Feb 24 Facade Engineering

Join AIA Middle East on February 24at 7.30PM at Herman Miller's Regional Design Center in Dubai for a presentation by Brad Frey, Facade Consultant at Koltay Facades, who will give an overview of the facade engineering process from concept stage to handover, illustrated by case study examples of challenging projects.

Specific focus will be given to:  

• Glass performance characteristics 
• Unitized and stick system development
• Practical tips on coordination and interface issues
• Cladding zone and modulation considerations

Please RSVP to raya.ani@aiamiddleeast.org for an accurate headcount and to register your name with Herman Miller!

AIA ME Bahrain and Mawane organize [in]Accessible

Damistan Village, Bahrain. January 2015.

AIA Middle East Chapter collaborated with Mawane to hold a series of events in January which were part of Mawane’s first cultural season [in]Accessible that started on Thursday 1st January 2015 and continued till 31st January. The events were talks and a movie screening that highlighted issues in cities around the world while exposing contemporary spatial practices and the consequences they have in cities. The invited guest speakers presented talks followed by workshops from their experiences, emphasizing their diverse approaches to accessibility of the city.

In the first week Ayesha Agha Shah discussed the importance of documentation to provide access to knowledge about the city in her lecture titled Significance of Documentation and Recording of Heritage. Ayesha explained the methodology used in the process of documenting historical buildings and shared her professional experience in the documentation process of Frere Hall building, which is located in Karachi in Pakistan.

 

In the second week a movie screening of Pruitt-Igoe Myth: an Urban History was held under the patronage of the American Embassy. Both the moviemakers Chad and Jaime Freidrichs were present to offer a background on American urban development at the time of construction. The movie aims to break away from the cliché of it being an example of the failure of modern architecture. It looks at the wider context that has led to the failure of the building in addition to uncovering some successful aspects in Pruitt Igoe.

Photo Courtesy of Saeeda Thani

In the third week Waleed Shalaan presented through his talk Junoot Eco Resort in Oman unconventional building techniques that can change the city fabric. Waleed gave an explanation of the goals of the project and method used to construct it. He explained further how the three pillars of sustainability - environmental, economical and social – were achieved through the project. Waleed emphasized on how the social sustainability aspect of the project and the importance of engaging the community in the construction of the resort.

In the final week Zahraa Ali Baba shared her experience on the role of knowledge in informing the shape of our cities in her lecture titled: Forms of common Knowledge. She discussed her involvement in various projects that studied the relation between common knowledge and space. One of the projects was Kethra, Kuwait’s first Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2012. Another project was her research on the concept of Diwaniya, the social political space of Kuwait. She also discussed the memory of space and it’s effect on the common knowledge of citizens of the space of the city of Kuwait.

AIA ME Jordan Inaugural Event November 2014

The AIA ME inaugurated its launch event in Amman, Jordan in November 2014 with its two lecture program “Sustainable Design Solutions”, which focused on issues of sustainable architecture and landscape, green design principals and creative solutions for more sustainable environment. The events were held at CAFE GRAFFITI, and in partnership with Jordan GBC, Architectural Forum and Edama.

Dr. Saleem Dahabreh, an instructor at the University of Jordan, presented “Greening our Buildings” lecture on Saturday 22_nd Nov. 2014, which focused on the essential principals for designing a green building such as optimal site orientation and building layout, and selection of appropriate material and construction methodology to reduce energy consumption and impact on the environment.

The 2^nd lecture held on Saturday December 6, 2014, lecture titled “Opportunities for sustainable urban landscape: Urban infill and livable streets” was presented by Dr. Anne Gharaibeh, founder and head of architecture department in Yarmouk University-Irbid, Jordan. Dr. Anne discussed the use of urban infill to create more livable neighborhoods through collecting water in vacant lands at different locations throughout the cities and the opportunities to turn them into interactive places and walkable streets. 

Greening our Buildings Lecture at Cafe Graffiti

AIA Middle East Year End Conference + Regional Design Awards 2014 Doha Qatar

The AIA Middle East Chapter held its 2nd Annual Year End Conference and Regional Design Awards on the 14-15 November 2014 in Doha, Qatar at the Hilton Hotel. The theme of the conference “Super and Small” focused on the super projects of Qatar and the Gulf Region and the small details that make them possible.

 

The first day of the conference featured architectural presentations by distinguished professionals and scholars, and was chaired by 2014 AIA Vice President Thomas Vonier FAIA. Lectures presented included the renovation of Souq Waqif by Artist Mohamed Ali Abdulla, Cultural Advisor to H.H Emir of Qatar, and Ameena Ahmadi, Director of Qatar Foundation’s Capital Projects reviewed the architectural type and Diversity within Education City’s Campus.  Hiroshi Okamoto AIA, IM Pei former Senior Designer, gave a presentation about the challenges faced during the construction of the Islamic Museum.  Dr. Yousef Al Horr, chairman of GORD focused on how GSAS was developed to address the environmental challenges in the GCC and MENA region, and what are the environmental, societal and economic benefits of adopting GSAS best practices. Selma Maroufi of OMA and Matthew Utley of Grimshaw Architects presented some of the exciting projects undertaken by their respective firms.  The first day culminated with the Design Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner that took place at the Msheireb Enrichment Center. We were also pleased to have AIA International Region Vice President James Wright, AIA in attendance.

The second day offered a full day program of guided tours to outstanding landmark projects of architectural grandeur in Qatar designed by renowned architects, such as the Doha Tower by Jean Nouvel; Islamic Museum by I.M Pei and Qatar National Convention Center by Arata Isozaki, and concluded with a walk thru and dinner at Souq Waqif.

 Qatar Foundation Tour

The conference program was a resounding success and received good reviews from the attendees and participants which included 2015 AIA President Elizabeth Chu Richter, FAIA.

"As a 15 year member and a past President of the Continental Europe Chapter who have two yearly multi day programs I can say that the Doha program was as good quality and content as any of them. This also includes programs I have been to with the UK Chapter.  I congratulate all and say build on it and you will have more members and members from other Chapters joining with us in the future.”

Steven Miller, FAIA, RIBA

A Chapter Founder and Fellowship Director

 Museum of Islamic Art Tour

Winners of AIA ME Design Awards 2014

The 2^nd Annual AIA Middle East Design awards honored works of excellence in architecture by AIA ME members.  The Jury included George Kunihiro, FAIA Director on the AIA Japan Chapter, Bertrand Coldefy, AIA President-elect of the AIA Continental Europe chapter, Christian Low AIA President of the AIA Hong Kong Chapter and was chaired by Steven Miller FAIA Fellow ship Director of the AIA ME chapter. Many fantastic projects were recognized, and for the first time a new award category for Architectural students was introduced, celebrating their design achievements in their academic studies.

Category: Built

Merit Award - Burj Khalifa, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Merit Award - Rolex Tower, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Category: Non-Built

Merit Award - Kingdom Tower, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Merit Award - Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 

Category: Interior Design

Design Award - Burj Khalifa, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Merit Award - Rolex Tower, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

Category: URBAN DESIGN Design Award -Bahrain Bay Master Plan, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Category: STUDENT GRADUATION Merit Award - Dakhira Souq, Sara Al Ansari, Qatar University Merit Award - Acoustic Wall, American University Of Sharjah Design Award - Nexus House Of Wisdom, Karl Abi Karam, American University In Dubai