An interesting and timely discussion about social housing and small scale living, attempting to bridge the gap between architecture, planning and philosophy. Aouad talked about two major housing projects by Alvaro Siza and Alejandro Aravena.
Aouad to Participate in UN-Habitat's National Urban Policies Programme
The rapid urbanization of landscapes across the globe has presented policymakers and planners with unprecedented challenges to address and direct the situation. Dramatic urban sprawl, informal urban production, climate change vulnerability, and inefficient infrastructure present considerable demands for the future of city planning. In the Arab region, where 56 percent of the population reside in urban settings,1 this challenge becomes all the more crucial. Recognizing the need for a coordinated and dynamic response, the NUP Programme was launched by UN-Habitat in the Arab region in 2017 to address these trends through a progressive vision. The aim of the programme is to guide the urban policy development in four selected countries in the Arab region – Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and Sudan – through the promotion of sustainable, inclusive and evidence-based NUPs. The programme pilots an approach to urbanization that puts effective cross-sector policymaking at the forefront of urban development and management. It aims to increase knowledge and strengthen the capacities of policymakers and relevant stakeholders.
NUP is a substantial tool for addressing contemporary planning obstacles. It manages to capitalize on the opportunities of rapid urbanization, while accommodating for its inevitable stresses. This entails cultivating local economies and safeguarding social and basic urban services. Steering urbanization towards inclusive sustainable growth requires strengthening policy and planning capacities at regional, national and subnational levels. Through this practice, NUPs manage to empower stakeholders at every level, including members of government, field experts, academic institutions and members of civil society. As a result, NUPs have had a proven effectiveness that has qualified them as an indicator for monitoring progress towards achieving global agendas, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
Two Things [4]
1.
The concepts of the Modern Movement and their undeniable impact on the image and structure of today’s cities, have succeeded through the Charter of Athens and the efforts and ingenuity of its creators, to build a solid legacy of city planning tools. However, these tools, led by the Master Plan, could be facing some limitations regarding quantitative and qualitative measurements of small scale city implementations. The constant juggling between the different scales (urban mega structures, neighborhoods and parcels) is persistently blurring the lines that define the connectivity of small local interventions to the broader city network.
2.
As cities struggle to adapt to the changes in society, they are confronted to an array of new problems that planning departments are often unable to address. With today’s understanding of public spaces shifting from the traditional focus on squares, parks and pavements to a broader concept that recognizes the value of less formal spaces, isn’t it about time we learn the lessons from modernist urban planning tools?, through their evolution throughout time and their legacy as to the approach towards the concept of appropriation of urban space, tying those ideals and concepts to new and emerging approaches, betting on worldwide mobility, dealing with migration and increasing environmental awareness?
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.
Two Things [3]
1.
In a time when significant social shifts are taking place at an increasingly faster pace, the stagnation of politics and policy and the frustration with the decision making process make room for bottom-up acts, resilience and bold initiatives. Do architects have the instruments to make their own stand, in the light of so many examples of social activism? Will the power of architecture disrupt the status quo? Should Architecture take a role in criticizing political habits that influence the built environment and social life? What role can architects and creatives play, in reconsidering these political agendas? Can it reveal the hopes, power struggle and the elements culture of our society?
2.
“Architecture is politics”. In highlighting the structural relationship between social and political sides, and revealing the power that is embodied in it and specifically the monumental architecture that is formed by the political powers, I believe that architecture can improve and engage the greater community. Given the important role of the profession in shaping the built environment and urban life, have we forgotten that architecture and architectural education should, through their cultural contexts, inform the concepts of health and quality of life? Frank Lloyd Wright once said “The mother art is Architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization”.
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.
ACSA Workshop Series 2020-2021: Assessment in Architectural Education
Within the framework of the ACSA’s Workshop series on Assessment in Architectural Education for the year 2020-2021, Aouad has attended “Making Assessment for you”. This session will frame student assessment and program self-assessment as part of a collective project of student support, rather than satisfying bureaucratic requirements that carry the danger of punitive response. It is intended as an overview for schools with established assessment programs and for those planning to initiate one. The session will discuss principles of effective, change-driving assessment, such as measuring things that reflect a program’s values, using data that is already available, and disaggregating data to assess equitable outcomes.
This session will be moderated by Bethany Lundell Garver, AIA, NCARB, Dean and Faculty of Practice and Director of Applied Learning at the Boston Architectural College where she leads college-wide efforts to bridge architectural education and professional practice. Founded in 1912 by 10 charter members, ACSA is an international association of architecture schools preparing future architects, designers, and change agents. Our full members include all of the accredited professional degree programs in the United States and Canada, as well as international schools and 2- and 4-year programs. Together ACSA schools represent some 7,000 faculty educating more than 40,000 students.
Two Things [2]
1.
Throughout a year of insecurities, catastrophes and disasters, the first realization is that Covid has changed the way we should live. We need to think about new ways to design our living environment, at whichever scale we see fit, to promote and protect human life: how to rethink our bodies, how to design the objects that surround us, how to redesign the homes that we inhabit, what functions they must incorporate, how to grow communities or re-naturalize public spaces, how to reinvent our cities taking advantage of digital communications in times of confinement and broadly, how we define our relationships with others in a time of change.
2.
August 4th have shed light on all the instability that has been surrounding the development of the city of Beirut. In the absence of clear guidelines, the city faces today a dark and vague future. It is time to reconsider the relationship of the city to its suburbs, waterfront and city center, the lack of local planning and cross sectorial master plans, the preservation of the heritage v/s the complexity of its urban development, the city growth and increased urbanization, the infrastructure/service systems that have over the years become increasingly deficient, the lack of public spaces and the urban divide and inequality that have only grown deeper since.
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.
Two Things [1]
1.
We are now living in increasingly data-rich environments where open data platforms allow us to access, collect and analyze information about the city. As urban sensors become more and more ubiquitous and spatial information even more abundant, data visualization allows a critical evaluation of active policies and city services by transforming otherwise hidden patterns into visual arguments. It is time to address a combination of new technology and transparent policies for cities, collecting, protecting and applying data to improve city living. In order to bridge the gap between open data and civic society data should be made visible, accessible and actionable for a variety of audiences.
2.
There is a growing realization among public authorities in the world that their work should be data-driven. This trend is seen at many different levels, ranging from national to local. ‘Evidence-based’ working has become a focal point for a growing number of municipalities, for instance. This is the reason why we should seek collaboration with different international urban data platforms in order to become a local and regional reference. We need to define performance indicators, trends of urbanization at various territorial scale for a set of indicators and strategies for sustainable urban development based on those indicators and trends.
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.
Beirut Blast
It is still too early to estimate the extent and cost of the damage. Large sections of the Port of Beirut and its infrastructure were destroyed, including the silos that contained most of Beirut's grain reserves. The blast also caused damage to several nearby residential neighborhoods near and affected five major hospitals. A number of government buildings were also damaged. The affected neighborhoods include around 100 heritage buildings dating from the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century, some of which are classified, which have been severely damaged. The preliminary estimate of the number of damaged buildings are as follows:
Number of buildings totally destroyed: 20-30
Major collapse of structural walls and roofs of buildings rendered uninhabitable: 800-900
Partial demolition of homes rendered uninhabitable: 2,300-2,500
Serious damage to housing structures: 3,000
Limited damage: 15,000-18,000
Number of buildings affected by broken windows: 18,000-20,000
Total number of buildings affected: 39,000-40,000
Estimated number of homes affected: 200,000
Stay safe, we'll get through this together.
The Urban Negative: Final Year Studio, 2020
“We need a new spatial contract. In the context of widening political divides and growing economic inequalities, we call on architects to imagine spaces in which we can generously live together”. In his curatorial statement Hashim Sarkis, goes on by calling on the need for more inclusive social housing and equipment or for more connective urban and territorial tissue remains as pressing in emerging economies as in advanced ones.
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 dense cities has shifted 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, Municipal Beirut finds within its realm an urban resource that can no longer be ignored. This year’s theme will be focused on an inquiry into the role of leftover or residual space, regarding their values and potentialities for the consolidation of the city, based on their contribution to the public realm. Municipal Beirut holds within its urban fabric a high number of residual or leftover spaces , an unexploited urban land and a potentially fertile resources.
Aouad Delivers Alba's Urban Design Seminar: Mutations Contemporaines des Villes
More than half of the world's population now lives in cities. Confronted with peri-urbanization, over densification, socio-spatial segregation, immigration and multiculturalism, economic crises or even wars, cities are now observing changes that are disrupting their initial structures. Faced with these transformations, the importance of which is analogous to the upheavals that cities experienced at the time of the industrial revolution, city stakeholders are looking for new concepts and tools to reinvent the city of tomorrow. This seminar analyzes the diversity of metropolitan spatial strategies, whether in terms of their objectives or values, as well as the methods of development and implementation.
To do this, it relies primarily on urban operations known as renewal, requalification, renovation or even regeneration, all synonyms that reinvent the way of conceiving the city of tomorrow. The Seminar begins with an explanation of the concept of the city. Based on the example of the Generic Roman City, a review of the basic equipment that constitutes it (buildings, monuments, planning, infrastructure, services, etc.). As the Roman city proliferates, it turns into a Specific City, hence the need to introduce new connection and adaptation equipment. Examples of cities are given such as the city of Timgad in Algeria and that of Kowloon in Hong Kong.
To complete this first part, a quick read of the basic principles of the latest Habitat III report introduces students to the notion of urban regeneration and spatial strategy. Finally, a quick passage on the trend of infographics and Big Data which floods social networks and which discloses information that is both incomplete and confusing if misused. Through the study of certain cities, the second part of the seminar will try to extract the essence of a spatial strategy implemented by the responsible bodies and try to understand at the same time, the objectives, the role, the lines of action as well as the actors who participated in this strategy. These strategies will be discussed while keeping a critical eye on the validity of the methods used and the specificity of the lines of action in relation to the city in question.
London (real estate investments), New York (conservation of the urban heritage), Istanbul (the socio-spatial evolution from industrial to residential), Barcelona (the superblocks) , Rotterdam (water management and the port), Amsterdam (rethinking the new city on top of the old) and Shanghai (peri-urban arteries mutations) are the case studies overviewed during the seminar.
Work from Home
Our priority at DAJH Architects is the safety and health of our team, and of both local and global community. We are following governmental regulations regarding COVID-19 and we want to assure you that we remain committed to you, which is why our team is fully operational, working remotely from home. We remain in close virtual contact to deliver our usual standard of services to our clients and partners.
We have taken steps to guarantee that we can still produce and deliver our complete set of services to you as normal. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with our client service team with any questions, comments, or requests.
Stay safe, we'll get through this together.
Silence on Tourne
Location scouts have been proposing Surf to film production houses and clients are loving it. Since its launch in 2018, Surf has seen on its premises the shooting of a multitude of TV series, commercials and films. Its flexibility, aesthetics, proximity and environment makes it a perfect location for short time filming.
This February, two series were shot as well as a brand commercial. The above pictures are taken from the set of a Ramadan series, a rather big production gathering over 60 people between actors, staff and others. Three days of non-stop filming were needed for a 20 minute take.
Work in Progress
Concrete works for Bablieh 81 project are now complete. DAJH visited the site and signed away the delivery of this phase. It was interesting to check the heavy structure implemented, the high drop beams, the open spaces and the thick walls resulting form this unconventional structural scheme.
The structural solution allows for a better understanding of the conceptual approach, putting forward the screen at the southern edge of the site, opening towards the pool through narrow and high visual corridors. The heavy blocks holding the essential functions of the project slide back and forth allowing for a dynamic implementation on the plot.
Aouad in Krakow
Invited by the faculty of architecture at the University of Technology in Krakow/Poland, Aouad lectured about the current urban overheating issues in Beirut. His lecture, “Left over spaces for the mitigation of Urban heating in Municipal Beirut”, explained to an audience of students and university faculty, the mitigation tools used today to reduce urban heat island effects in critical areas of Beirut. Within the framework of his visit to Krakow,
Aouad also took part of an evaluation jury for final year graduating architecture students where he exchanged development ideas and future guidelines with presenting students.A publication will soon follow "For a strategy of regeneration and urban heat mitigation-Beirut's riverside forsaken agricultural and industrial heritage"; article to be published within the framework of an international scientific conference organized y the Institute of Design of the Krakow University of Technology.
Aouad Jury Member for the ACEAG'19
The Order of Engineers and Architects - Tripoli has organized its 11th Annual Conference for the Engineering and Architecture Graduates in North Lebanon (ACEAG'19). It was held on Sunday 27, July 2019 in Tripoli Lebanon.
This conference gathers highly distinguished experts from Lebanon and abroad and especially benefits the community of engineers, researchers and students in the different fields of engineering.
Aouad was invited to attend the conference and to serve as jury member for the Architecture track.
DAJH Hosts ACA [Fundraiser]
The Arab Center for Architecture [ACA] is hosting its first fundraiser dinner. On June 22nd 2019, DAJH Architects and Kayser Controls have hosted in their Shared Urban Facilities (SUrF), the ACA, for a night of auction, infotainment, fun and dance with Mayssa Jallad and KŌZŌ band.
Proceeds went towards sustaining ACA’s efforts in preserving, promoting and archiving our modern architectural heritage. DAJH Architects opened their doors and hosted professionals, students and the broader public to cross the threshold, take a peek into their workplace and join the rooftop party.