now registering
tour of
jeddah historic district
March 10-11 2019
About
Higher education in the Middle East has experienced massive growth in the 21st century, creating favorable conditions for the establishment of architecture departments in universities throughout the region. Rapid changes in the global economy, technology, and the architecture profession make it timely to reflect upon the approaches adopted in architectural education.
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Architecture, as a field, prepares students to be versatile and flexible in the workplace. As such, one of the most pressing questions in architecture today is how these qualities can be leveraged to address the current conditions of global flux and uncertainty. How can these qualities of versatility enable architecture to play a role beyond its immediate boundaries of design and construction? How can architecture expand its contribution to different fields through different scales of engagement?
Adopting a visionary approach in architectural education and looking ahead to a more expansive role for architecture is the way forward. The Middle East is at a transformative point in its history and thus now, more than ever, it is important to develop a clear vision of the role architecture can play in the region’s cultural, social, and economic development.
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Institutions of higher education are committed to preparing young graduates for future educational and professional opportunities. As part of this effort, the Architecture Department at Dar Al-Hekma University is organizing a conference on architectural education to encourage a wide-ranging discussion among academics and practitioners on the most up-to-date practices in architectural education.
structure of the conference
Dar Al-Hekma University is proud to announce its first Architectural Conference under the title “The Future of Architectural Education in the Middle East: Enriching the Discipline Through Interdisciplinary Dialogue.”
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Academics and architectural professionals will address a wide range of issues under the following tracks:
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Track 1: Architecture Pedagogy
Papers may address any of the following topics:
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Studio Culture
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Theoretical Explorations Through Design
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Studio and Communal Engagement
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Transitioning into Architectural School Culture (Freshman Year)
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Technology and Design Thinking and Production
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Heritage and Conservation in Architectural Education
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Track 2: Interdisciplinary Discussions in the Field Papers may include, but are not limited to:​
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Architecture and the Social
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Science, Architecture and Gender Studies
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Architecture and Art
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Architecture and Literature
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Interdisciplinary Explorations in the Studio
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The research papers will be published in conference proceedings to help disseminate presenters’ insights.
A keynote talk by Dr. Howayda Al-Harithy, Professor of Architecture at the American University of Beirut, whose work combines theory with practice, will initiate what promises to be a lively and stimulating discussion about a topic of pressing importance for architecture educators and professionals alike in the Middle East.
This conference also invites the contribution of architecture students from the region to showcase their original, thoughtful research that discusses potential solutions to real-world challenges in the fields of architecture and urbanism.
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The student research presentations will take place on the second day of the conference and will be organized under the following tracks:
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Track 1: The Human Dimension: Social, Psychological, and Cultural Perspectives
Track 2: The Environmental Dimension: Engineering and Sustainable Solutions
Track 3: The Digital Dimension: BIM, Digital Fabrication, Parametric Design and Beyond
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The conference will offer many opportunities for networking, including a special tour of Jeddah’s historic quarter, Al-Balad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a private dinner featuring traditional Saudi cuisine held in one of Jeddah’s historic houses.
Keynote
Speakers
Dr.Howayda Al-Harithy
Professor of Architecture at the American University of Beirut
Dr. Al-Harithy has a Bachelor’s of Architecture from the Oregon School of Design (1985), a Master’s of Science in Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1987) and a Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from Harvard University (1992).
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She joined AUB in 1994 and served as Chair of the Department of Architecture & Design from 2003 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2012. Dr. Al-Harithy also acted as visiting professor at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Georgetown University.
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Her research in Islamic art and architecture focuses on the Mamluk period and engages theoretical models of interpretation, particularly post-structuralist models, as analytic tools of the production of architectural and urban space.
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Her more recent research focuses on urban heritage with special emphasis on the theoretical debate on heritage construction and consumption related to identity building and post-war reconstruction.
Her professional engagements have recently focused on urban projects such as the Central Area Plan for Al-Madina Al-Munawara in Saudi Arabia and the Urban Sustainable Development Strategy for Saida in Lebanon.
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Dr. Al-Harithy serves on several boards and scientific committees, including the Executive Board of Advisors for the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE) at the University of California, Berkeley, the Board of Advisors for Dialectic, the journal of the University of Utah, and the Senior Advisory Board for Lonaard Magazine in London, U.K.
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She is widely published with over 40 articles, book chapters and reports in leading journals and refereed books.
Prof. Shams Eldien Naga
PhD, AIA, RIBA
Founder of NAGA Architects, Designers & Planners, UAE
Dr. Naga has carried out extensive research while in academia, holding a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering from Alexandria University (1981), a Masters in Environmental Design from Alexandria University (1984), a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University in the States (1986), as well as a Masters in Architecture and Theory from University of Pennsylvania (1991), from where he continued to receive a PhD in Architecture Theory in 1992.
Dr. Naga has also held full professorships in universities in Egypt, the U.A.E, and the States such as Savannah College of Arts and Design.
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Dr. Naga is NAGA Architects' founder, Principal, and Managing Director. Before formalizing Naga Architects in 2000, Dr. Naga has run a private architecture practice since 1992 and held senior positions at several architecture offices in the US and Egypt. At NAGA Architects, Dr. Naga is involved in all aspects of the office operations, but he focuses primarily on directing the Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape departments.
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Dr. Naga has received awards in the field of architecture through his practice such as the Saudi Arabian Builder Awards 2012 for best Architectural Project, and the African Property Awards 2014 for Best Architecture.
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Dr.Sumayah Al-Solaiman
Dean of the College of Design at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University and Member of the Municipal Council of the Dammam Metropolitan Area
Dr. Sumayah received her PhD in Architecture from Newcastle University in the UK and her Master of Architecture from King Faisal University.
She also has executive degrees in Management, Leadership, Strategy and Innovation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, and was the recipient of the Ibn Khaldun Fellowship at that renowned institution for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Dr. Sumayah was a curator of the Saudi National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Architecture in 2018.
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Previously, she was the Vice Dean for Quality, Development and Academic Accreditation and the Chair of the Graphic Design and Multimedia program at the college. She was also editor-in-chief of the Postgraduate Journal “Forum” at Newcastle University.
Her research interests include areas of intersection between architecture and politics such as the mediation of power in space and place, ideologies and nation-building in architectural practice and regionalism within modernism.
Local
Speakers
dR. aDNAN
ADAS
Professor at the College of Environmental Design at King Abdulaziz University
Representing the realm of architectural education
aRCH. aNAS
sERAFI
President of the Executive Committee, Saudi Umran Society in Jeddah
Representing the realm of architectural practice
mR. nAWAF
aL-nASSAR
Founder of Tasmeem Fair and 3njeddah
ARCH. BAYAN
HALLAK
Member of the Ihyaa initiative
Representing the local design community
Representing the fresh graduates of architecture
Agenda
abstracts
