Investigating mbncp·

As cities struggle to adapt to the changes in society, culture, technology and the economy, new types of urbanism intriguingly manifest themselves as necessary tools for its re-naturalization. Today’s understanding of re-naturalization has shifted from the traditional focus on squares, parks and pavements to a broader concept that recognizes the value of less formal leftover spaces and the daily interactions that occur in them. It is through this manifestation and the emergence of a more dynamic, flexible or adaptive urbanism, that the city could become more responsive to new needs, demands and the preferences of its users

Within the context of a growing urbanization on a territory that can no longer accommodate such growth, and the lack in open and public spaces to respond to users’ needs, municipal Beirut finds within its realm an urban resource that can no longer be ignored. Aouad’s work is an inquiry into the role of leftover space and more specifically non-constructible parcels, regarding their values and potentialities for the re-naturalization of the city, based on their contribution to the public realm.

This investigation is part of Aouad’s ongoing research interests on Municipal Beirut’s urban fabric, and more specifically the left over spaces within its realm.

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Book Chapter Publication: Urban Overheating

Pleased to be part of this recent book by Mattheos Santamouris and Michele Zinzi (Eds.) Urban Overheating - Progress on Mitigation Science and Engineering Applications, pp. 325-340. This book is out recently following the publication in the peer reviewed Climate Journal by Aouad D., Kaloustian N. “Leftover Spaces for the Mitigation of Urban Heat Islands in Municipal Beirut”.

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Leftover Spaces for the Mitigation of Urban Overheating in Municipal Beirut

The Urban Heat Island phenomenon and urban overheating are serious consequences of urbanization resulting in impacts on thermal comfort levels, heat stress and even mortality. This paper builds on previous findings on the topic of non-constructible parcels, small vacant or built spaces in Municipal Beirut, some of which belong to the municipality while others are privately owned and which might be used for different functional purposes. This paper further examines the possibility of implementing cool surface or paving materials and urban vegetation to reduce air urban temperature, especially during the summer period and with the view to project the positive findings of this case study to the entire Municipal Beirut area.

The best air temperature reductions correspond to the use of cool material in areas that are far from buildings where there are no shadow effects. In some cases, the introduction of trees leads to an increase of the air temperature near the ground because they became an obstacle of the natural ventilation. Results show a maximum mitigation effect with the use of cool materials that lead to reductions in air temperatures up to 0.42 °C if used alone and up to 0.77 °C if used in combination with trees. Within the framework of an integrated approach to planning, this form of urban intervention aims for substantial overheating reduction.

Kaloustian, N.; Aouad, D.; Battista, G.; Zinzi, M. Leftover Spaces for the Mitigation of Urban Overheating in Municipal Beirut. Climate 2018, 6, 68.

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Aouad in Lisbon

The EAAE/ARCC International Conference, held under the aegis of the EAAE (European Association for Architectural Education) and of the ARCC (Architectural Research Centers Consortium), is a conference organized every other year, in collaboration with one of the member schools / universities of those associations, alternatively in North America or in Europe. The EAAE/ARCC Conferences began at the North Carolina State University College of Design, Raleigh with a conference on Research in Design Education (1998); followed by conferences in Paris (2000), Montreal (2002), Dublin (2004), Philadelphia (2006), Copenhagen (2008), Washington (2010), Milan (2012) and Honolulu (2014).

The conference discussions focus on research experiences in the field of architecture and architectural education, providing a critical forum for the dissemination and engagement of current ideas from around the world. Refereed Conference Presentation: Aouad, D., “Urban Acupuncture as a tool for today’s re-naturalization of the city: The non-constructible parcels of Municipal Beirut through the case study of Saifi district”, paper presented at the 10th EAAE /ARCC International Conference, 15–18 June 2016, Lisbon, Portugal.

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Urban Acupuncture As a Tool for Today’s Re-Naturalization of the City

This paper builds on a review of approaches towards the concept of appropriation of urban space and leftover spaces in particular. Focusing on re-naturalization as a specific mode of space transformation, it examines the specificities of leftover spaces and the role they could play in relation to urban strategies for municipal Beirut.

The current Lebanese urban legislation acknowledges a certain number of parcels as non-constructible; integrating these parcels within the existing urban fabric and implementing a strategy that will allow flexible and innovative space management, would require a process

of identification, innovative urban tools, revised legal mechanisms as well private and public actor’s involvement. Throughout this paper, building upon the collection and the analysis of non-constructible parcels’ data within the study districts of municipal Beirut, a re-naturalization process in the form of urban acupuncture will be proposed and recommendations for eventual urban strategies, urban operations, tools and programs will be developed.

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Non-Constructible Parcels Within the Boundaries of Municipal Beirut: The Case Study of Saifi, Bachoura and Zokak El-Blat (Thesis)

This research builds on a review of approaches towards the concept of appropriation of urban space and leftover spaces in particular, focusing on temporary use as a specific mode of using spaces. This research examines the specificities of leftover spaces and the role they could play in relation to urban strategies for Municipal Beirut. The current Lebanese urban legislation acknowledges a certain number of parcels as non-constructible, and the reasons behind that non-constructability label include visual clearance on street corners and intersections, management of parcel densification to control increased built density on parcels and avoiding transferring its odd forms into the volumetric of the buildings.

To incorporate the non-constructible parcels within the existing urban fabric and implement a strategy that will allow flexible and innovative management of these parcels, the planning regulations would require adjustments to the requirements and implications of a situation where programs assigned to these parcels can contribute to better urban life. Through the collection and the analysis of data on non-constructible parcels in the study districts of Saifi, Bachoura and Zokak El-Blat, within Beirut Municipality, recommendations for urban strategies, urban operations, tools and temporary use programs will be developed.

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Aouad in Cottbus/Germany

Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus, Senftenberg, Germany; "Non-constructible surfaces and parcels within municipal Beirut: An un-investigated territory”, at the "International Workshop on Greening the Curriculum -Sustainable Building”, November 2013.

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