Papers
Yellow Urban Alternatives for a Green and Orange Context--Belfast, Northern Ireland, Ashraf M. Salama, 2009
Architects for Peace Editorials, September 2009, arch - peace, Australia
Belfast, the home of the Titanic, is a city evolving out of a history of conflict and distress. It is witnessing continuous civil and urban transformations; a transition from a troubled urban entity to a lively vibrant city. When I went to the city about 7 years ago for a short visit, the city was starting to get out of its sleepy, scary, and dark image—from what I felt and was told. Since March 2008 however, I was attracted by Belfast’s new image as a tourist destination with historic depth, unparalleled in many cities. I was also ensnared by the idea that a city I have seen a few years ago has changed beyond recognition and keeps changing for the better.
The Urban Reality of Belfast
Despite the fact that Northern Ireland’s peace process began in the mid 1990’s, the city is still essentially divided between the two dominant communities, Catholic and Protestant. While the east and south of the city are diverse enough, these single-identity communities continue to exist in many parts of the north and west. They are partially separated by ‘peace walls’. Records indicate that the number of these walls has increased since the beginning of the peace process. At the last count there were 41walls or similar such constructions. Here I relate to my earlier editorial of February 2008(1) and insert Robert Frost’s famous Poem: Mending Wall. Frost reminds us of offensive building acts when he says: Before I built a wall I'd ask to know... What I was walling in or walling out... And to whom I was like to give offence. Introducing diversity is thus a critical challenge to Belfast’s urban designers and architects, which keeps posing itself on any urban discourse about the city’s future.
Shaping Architectural Discourse by Architecture Students at Queen's University Belfast, Ashraf M. Salama, 2009
Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research, Volume 3, Issue 2, (July 2009), PP. 130-173
SHAPING ARCHITECTURAL DISCOURSE BY ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS AT QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY BELFAST: Architecture Students at Queen’s University Belfast Review Selected Books on Person-Environment Interactions
Outline:
As part of a specialist subject (elective) on Socio-Behavioral and Cultural Factors in Architecture and Urban Design, which I teach to architecture students at Queen’s University Belfast, a book review assignment was delivered. The course aims at introducing students to cultural, social, and psychological issues in architectural and urban design, and their value to successful design practices. It provides an overview and analysis of the literature and major scholars, researchers, and practitioners. An integral component of the course is an intensive discussion of issues that pertain to ways in which information about socio-cultural factors and environment-behaviour knowledge can be applied to design projects. In more specific terms, the objectives of the course therefore encompass: 1) To increase students’ sensitivity to the built environment and to break any habits of taking the environment for granted; 2) To acquaint students with particular knowledge of a variety of environments including residential, work, learning, and urban environments. Since our societies are in a continuous process of transformation, we must engage in sound future design that would involve the systematic examination of the relationship between culture, behaviour, and the environment; 3) To enhance students’ understanding of the core concepts regarding human-environment relations and how these concepts vary by different cultures and sub-cultures, 4) To develop students critical thinking abilities about the role of the built form in fostering, enhancing, or inhibiting cultural behaviours and attitudes.
In this article, I discuss the notion of reviews and book reviews, outline the assignment delivered to architecture students at Queen’s University Belfast, then present selected students’ reviews. While this article is simply a presentation of students’ work, the ultimate objective is to offer a package of ideas and concepts generated in the literature of person-environment interaction as viewed by the students. This is coupled with students’ articulations of and reflections on how the merits and demerits of those ideas and the way in which they relate to such ideas in their reviews. While this article does not reflect on students’ work and does not have a conclusion, it calls for a database that is exclusively dedicated to reviewed books on person-environment interactions, which could be published online on the web of one of the societies or associations concerned with people-environment interactions including EDRA-Environmental Design Research Association and IAPS-International Association of People-Environments Studies.
The Users in Mind: Utilizing Henry Sanoff’s Methods in Investigating the Learning Environment, Ashraf M. Salama, 2009
Open House International, Volume 34, Issue 1, (2009) PP. 35-44.
The educational process in schools involves many activities that ultimately aim at testing students’ motivation, knowledge assimilation, academic performance, and teachers’ productivity. How these activities are accommodated in a responsive environment is a critical issue that deserves special attention especially from users' perspective. This paper analyzes emerging understandings of learning environments. Reactions of teachers and students to classroom and cluster prototypes, among other aspects, against a number of spatial requirements and educational objectives are analyzed and discussed based on two mechanisms. The first is a comparative analysis of reactions of teachers from three elementary schools within Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District. The second part is a case study of a pre-design phase undertaken for redesigning some buildings of North Carolina School of the Arts. The results of this investigation support the assumption on how the school environment has a direct impact on the way in which teaching and learning takes place. A conclusion envisioning the need for going beyond adopting prescriptive measures to address the quality of the learning environment is conceived by highlighting the need to utilize knowledge generated from research findings into school design process, to pursue active roles in sensitizing users about the value of the school environment in reaching the desired academic performance while increasing teachers’ productivity.
Design Intentions and Users Responses: Assessing Outdoor Spaces of Qatar University Campus, Ashraf M. Salama, 2009
Open House International, Volume 34, Issue 1, (2009) PP. 82-93.
This paper explores the issue of design intentions versus users' reactions by conducting a post occupancy evaluation study. It introduces an assessment of the performance of Qatar University-QU campus outdoor spaces from users' perspective after it has been used and occupied for over 20 years. The assessment aims at understanding the mutual interaction process between the built environment exemplified by the physical characteristics of campus outdoor spaces and the needs of the university community exemplified by students, faculty, and staff. Therefore, the paper argues for the value of evaluating current campus outdoor spaces from users' perspective. It aims at defining problematic areas related to the utilization of current spaces—that are contrasted with the architect's design philosophy and intentions. The methodology adopted is multi-layered in nature and incorporates a wide variety of assessment techniques; including walk-through evaluation and direct observation, behavioral mapping, and survey questionnaires. The investigation reveals a number of problems that may hinder the performance of different types of QU campus users. The paper concludes that by recognizing how well university campus outdoor spaces respond to the needs of faculty, students, and staff, one can recommend ways of improving the outdoor environment necessary to facilitate the work and learning experiences of different users within the campus and the desired student-faculty interaction.
Editorial: Cultural Identity Manifested in Visual Voices and the Public Face of Architecture, Ashraf M. Salama, 2009
Architects for Peace Editorials, May 2009, arch - peace, Australia
While scholars in architecture as an academic and professional discipline may criticize the interest and tendency to place emphasis on discussing building images and facades, I adopt the principle that since architecture is created for the public then examining the public face of architecture is integral to the understanding of the juxtaposition of those images and what they convey and represent. This editorial interrogates a number of discourses on ways in which cultural identity is manifested by debating selected interventions developed within the Arab world. Still, the discussion on whether building images are created as visual voices that attempt to react to the tidal wave of cultural globalization is open-ended. So, there is no claim here that there is a resolution, but an articulation of identity debate as it is manifested in the public face of architecture.
Sustainability / Trans-disciplinarity: A concern for people and environments between confusing terminology and outdated approaches, Ashraf M. Salama (2009)
INTBAU: International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture, and Urbanism
This essay is an extended version of an earlier article published in the Bulletin of IAPS — The International Association of People-Environment Studies, Spring 2002
Excerpts from the Article.
There is a great deal of discussion in design, architecture, and construction circles on creating sustainable environments, and there are also widely varying opinions as to exactly how sustainability can be introduced and approached. Current debates indicate that the term encompasses more than the physical and economic aspects. It includes social, cultural, and behavioral dimensions. Observing contemporary architectural practices, however, reveals that there are two major missing dimensions. On the one hand, there is an emphasis on the physical aspects of sustainability, while socio-cultural and socio-behavioral dimensions are oversimplified. On the other hand, there is a heavy reliance on top-down policies and strategies with the aim of developing guidelines to be implemented for the betterment of environments. Strikingly, this takes place at the expense of other bottom-up strategies that aim at sensitizing users toward understanding the key issues underlying sustainability. These two missing dimensions — socio-behavioural dimensions, and bottom-up strategies — offer a rationale for the professional community everywhere in the world to use sustainability as a term in their daily discourse. Nevertheless, even while talking about it, they do not yet use sustainability or utilize it in their daily practices. This article presents a critical voice on the current developments and efforts in dealing with sustainability of built environments, by adopting an alternative comprehensive approach that places high value on "trans-disciplinarity". This is achieved by adapting previous efforts developed in the field, and by addressing users as key players in the process of creating sustainable environments.
Editorial: Transdisciplinarity, People-Environments, and Design Research, Aleya Abdel-Hadi and Ashraf M. Salama (2009)
ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 3, issue 1 (2009). PP.8-13
This issue marks the beginning of the third year of Archnet-IJAR life. In the first two years, over 85 quality contributions by 70 scholars, academics and practitioners from 27 countries have been published after a rigorous review process followed by leading journals. Due to the high demand on Archnet-IJAR, the issue is divided into three refereed sections in addition to the review and trigger articles section. This issue is thus adding another dimension where many papers from countries not represented before are included to address the transdisciplinary nature of architecture, and people-environments and design research while exhibiting the international dimension of the journal.
The first section accommodates 9 papers selected from IAPS 19th – the 19th conference of the International Association for People-Environments Studies which was held in Bibliotheca Alexandrina in September 2006. The typical norm of the IAPS conferences is that complete papers are submitted for publication after the conference in a post conference book, and they are subjected to a strict review process. The scientific committee of IAPS 19th selected 31 papers for inclusion in the post conference book. However, due to the limited size constraints mandated by the publisher, 9 papers were not included. Based on discussions of Archnet-IJAR chief editor, the scientific committee of the conference, and IAPS board the nine papers are published in this issue.
The second section includes three papers on Traditional Public Baths-Hammam- in the Mediterranean, which represent a continuation of the previous special issue. Thanks to Dr. Fodil Fadli in giving those three papers the opportunity to see the light through an intensive translation and editing process since two of them were originally written in French. While the third section includes five papers submitted and refereed through the typical review process of Archnet-IJAR--offering a wide variety of topics and themes, the review and trigger articles section encompasses four submissions in the form of a review article, symposium abstracts, and book and conference reviews.
Reflecting on some contributions in this issue, it is believed that while not stated explicitly, transdisciplinarity appears to be at the heart or the essence of these people-environments and design research. ..........................
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Editorial: A Bright Future for Creative Environments Conducive to Learning, Ashraf M. Salama (2009)
Open House International, Volume 34, Issue 1, (2009) PP.5-8.
The trans-disciplinary nature of contemporary architectural knowledge and its epistemological foundations is now palpable in most architectural discourses. Discussing and debating learning environments is no exception. The papers of this issue manifest the trans-disciplinary paradigm where knowledge about learning environments crosses the boundaries of disciplines including pedagogy, psychology, behavioral sciences, planning, and design. Remarkably, reference to the work of scientists and education theorists is so obvious in the work presented (Dewey, 1916, 1933; Friere, 1971; Kolb, 1976, 1981, Kolb and Kolb 2005; Gardner, 1983; Edwards and Usher, 2001; and Stevenson, 2008).
The twelve papers included in this issue explore and investigate qualities and characteristics of learning environments at different scales and in different contexts, from classroom typologies to campus outdoor spaces. They place emphasis on emerging paradigms in learning environments that involve a number of underlying issues including the academic house clustering, the school as heart of the community, the rising interest in new classroom spaces and forms, the user-centered processes, utilizing the learning environment as an open textbook, and the impact of recent advances in information technologies and globalization on the future of learning settings.
Categorizing the papers, it is noted that five papers focus on learning settings in schools and the processes by which those setting are created, while four papers introduce human centered issues that pertain to university campuses, exemplified by users’ perception, socio-cultural norms, and behavioral factors. On the other hand, three papers focus on the spatial environment of the design studio as a unique place for making design decisions. Shared among most papers in this issue are two important aspects, collaboration in planning and design decision making and a continuous focus on the users of the learning environment whether in design, evaluation, or the actual use.
A Theory for Integrating Knowledge in Architectural Design Education, Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 2, issue 1 (2008). PP.100-128
This paper argues for introducing a theory for knowledge integration in architectural design education. A contextual analysis of the reasons for developing a theory is introduced and reasons are categorized. The milieu of the theory is constituted in several contextual elements. The theory encompasses a number of underlying theories and concepts derived from other fields that differ dramatically from architecture. It consists of three major components: the disciplinary component; the cognitive-philosophical component; and the inquiry epistemic component. Each of these components encompasses other smaller components integral to the building of the theory itself. Notably, the three components address ways in which knowledge can be integrated, how the desired integration would meet the capacity of the human mind, how such integration relates to the nature of knowledge and how knowledge about it is acquired, conveyed, and assimilated. Possible mechanisms for knowledge acquisition are an indispensable component of the theory, whose aim is to foster the development of responsive knowledge critical to the successful creation of built environments.
MEDIA COVERAGE AND USERS’ REACTIONS: AL AZHAR PARK IN THE MIDST OF CRITICISM AND POST OCCUPANCY EVLUATION, Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
METU, Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, Vol 25, Issue 1, PP. 150-125
This paper introduces a fresh look that pertains to the hypothesis that “projects celebrated in the public or specialized media are not necessarily meeting users’ expectations or satisfying their needs.” ...............
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When Good Design Intentions Do Not Meet Users Expectations: Exploring Qatar University Campus, Outdoor Spaces, Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 2, issue 2 (2008), PP.57-77
This paper engulfs the issue of design intention versus users’ reactions by conducting a post occupancy evaluation study. It introduces an assessment of the performance of Qatar University-QU campus outdoor spaces from users’ perspective after it has been used and occupied for over 20 years. The assessment aims at understanding the mutual interaction process between the built environment exemplified by the physical characteristics of campus outdoor spaces and the needs of the university community exemplified by students, faculty, and staff. Therefore, the paper argues for the value of evaluating current campus outdoor spaces from users’ perspective. It aims at defining problematic areas related to the utilization of current spaces—that are contrasted with the architect’s design philosophy and intentions—in order to develop a framework for possible future improvements.
A Charette Process for Designing an Eco-lodge in Al Qula'an, Red Sea, Egypt, Ashraf M. Salama, 2007
Open House International, Volume 32, No. 4, PP. 54-63
An ambitions strategic plan for tourism development in the Red Sea region is currently implemented. Without adequate concern for environmental protection this development could cause ecological threats. Problems resulted from conventional tourism corroborate the need for a culturally and environmentally responsible alternative, namely ecotourism. Consequently, ecologically sensitive facilities are in high demand that can be met with ecolodges. This paper reports on a collaborative process for developing an ecolodge demonstration project. The process was initiated and tested involving a number of experts and encompassing participatory mechanisms, site analyses, and interviews. The results of this process were incorporated into a final planning alternative that is envisioned as a tool that guides the professional community in Egypt toward the development of sustainable tourism facilities in the region.
An Exploratory Investigation into the Impact of International Paradigmatic Trends on Arab Architectural Education, Ashraf M. Salama, 2007
Global Built Environment Review-GBER, Vol 6, Issue 1, PP. 31-44
While the development of Arab architectural education avows that there has been continuous influence of worldwide trends on the educational process, architectural schools in the Arab world are often accused of being largely unconcerned with the
debates and trends raised by the international community. Testing this hypothesis required tracing three major paradigmatic trends in Arab architectural education: environment-behavior studies, sustainability and environmental consciousness, and digital and virtual practices.
There is in fact a great deal of discussions in design and architecture circles on these trends, and widely varying opinions as to why and how they need to be introduced in architectural curricula. An investigation of 14 programs in 8 Arab countries was conducted based on literature reviews and preliminary content analysis of the online and printed prospectuses. The analysis reveals that in some programs courses addressing these trends have not reached mature levels, while other programs were able to address the balance between the trends in their curricula. The paper concludes by a prologue for the future of Arab architectural education, arguing for balancing and harmonizing these trends, adapting them to the norms defined by a particular culture or a locality, while integrating them into studio teaching practices.
Learning From the Environment: Evaluation Research and Experience Based Architectural Pedagogy, Ashraf M. Salama, 2006
CEBE-Transactions, The Online Journal of the Center for Education in the Built Environment, Volume 3, Issue 1, PP.64-83
Debates on higher education assert that a university mission should foster a campus environment that nurtures exploration and critical thinking. Today, inquiry and investigation are viewed as activities central to undergraduate programs. This paper advocates the integration of research into undergraduate architectural education by arguing for exposing students to primary source materials that enable them to get as close as possible to the realities being studied. The paper generates a critical discussion on idiosyncrasies and misconceptions about knowledge acquisition and production. It explores the status of research methods courses in selected undergraduate architecture programs from the Middle East. An attempt at integrating evaluation research and experiential learning into architectural pedagogy is presented as a case from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals-KFUPM. A framework toward a transformative architectural pedagogy is introduced to complement traditional teaching techniques. It outlines a number of related concepts together with the supporting learning mechanisms, activities, and settings. It is suggested that this framework would invigorate the capabilities of future architects to be more culturally and environmentally responsive, critical thinkers, and engage in the production of knowledge.
Mediterranean Visual Messages: The Conundrum of Identity, ISMS, and Meaning in Contemporary Egyptian Architecture, Ashraf M. Salama, 2007
Archnet-IJAR- International Journal of Architectural Research, Volume 1, Issue 1, Archnet @ MIT School of Architecture and Planning, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, PP. 86-104.
Egypt like many of the Mediterranean countries is an amalgam of influences. Its rich history and unique geographical position afforded many opportunities for the emergence of architectural trends and movements. This article presents a new positional interpretation of contemporary Egyptian architecture. It is culled from a spectrum of issues I have presented in several events and published in local and international conferences and trade magazines. However, it calls for a fresh look at the issue of meaning in architecture by critically analyzing the current status of architecture in Egypt through a reading of trends that emerged over the last decade. The article discusses the concepts of Mediterraneanism and Middle Easternism in association with the situation of architecture and urbanism in Egypt. A number of ISMS including postmodernism, historical revivalism, critical regionalism and confusing symbolism are identified and reviewed and representative examples are critically analyzed. The article concludes by outlining an approach for a deeper insight toward the understanding of meaning in Egyptian architecture.
A Typological Perspective: The Impact of Cultural Paradigmatic Shifts on the Evolution of Courtyard Houses in Cairo, Ashraf M. Salama, 2006
METU, Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, Vol 23, Issue 1, PP. 41-58
……..As both an urban and rural prototypical phenomenon the courtyard house type has emerged. It differs dramatically from other types of houses. In it, the outdoor space is enclosed within the interior volume and ultimately becomes the heart of its morphology and spatial organization. As a house type it was usually associated with the wealthy, and involved general physical features that pertain to its material and construction, spatial organization and interior decoration, and its overall visual appearance and environmental significance.......
……. In an attempt to envision the context in which the evolutionary process occurs, a descriptive analysis of the influences and impacts on Cairene courtyard houses took place. The analysis is envisaged within the terms of culture and cultural change. In order to physically trace this evolutionary process, a specific methodology was devised based on a typological analysis procedure. Eighteen house floor plans were selected from a wide variety of houses representing successive historic eras of different cultural milieus starting from 1700s and up to the 20th century. It is believed that this period has witnessed a significant cycle of change (Saadeddin, 1984). Within this methodology, the key elements were selected to illustrate their change and development. These are: the courtyard, entrance (dihliz), qa’a, takhtabush, and maka’ad.......
PLADEW: A Tool for Teachers Awareness of School Building Sustainability the Case of Carmel School, Mathews, North Carolina, Ashraf M. Salama, 2005
GBER-Global Built Environment Review, Vol 5, Issue 1, PP. 45-56
Recent Studies on sustainability suggest a strong correlation between the physical environment of school building and students’ performance and behavior. An argument is developed to support this premise based on a structured content analysis procedure. The typical approach for addressing sustainability in learning environments is analytically discussed. This approach—through guidance documents—emphasizes top-down policies that successfully address the professional community. However, school building users are rarely addressed through bottom-up strategies. PLADEW, a tool to sensitize school teachers toward understanding the key issues underlying sustainability was developed. This is based on the assumption that “if the learning environment has an impact on students’ performance, productivity, and behavior, then teachers need to be aware of the physical elements of the school building that influence their students.” It is regarded as an awareness tool that involves a checklist and a rating system. The tool was implemented in Carmel School, Mathews, North Carolina where teachers conducted self guided tours and became familiar with sustainability, and were able to comprehend and realize what features positively impact the teaching/learning process while enhancing their students performance. A brief set of recommendations was developed to emphasize bottom up strategies in the current efforts undertaking by school districts and government agencies.
A Process Oriented Design Pedagogy: KFUPM Sophomore Studio, Ashraf M. Salama, 2005
CEBE-Transactions, The Online Journal of the Center for Education in the Built Environment, Volume 2, Issue 2, PP.16-31
This paper describes a new process oriented undergraduate studio teaching model implemented at the College of Environmental Design, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. The model addresses design as process and teaching and learning styles adopted in the studio. It simplifies the process of design into a set of procedures for educational purposes, responding to students' abilities. The paper presents an assessment of traditional Architecture studio teaching practices based on a literature review and calls for a fresh look at the way in which students' abilities are developed in a manner that is more responsive to the design issues they encounter in the studio.
Programming for Sustainable Building Design: Addressing Sustainability in a Project Delivery Process, Ashraf M. Salama and W. Graham Adams, 2004
Journal of Applied Psychology (ISSN 1454-8062) [Special Issue 18th IAPS Conference], 6(3-4), 178-187
This paper addresses the implementability of sustainable design guidelines while emphasizing the need for introducing project delivery processes. Reporting on two components integral to the development of Minnesota state sustainable design guidelines the paper provides the results of an inductive analysis of five major guidance documents and of a survey of selected Minnesota professionals. Results corroborate several shortcomings that pertain to the lack of clear measures and when and how specific tasks need to be conducted in a project delivery process. However, a number of positive tendencies are observed including addressing sustainability early in a project delivery process, awareness and involvement of clients and users, partnership and team building, linking technical issues to project phases, and referencing sustainable guidance documents to other policy documents. Concomitantly, a number of features are incorporated in a manner that avoids the missing process aspects of current documents and that overcomes obstacles expressed by the professional community of Minnesota.
Book Reviews: Nikos A. Salingaros: A New Vitruvius for 21st-Century Architecture and Urbanism?, Ashraf M. Salama, 2007
Archnet-IJAR-International Journal of Architectural Research, Volume 1, Issue 2, Archnet @ MIT School of Architecture and Planning, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, PP. 114-131.
This article adopts the premise that the work of Nikos A. Salingaros marks a true beginning for seriously regaining what cultures and societies have lost throughout the years through the work of many architects, urbanists, and decision makers. It explores the three monographs he has written and views them as a new “De Architectura” for 21st century architecture and urbanism. The article reflects on Vitruvius’s De Architectura and sheds light on selected evolutionary aspects of architecture and the anti-vitruvian practices that continued for hundreds of years, but intensified over the last century. It reviews the attitudes of anti-vitruvian architects that contributed to severe socio-cultural and contextual problematics. The views adopted in this article are based on the conviction that the theories and writings of Salingaros are a reaction and a conscious positive response to these practices, and that these theories will invigorate the creation of humane and livable environments.
Symbolism and Identity in the Eyes of Arabia's Budding Professionals, Ashraf M. Salama, 2006
Layer Mag, September 2006 (Critical Analysis Essay)
Societies tend to re-evaluate the meaning and desirability of built environments rapidly. The search for an architectural identity, the rise and fall of ISMS (movements and tendencies), and the continuous debate on symbolism and character issues in architecture are derived from this fact. That search seems to be a preoccupation with countries that have cultural richness and multi-layers of history. Architects as well as budding professionals in those countries find themselves dealing with a paradox needing to project a certain image of themselves through their built environment. This article reflects a view point on two recent students architectural competitions conducted in 2005 and 2006; the first was titled a memorial sculpture for Al Nakheel project in the city of Jeddah, while the second was designing a gateway on the road to Dammam. An argument is introduced in order to raise the questions of identity and seeing ourselves in architecture in light of the results of these two students’ competitions.
Editorial: Committed Educators are Reshaping Studio Pedagogy, Ashraf M. Salama, 2006
Open House International. Volume 31, Issue 3, Special Issue on Design Studio Teaching Practices, Urban International Press, United Kingdom, PP. 4-9.
This issue of Open House International-OHI is concerned with the studio pedagogy’s increasing importance within the context of contemporary architectural and design education, a crucial subject that poses itself confidently on the map of current academic research. Twelve papers are included; of them, nine were selected from over 30 submission responses to the call for contributions. These are of NISHA FERNANDO; KEVIN MITCHELL, MALIKA BOSE, ELIZA PENNYPACKER, and TOM YAHNER; TASOULLA HADJIYANNI; CARLOS BALSAS; RABEE REFFAT; JEFFREY HOU and MIN-JAY KANG; JAMAL AL QAWASMI; and JEFFREY HAASE. Three papers were selected as they won the first three awards of the International Architectural Education Competition entitled "Alternative Educational Ways for Teaching and Learning Architectural Design," which was organized in 2005 by Open House International and the Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Northern Cyprus. Results were announced in April 2006 and the three winners were JOONGSUB KIM (1st Prize); NOAM AUSTERLITZ & AVIGAIL SACHS (2nd Prize); and GUITA FARIVARSADRI & USTUN ALSAC (3rd Prize).
Efforts of these concerned and committed educators are integrated to openly debate the delivery system of education in the studio. Actually, they are advancing the discussions on how this subject has become a recognized area of research in recent years, how studio teaching invigorates the attitudes of future architects and designers, and how it may contribute to the creation of better environments. The papers in this edition of OHI capture the body of knowledge about design studio teaching. However, they can be regarded as different studio typologies that delineate a paradigm shift. Such a shift is from the traditional approach that follows principles and practices developed in the past, and not equipped to deal with the practical realities of contemporary societies, to a more responsive approach that effectively challenges recent advances in social and behavioral sciences, and telecommunication technologies. Such an approach is characterized by committing itself to a student-centered learning process by shaping and identifying studio objectives and thereby recognizing the impacts they may have on the life-long learning skills of future architects.
Editorial: Excellence in Architectural and Urban Research, Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
Archnet-IJAR-International Journal of Architectural Research, Volume 2, Issue 1, Archnet @ MIT School of Architecture and Planning, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, PP. 7-15.
……I now return to where I began; the efforts undertaken to establish Archnet-IJAR over the past year resulted in attracting both a large body of readers while distinguished professors and scholars started to contribute their work. In this issue, a considerable number of giants in the fields of architecture and human environment interaction offer their thoughts and words of wisdom out of decades of experience in teaching and research. There are great contributions from authorities such as Amos Rapoport; Henry Sanoff; Jack Nasar; Nikos A. Salingaros and Kenneth G. Masden
II; Roderick Lawrence; Wolfgang Preiser; and Xinhao Wang. High quality contributions from younger committed scholars include those of Ceridwen Owen; Ashraf M. Salama; Yasser Mahgoub; Magda Moustafa; and M. Salim Ferwati and M. Alaa Mandour. Metaphorically, one can argue that in this edition of Archnet-IJAR different generations meet to reflect on their experience, interests, and concerns. Amos Rapoport offers some further notes on culture-environment relations based on four decades of exploring and synthesizing ideas from different fields toward a more responsive interpretation of culture as it relates to the everyday physical environment. Referring to his latest book: Culture, Architecture, and Design (2005) as his “last word” on the subject, Rapoport relates some of the concepts……
Editorial: Whatever the Name is, the Concern is for People and Environments, Ashraf M, Salama, 2008
Open House International, Volume 32, Issue 4, Special Issue on Eco-Tourism, Urban International Press, United Kingdom, PP. 4-8.
Increasingly, people are abandoning traditional vacation for a new type of tourism that gives them the sense of nature. Trekking in mountains, bird watching, archaeological digs, desert and photo safaris, scuba diving are some new types of vacation that attract tourists to travel to relatively remote and unspoiled areas. This type of travel is referred to as nature-based travel, ecotourism, or environmentally sustainable tourism. These terms are used interchangeably to reflect the latest trend in travel industry, a newly emerged type of tourism that combines preserving natural environments and sustaining the well being of human cultures that inhabit those environments. The generic concept of environmentally sustainable tourism has emerged in parallel to the realization of the potential benefits in combining people interest in nature with their concern for the environment. It is a responsible way of travel; an alternative to traditional travel, but it is not for everyone. It appeals to people who love nature and indigenous cultures. It allows those people to enjoy an attraction or a locality and ensures that local cultures and environments are unimpaired. As environmentally sustainable tourism industry expands world-wide, well planned, ecologically sensitive facilities are in high demand that can be met with ecolodges: small scale facilities that provide tourists with the opportunity of being in close contact with nature and local culture.
In response to this theme, research papers in this issue of Open House International explore sustainable planning and design for tourism by debating, analyzing, and visioning a wide spectrum of issues, with a focus on the developments taking place in biologically sensitive areas, whether desert, forest, tropical coasts, or rural environments. Interestingly, they cover the planet earth from Australia through the Arab World and Turkey to Argentina and Chile. An important shared aspect in these papers is that emphasis is placed upon integrating people, nature, and local economy into responsive development processes while offering lessons on how such an integration may take place.
Editorial: "What's War/Peace - Construction/Destruction got to do with Architecture?" Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
Architects for Peace Editorials - February 2008, arch - peace, Australia,
Watch any news channel or listen to any news station you will find floods of issues and concerns that refer to human-made destruction caused by conflict and war. Architects and Urbanists seem to join the public in just watching or listening…! Can they have a say? I doubt it. Can they intervene? I am not sure! Can they play a positive role? I hope they do!
This editorial is deeply rooted in the mission of Architects for Peace that simply involves the promotion of peace from architectural, cross-cultural, sociopolitical and socio-economic perspectives. While it might be seen as an article more than an editorial, it attempts to consolidate a number of issues typically oversimplified by the global professional community. In very recent discussions, however, the issues of War, Peace, Destruction, Post War Recovery and their correlation to architecture and urbanism are starting to gain momentum toward shaping a new body of theories or cases on destruction and their underlying applications in terms of recovery efforts. While this is not new, it indicates that architects and planners have important roles to play in this context. Here, I reflect on such a relationship within the scope of some selected writings.
The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: Unveiling the Jewels of the Built Environment in the Developing World, Ashraf M. Salama, 2008
Architects for Peace Editorials - July 2008, arch - peace, Australia,
People including main stream professional architects sometimes wonder about the reason of or the need for architectural awards while questioning their validity: Are they necessary? I would say yes. Awards are critical; they validate the achievements of professional architects while making their contributions more widely acknowledged by the public, hence promoting excellence in architecture. Some awards recognise the extraordinary lifetime achievement of an architect and others praise projects of virtues that offer guidance for changing the status quo toward a positive change. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) continues to centre its interest on these three areas.
In essence, the Aga Khan Award for Architecture-AKAA addresses contexts in which Muslim communities have substantial presence and, in my view, it has contributed at the physical intervention level and at the architectural thought level in the whole developing or non-Western world. The Award's concern and impact is not only expressed in the conservation of architectural heritage or revitalisation of deteriorated communities or stylistic and symbolic interventions. It is about the enduring values of architecture in creating physical and visual manifestations that speak to their communities, relate effectively to their users and their economic and societal realities. In this editorial, I reflect on selected aspects of Award and its contributions.
Contemporary Cairo Demystified: A Critical Voice on Architecture and Urbanism, Ashraf M. Salama, 2002
Archis, February 2002, The Netherlands (Critical Analysis Essay)
[editorial introduction Cairo, an amalgam of Arab, Western and African influences on the north coast of the African continent, is the largest of four African 'mega-cities'. Unlike those other, relatively young, cities the history of Cairo can be traced back to before the seventh century.
All the African urban typologies sketched by Mustafa Adebayo elsewhere in this issue can be found in Cairo. This rich history affords Cairo many opportunities for development (in tourism, for example), but also presents it with specific problems. Ashraf Salama recounts Cairo's long and complex genesis and its explosive growth around the 1970s when 7 million people arrived in the city in the space of just 20 years, with all the consequences that entailed for infrastructure, housing and pollution. Salama takes a critical look at various architectural and urbanist notions about urban development and concludes with a few frank recommendations directed at his fellow architects. ]
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