IESR/LAU Team Awarded at DAL/Diriyah Workshop

We are pleased to announce the following news back from the last visit to Riyadh as part of the Diriyah workshop “Learning from the past, shaping the future: Interventions in Wadi Hanifa cultural landscape”, organized by the Diriyah Architectural Lab and the Diriyah foundation. After three visits to Riyadh (January, March, and June 2024), our team of 4 graduates have presented on Friday the 7th of June their final design to a panel of 6 jurors (Prof. Zaher Othman, Prof. Martha Shwartz, Dr. Paola Pesaresi, Price Fahed Bin Naif Al Saud and Dr. Paulette Wallace), among an audience of executives, students and guests. The results were unanimous, and IESR/LAU team has won two prestigious awards:

Best Research for the team of Zayna Youssef and Carole El-Farraji (with other students). This team was led by Aouad and was composed of Lebanese, Spanish and Saudi members.

Best Design project for the individual work of the team composed of Pascale El-Maalouf and Alec Jil Agopian.

Diriyah Gate (Development Authority DGDA) is a large-scale Heritage and Cultural Development part of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030, aimed to highlight and promote At Turaif UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Birthplace of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Al Turaif urban settlement is built out of earth, located at the western promontory overlooking the historical Wadi Hanifah, a natural long valley/oasis stretched across the North South axis west of the capital Riyadh. The ongoing development is positioned across the valley on the eastern side and stretched over 3 evolutionary phases; it also covers large parts of the green Wadi Hanifah and the more arid Wadi Safar further to the West.

Building up a teaming methodology where Saudi students collaborate with foreign students, creating a mutual benefit. Started in January 2024 and delivered in two phases research and design strategy phase and design development, ending in a public exhibition in Diriyah in June 2024.

Read the story here

Beirut Summer Workshop at LAU

This intensive 10-day workshop delves into the vibrant urban fabric of Beirut, exploring the potential of its "residual spaces" - leftover pockets, underutilized zones, and hidden corners within the city. Through a unique blend of traditional planning methods and cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, architecture students will gain the skills to identify, analyze, and propose innovative design solutions for these neglected areas.

The workshop will be divided into three key phases:

Phase 1: Exploration and Analysis (Days 1-3)

Phase 2: Design Thinking with AI Integration (Days 4-5)

Phase 3: Project Development and Presentation (Days 6-10)

By the end of this workshop, students will:

Possess a deep understanding of residual spaces and their potential for urban design interventions.

Be proficient in traditional planning tools and their application in site analysis and design development Gain practical skills in using AI for architectural design generation.

Develop a comprehensive design proposal for a residual space in Beirut that integrates AI-generated forms with traditional planning principles.

Enhance their communication skills through effective presentation of design ideas.

This workshop is an exciting opportunity for architecture students to explore the future of their field. By combining traditional and cutting-edge tools, students will gain the skills and knowledge to reimagine Beirut's urban fabric, one residual space at a time.

Aouad Speaker at DAAD-TA'ZIZ Experts Workshop

Unlock the transformative potential of urban spaces with our first online expert workshop on Urban Acupuncture. Join us as five distinguished experts from Egypt, Cuba, Iraq, and Lebanon converge to present a diverse spectrum of insights, ranging from theoretical frameworks to real-world practical applications. Urban Acupuncture is a holistic approach to urban design that seeks to revitalize and harmonize communities through strategic interventions in the built environment. In this workshop, we delve into the core principles, methodologies, and success stories that have revolutionized cities worldwide.

Aouad’s lecture is entitled “Urban acupuncture for a divided city: Resources and assets”. Aouad will be showcasing ongoing and previous research projects regarding municipality owned land and non-constructible parcels within Municipal Beirut. The event will take place on Tuesday, 31 October 2023 – 14:00 – 18:00 German Time. The event is divided into two sessions, followed by a panel discussion afterwards, each session will host three speakers. The panel discussion will be after each session for 30 min.

Link to website

Aouad to Participate in City Debates 2022

“City Debates 2022 will explore how planning can be (re)conceived and practiced in contexts of dysfunctional states and compounded crises, featuring the work of the AUB/MSFEA Beirut Urban Lab (BUL).”

— Beirut Urban Lab

Beirut’s current in-disaster recovery epitomizes a recurrent scenario in contemporary times, one in which decades of neoliberal governance have hollowed-out public agencies, particularly in developing countries, and left communities vulnerable to large-scale climate or man-made events. In Lebanon and many other contexts of the Global South, even the illusion of representative or people-centered public governance has waned, and public agencies are widely identified as partisan bodies representing private (propertied and financial) interests. The very premise of planning is shaken, since the profession has rested on the now debunked assumption of a common good embodied by a custodian—the nation state. How do cities recover in such contexts? To what extend can relief agencies, local and international, operate in the absence of such a custodian? Can active civic groups and mobilized citizens provide counterpoints?

Beirut’s current in-disaster recovery epitomizes a recurrent scenario in contemporary times, one in which decades of neoliberal governance have hollowed-out public agencies, particularly in developing countries, and left communities vulnerable to large-scale climate or man-made events. In Lebanon and many other contexts of the Global South, even the illusion of representative or people-centered public governance has waned, and public agencies are widely identified as partisan bodies representing private (propertied and financial) interests. The very premise of planning is shaken, since the profession has rested on the now debunked assumption of a common good embodied by a custodian—the nation state. How do cities recover in such contexts? To what extend can relief agencies, local and international, operate in the absence of such a custodian? Can active civic groups and mobilized citizens provide counterpoints?

Link to City Debates website

SynErgy in the City

“Guest teachers and lecturers (amongst many others): Lilet Breddels (Curator and tutor at KULeuven), Nabil Menhem (Urbanist and Architect, co-founder of MetroPolicies and tutor at ALBA), Rani Al Raji (Architect, Creative and DJ), David Aouad (Director Institute for Environmental Studies & Research, Professor at LAU’s School of Architecture and Design)”

— Studio Beirut

Are there ways to organize infrastructural facilities on a neighborhood scale in times of cracking systems and institutions? Directly after the explosion in Beirut in August 2020, we saw an intense solidarity and community sense of the people of Lebanon to help each other from cleaning the rubble to fixing houses to providing food and water. Now that the dust has settled, Beirut and Lebanon are still dealing with huge problems in terms of energy supply, inflation, and lack of resources in general. One of the biggest problems is the lack of energy that literally puts the country on hold. Mobility is another challenge as fuel prices became unaffordable for the majority of people that, until recently, were still relying on private cars.

All over the world citizens experiment together with their (local) governments on how to renegotiate responsibilities, ownership, and maintenance of public services. This workshop is intended to be the kick-off of a larger and longer project in Lebanon to create a sustainable citizen-based network or infrastructure. The workshop will be partly hands-on, working on 1) creating an (electric) bike or foot-bike and 2) working on a low-tech energy device. Apart from the practical work, there will be talks, lectures, guests teachers and discussions on how a participative society works and what are the obstacles and challenges for enabling micro-scale governance structures and system change. Is bottom-up urbanism possible?

Link to workshop and public program

Aouad Guest Critic on TU-Delft/IESR Complex Projects Studio Collaboration

Once called ‘Paris of the East’, the Lebanese capital has been devastated by a shocking blast in August 2020, leaving hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injured. Dwellings, public service, healthcare and infrastructure were left in shambles. Lebanon has already been facing its worst humanitarian, socioeconomic and financial crisis, since the 1975-1990 civil war, which has led to widespread protests for political reform in 2019. Exacerbated by the impact of sanctions and dwindling US dollar reserves, as well as the effects of the global pandemic, Lebanon’s economy has been in a free-fall. The recent explosion at the port of Beirut which has damaged almost half of the city is just further compounding the turmoil.

The explosion should be seen as an impetus for the change. Besides the immediate humanitarian relief and early recovery, the city needs to establish long-term measures to return to a path of stability and development. In collaboration with Lebanese American University and its Institute for Environmental Studies and Research, the studio will address Beirut’s multiple acute challenges, notably its protracted socio-economic crisis, the reconstruction of Beirut and the restoration of its heritage.

Read more in TU-Delft website

Neoliberalism, Globalization, and the Ecological Crisis

The collapse of the Soviet Union at the beginning of the 1990’s ushered a new political and economic era, marked by the triumphant emergence of Neoliberalism and the globalized capitalist world order. Some thirty years after this major turning point, it is clear that this new world order has led to the breakdown of the foundational elements of the socio-political order in nation-states, with disastrous consequences as evidenced by the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Many critics have associated the Neoliberal policies across the globe with the increasing challenges posed on the environment, and the prognostics of an ecological disaster on the horizon.

In this symposium we propose to examine the consequences of Neoliberalism and Globalization and its environmental impacts by addressing the role that architecture and urban planning policies played in this respect, the impact of  environmental on the constitution of the city, the role of information technology, and the relation between nature and the human in the context of a sustainable environment. This symposium will seek to address and debate these issues through a panel of invited critics and scholars in an interdisciplinary setting.

Link to event

A Different Kind of Climate Change

“As a follow-up to the mind catching article that triggered this lecture, Brower’s contribution to our students and faculty have shed a new light to a topic that most of us deemed obsolete or even out of reach. Brower was able, through his inspiring presentation, to inject a much-needed human approach that caught the attention of the audience and triggered an interesting debate about the future of climate change and its relation to migration and social behavior. His response to many of the questions asked were spot on and brought a practical, realistic and responsible spin to the overwhelming and often paralyzing impacts of a rapidly changing climate.”

— D. Aouad

Anthony constantly redefines sustainable design by uncovering transformational patterns in the built environment that generate new design approaches that are responsive and responsible. An award winning architect, writer, public speaker and member of the USGBC college of Fellows whose passions around high performance building design and its potential impact on the built environment drive him to continually research and uncover how design needs to evolve to respond to the overwhelming and often paralyzing impacts of a rapidly changing climate.

His work spans wide array of market expertise, and includes a primary focus on office buildings, education, civic and culture, mixed-use, sports, and media projects. As a co-author of Gensler’s Impact by Design publication, Anthony has the unique ability to navigate the impact of opportunities at a very broad scale while simultaneously working through the details that individual projects need as they contribute to the greater mission.

More info at IESR

Watch the lecture here

Beyond Campus Gates: Redefining the Role of Universities

Omar Blaik founded U3 Advisors LLC in 2006, as a consultation firm for campus design and development, with the belief that anchor institutions hold the key to sustainable community and economic development for their cities. Since 2006, Omar has overseen U3’s efforts to regenerate two neighborhoods in Detroit – Midtown and the McNichols Corridor; the Memphis Medical District; College Park, Maryland, and Chicago’s South Side, home to the University of Chicago.

Watch the lecture here

Prior to forming U3 Advisors, Omar Blaik served as Senior Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate at the University of Pennsylvania from 1996 until 2006. During his term, he oversaw the transformation of its campus into a vibrant community. Under his management, Penn embarked on more than $2.0 billion in new construction and $700 million of real estate development projects, which transformed the campus and the surrounding community, receiving AIA and Business Week awards.

In this presentation, Omar will present case studies of campus design and development, combining a strategic approach to planning with economic sustainability.

Beirut-Rotterdam: Complex Urban Recoveries

IESR was pleased to host this webinar as part of the collaboration between both TU Delft and LAU’s Institute for Environmental Studies and Research [IESR]. This webinar adressed the topics of reconstruction, urban planning, and heritage, connecting the Rotterdam experience with the current situation in Beirut. Within the framework of Complex Projects at TU Delft, and in collaboration with the Institute for Environmental Studies and Research at LAU, the master’s level studio will address Beirut’s multiple acute challenges, notably its protracted socio-economic crisis, the reconstruction of Beirut and the restoration of its heritage.

On Rotterdam: The Empty Center. Kees Kaan, Founding partner KAAN Architecten, Chair of the Department of Architecture at TU Delft

Beirut, Post-disaster City. Maroun Daccache, Chair of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at LAU

On Beirut: The Forgotten Port. Vincent Panhuysen, Partner KAAN Architecten

On Beirut Studio: The Change. Hrvoje Smidihen, Architect at KAAN Architecten, Lecturer at TU Delft

This webinar was moderated by David Aouad

Watch the full webinar here

Aouad Guest Critic on TU-Delft/IESR Complex Projects Studio Collaboration

Once called ‘Paris of the East’, the Lebanese capital has been devastated by a shocking blast in August 2020, leaving hundreds of fatalities and thousands of injured. Dwellings, public service, healthcare and infrastructure were left in shambles. Lebanon has already been facing its worst humanitarian, socioeconomic and financial crisis, since the 1975-1990 civil war, which has led to widespread protests for political reform in 2019. Exacerbated by the impact of sanctions and dwindling US dollar reserves, as well as the effects of the global pandemic, Lebanon’s economy has been in a free-fall. The recent explosion at the port of Beirut which has damaged almost half of the city is just further compounding the turmoil.

The explosion should be seen as an impetus for the change. Besides the immediate humanitarian relief and early recovery, the city needs to establish long-term measures to return to a path of stability and development. In collaboration with Lebanese American University and its Institute for Environmental Studies and Research, the studio will address Beirut’s multiple acute challenges, notably its protracted socio-economic crisis, the reconstruction of Beirut and the restoration of its heritage.

Read more in TU-Delft website

View the Complex Projects leaflet

Beirut Urban Declaration

The Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020, was a watershed event in the history of Lebanon, and the capital city Beirut. It is a catastrophe that affected the neighborhoods of Al-Mudawar, Karantina, Al-Badawi, Mar Mikhael, Rmeil, Gemayzeh, Mar Nicola, and extended to Burj Hammoud, Ashrafieh, Al Bashoura, and Zoqaq El Blat. It reached the other neighborhoods of the city, leaving behind about two hundred people deadened thousands wounded, in addition to the destruction of nearly three hundred buildings, complete or partial destruction, and the displacement of tens of thousands of residents of the area.

The Order of Engineers and Architects (OEA) in Beirut, in partnership with the Faculties of Architecture in Lebanon, took the initiative to produce the “Beirut Urban Declaration” with a general vision on ways to reform the affected areas. This declaration reviews a set of ideas that would constitute a starting point for work, to formulate an integrated vision for the reconstruction of the affected areas, as a result of the port explosion. It proposes a national vision for reconstruction, heritage rehabilitation, protection of the social fabric, and the distinguished urban identity in the affected area as a result of the tragic event, and the reformulation of the port relationship and its urban context.

The declaration is an intellectual and cultural endeavor that contributes to the formulation of a comprehensive vision, in form of ideas and proposals of the reformation of the city. It presents them as a set of documented issues that seek to meet the challenges of emptying the city from its residents and demography change, as well as providing suggestions and quick feasible, and operational ideas to the officials and official institutions concerned. The declaration outlines the course of intervention and the role that the OEA could play in cooperation with the Universities in envisioning the reformation of the affected region. It adopts a comprehensive view of social, economical, and urban aspects, and deals with the damaged area as an urban fabric fully integrated with the port. “

Beirut Urban Declaration” emphasizes on preserving the heritage urban fabric, which consists of their general fabric and the constituent units of this tissue, and as a site in which people’s life, social and economic behavior is practiced. Considering the heritage character of the affected area, determining the paths between urgent (fast), medium, and long term (slow), and establishing an observatory. Finally, the need to establish appropriate policies and a reconstruction management that has to go through devising mechanisms that guarantee wide participation of the society and specialists.

Read the full declaration here

Aouad Appointed Head of Institute for Environmental Studies & Research [IESR]

Aouad was appointed as the new director of LAU's Institute for Environmental Studies & Research [IESR]. The mission of the Institute for Environmental Studies & Research is to investigate issues of environmental nature, and the impact of such issues on the long-term sustainability of the region and its resources.

These issues include but are not limited to: the impact of urban growth, zoning and urban development on cities and suburbs, and the impact of building construction and energy use on the environment. The objectives of the Institute would be to develop studies and proposals aimed at:

Promoting sustainable practices, including land use strategies and demographic projections, specific to urban and suburban zones.

Developing studies on urban planning, transportation systems, land management, and preservation of natural areas.

Providing impact assessment for large scale projects such as industrial projects, infrastructure, and social housing.

Conducting surveys of historical areas and proposing master plans for areas in need of development and/or preservation.

Developing studies on improving energy conservation in buildings and innovative sustainable practices in building construction.

Aouad will hold its new position as of September 1st, 2020.

Read more

Aouad part of OEA's Emergency Taskforce After Beirut Blast

Aouad was invited to be part of a special taskforce run by the Order of Engineers in Beirut to come up with ideas on the methodology and priorities for intervention in the heritage neighborhoods affected by destruction in the vicinity of Beirut port. Some of those ideas proposed are:

Challenges facing surveys, damage assessments, and the future of rehabilitation and reconstruction.

Securing people's needs for housing, work, services and the return of life. Adjusting the urgent construction process to secure deserving needs so that they do not turn into randomness.

Preserving the fabric of old neighborhoods with priority is to strengthen the buildings at risk of collapse and to strengthen the damaged ones in order to restore and rehabilitate.

The compensation mechanism for the people.

Encouraging people to rebuild their homes, through general urban projects that rehabilitate a building or group.

An action is soon to be made public underlying the essence of the taskforce’s mission which comprises:

A comprehensive overview of the rehabilitation of the destroyed areas in Beirut;

The social and economic factors through which the citizen can live, learn, work and have a good quality of life;

The management and organization of the planning and rebuilding;

The preservation of the heritage.

The taskforce will be meeting weekly and one of its first achievements is that it was able to put the affected area under study until further studies.