Lener, the co-designer of the Italian Pavilion Carlo Ratti, and the participants. On November 5, the program includes lectures focusing on urban regeneration given by Hussam Raouf and X-Architects. On the last day of the workshop, on November 6, Farid Esmaeil, Sumaya Dabbagh, Ahmed Al-Ali, Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi, and Fabio Grilli will attend as critics the workshop's presentations of the final projects at the Italian Pavilion. "The beauty that unites people, the theme chosen by the Italian Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai, also involves the enhancement of Italian excellence and its human capital” underlines Franco Fietta, president of the Inarcassa Foundation “The skills of Italian architects and engineers are recognized and appreciated worldwide and certainly represent an example in this regard. In this period more than ever it is necessary to focus on the value of the role played by these professionals. We are confident that the Expo can be an opportunity to relaunch one of the strategic production sectors of our country".
Inarcassa Foundation has continuously supported the younger generations of practitioners in building the necessary skills to face contemporary challenges. With this initiative, Inarcassa Foundation intends to bring the world’s attention to the talent of Italian architects and engineers who in recent years have distinguished themselves for merit and commitment to architecture and urban design and were inspired by sustainability criteria.
FALL SEMESTER 2021-22 @ HERIOT-WATT DUBAI
I am very glad to join again the Heriot-Watt D6 architecture program for this fall semester. It is great to be back working with students face-to face at the spectacular brand new HW campus. This semester I will be assisted by Raha Milani a talented young architect based in Dubai.
Al NASSERYA PROJECT PUBLISHED ON ARCHITETTURA&CITTA'
We are delighted to receive the new issue of Architettura & Citta’ containing our project for Al Nasserya in Sharjah. The project for the urban regeneration of Al Nasserya won several students’ awards including the critics’ award at the 30th edition of the Seminario internazionale e Premio di Architettura e Cultura Urbana di Camerino
Invited Speaker Seminario Internazionale e Premio di Architettura e Cultura Urbana di Camerino
Always a great honor to be invited to show my work at the International Seminar in Camerino. The XXXI edition saw the participation of more than 250 architects, academics , and students. This year, I presented the project for the Special Economic Zone in Tripoli designed in collaboration with Pragma Studio.
Seminario Internazionale e Premio di Architettura e Cultura Urbana di Camerino 2021
Great news! The project "Abu Shagara Affordable Housing" designed by my former students Fatma Ibrahim and Mariam Elashwal won the Shortlisted Award at the 31st edition of Seminario Internazionale e Premio di Architettura e Cultura Urbana di Camerino! Undoubtedly this is the most prestigious award for architecture students in Italy and one of the most important in Europe. Last year my students won the Critics' Award. Congratulations to the winners! We love Camerino!!!
NEW CHALLENGES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE RESTART / ITALIAN DESIGN DAYS
Great content delivered by the invited panelist at the Italian Design Days Turkey 2021. I hope next time it will be in person, better if in Istanbul !
INVITATION TO ITALIAN DESIGN DAYS TURKEY
I am very grateful for the prestigious invitation to be a speaker in the Architectural Design Days turkey 2021. It is my second participation in the IDD after the invitation by the University of Nicosia in 2019
DESERT:SPACE. Architecture for Emptiness
“The desert's spatial nature highly influenced the typological and constructive properties of Arabian Gulf's regional architecture, both vernacular and contemporary. Today, Arab cities continue to expand towards the inland areas of the Gulf regions. Still, how architecture should relate to this contextual plenum is mainly left to personal interpretation. Furthermore, the phenomenon of desertification is now planetary. Such an environmental issue is threatening vast areas of the planet, and a deeper investigation into how architecture should respond to it is very relevant. In the book, texts and projects attempt to outline a theoretical and applicative apparatus for the architecture of the desert.” The publication, focusing on the Arabian Peninsula, collects essays and works that define a contemporary approach to the "architecture for emptiness."
After more than 3 years of work, I am delighted to announce the publication of "DESERT:SPACE. Architecture for Emptiness". Coauthored with Tiziano Aglier Rinella, it includes texts and projects by Janet Bellotto, Apostolos Kyriaz , Romano Martini, BIG, ZHA, Foster&Partners, X_architects, Islam El Mashtooly, David Chipperfield, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Peluffo and Partners, OMA, and many others. For now it can be purchased online in Italy and shipped worldwide
Nomination for Most Accessible Lecturer @ Heriot-Watt University Oscars
Every year the students’ council at the Heriot-Watt Dubai campus assign “Oscars” awards to deserving faculty.
I am delighted to be nominated as one of the most accessible lecturers this year. The nomination recognizes all the effort and attention put in teaching especially in such a peculiar contemporary situation.
COMPASSES #35 IS OUT!
Great to see the new Compasses published. The theme is “Style, stylism and restyling between conservation and design,” as per the director’s editorial.
This issue is an excellent publication containing several interesting essays and projects, including my interview with Brian Johnson and Wael El Masri.
JUDGE @ COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS 2021
In 2014 I participated in my first edition of the Middle East Architect award as a juror. For six years, until the last edition of 2019, I had the privilege of being selected as a member of the prize's jury and knowing in-depth contemporary regional architecture through the submissions. It is my second year as a judge of the CID Awards. It is another really valuable opportunity to analyze and evaluate the regional design scene, this time, from the interiors' perspective.
Another recognition for the ARC501_F19 Urban Regeneration of Al Nasserya
Congratulations to my former students Alina Sebastian, Rania Mohamed, Samrakshana Suresh for being shortlisted in the Visualization '20 International Architecture Design Awards. Another outstanding achievement for the multi-award-winning Al Nasserya project.
LECTURE @ University of Bahrain
I feel honored and thankful for the invitation to present my research on Dubai's urban development. I look forward to meeting with the esteemed colleagues and students at the University of Bahrain.
D6 Architecture Open Lecture Series / Sanjay Puri
After taking part in my final reviews in spring 2021 Sanjay kindly accepted my invitation to present his interesting work to the students of Heriot Watt Dubai. I moderated the event that saw more than 500 registered attendees.
MINA ZAYED RE-QUALIFICATION STUDENTS' PROJECT PUBLISHED ON CID
Thanks to Commercial Interior Design for publishing one of the projects developed with UNIVPM students in fall 2020
THE EXTRA-URBAN HOUSE / 5TH LECTURE
Hannes Werner was the guest lecturer for the final presentation of the design seminar, "The Extra-Urban House" at Heriot-Watt Dubai. The firm Wanders Werner Falasi has received numerous awards for the quality of its residential projects. Hannes told the students about the detailed design process from the conceptual to the executive phase and showed impressive built work.
With this lecture, we completed the seminar regarding the design of a single villa in Gulf's cities' peri-urbanity. The various presentations helped students engage the theme holistically: historical precedents, sustainable strategies, social inputs, architectural languages, and typological developments were introduced by Attilio Petruccioli, Islam El Mashtooly, Farah Naz, Farid Esmaeil, and Hannes Werner. Some of the most recognized scholars and professionals in the region. Thank you all for the invaluable contribution
THE EXTRA-URBAN HOUSE / 4TH LECTURE @ HERIOT-WATT
The potential architectural solutions for a society that requires contemporary living models without forgetting the past was the theme of Farid Esmaeil's contribution to the extra-urban house design seminar. We enormously thank X-Architects for the fascinating presentation. Students were impressed by their sophisticated research.
