Architecture-Urbanism

Archnet-IJAR, Volume 2, Issue 2, July 2008: Multiple Voices in Architecture and Urbanism

2008-06-24T17:07:00.006-04:00

Archnet-IJAR, Volume 2, Issue 2, July 2008
Multiple Voices in Architecture and Urbanism
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10441

Excerpts from the Editorial entitled
Multiple Voices in Architecture and Urbanism
By Ashraf M. Salama
“…In this fifth issue (Volume 2-Issue 2) of Archnet-IJAR continues to raise issues of concern to the worldwide community of architects, designers, and urbanists. A considerable number of voices are accommodated. They offer diverse issues on a wide spectrum of issues that range from the interior spatial environment level to building and city levels. In fact, Archnet-IJAR maintains its presence as a platform for debating issues of interest to academics, professionals, and graduate students. And so, important pressing topical areas are presented in the refereed papers included in this issue. These include architectural education and design pedagogy, human-environment interactions, universal design, professional practice, sustainable cities, and identity….”

“…While both the refereed papers and the trigger and review articles presented in this issue address many issues, it is important to note that they also address many contexts from the United States to New Zealand and from the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula to Malaysia. This reflects the true essence of Archnet-IJAR of being an international forum for discoursing the design and the actual use of built environments and the context within which they are created. …”

Content and Contributions

Editorial: Multiple Voices in Architecture and Urbanism-PP.07/10.
Ashraf M. Salama
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10443

Great Programs in Architecture: Rankings, Performance Assessments, and Diverse Paths to Prominence -PP.11/22.
Ann Forsyth
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10444

Dynamic Adaptive Web-based Model for Architectural Design Education (DAAD) PP.23/40.
Hesham T. Eissa and Ji-Hyun Lee
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10445

Beyond Concepts-A Studio Pedagogy for Preparing Tomorrow's Designers-PP.41/56.
Tasoulla Hadjiyanni
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10446

When Good Design Intentions Do Not Meet Users Expectations: Exploring Qatar University Campus Outdoor Spaces-PP.57/77.
Ashraf M. Salama
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10447

Universal Design: From Policy to Assessment Research and Practice -PP. 78/93.
Wolfgang F. E. Preiser
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10448

The Influence of Privacy Regulation on Urban Malay Families Living in Terrace Housing-PP.94/102.
Ahmad Hariza Hashim and Zaiton Abdul Rahim
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10449

Natural Lighting of Deep Architectural Space: The Perception of New Zealand Architects-PP.103/124.
Richard Barrett
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10450

Identity in Transitional Context: Open-Ended Local Architecture in Saudi Arabia-PP. 125/146.
Mashary A. Al-Naim
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10451

Landscaping an Office Park in Amman, Jordan: Incorporating Sustainable Site Design Principles-PP.147/161.
Aydin Özdemir, Metin Başal, Ahmet Benliay
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10452

Towards a Sustainable Neighborhood: The Role of Open Spaces-PP.162/177.
Khalid Al-Hagla
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10453

Emerging Cities on the Arabian Peninsula: Urban Space in the Knowledge Economy Context-PP.178/195.
Alain Thierstein and Elisabeth Schein
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10454

Climate, Cities, and Sustainability in the Arabian Region: Compactness as a New Paradigm in Urban Design and Planning-PP. 196/208.
Mustapha Ben-Hamouche
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10455

The Future of African Cities-PP. 209/219.
Muhammad al Najib Brimah
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10456

Skyscraper Future Visions-PP. 220/230.
Mohamad Kashef
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10457

"Algorithmic Sustainable Design: The Future of Architectural Theory , A Series of 12 Lectures by Nikos A. Salingaros-PP. 231/233.
Nicola Giacomo A.G. Linza, William Gay & Anna Grasso-Gay.
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10458

A Call for Translation: After Amnesia: Learning from the Islamic Mediterranean Urban Fabric
by Attilio Pettruccioli-PP. 234/235.
Ashraf M. Salama
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10459

Links to Archnet-IJAR

Visit Archnet Digital Library here http://archnet.org/library/documents/collection.jsp?collection_id=1543
Visit Archnet-IJAR Group Workspace here http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/

Visit Archnet News here http://archnet.org
Visit Archnet-IJAR: The Website of the International Journal of Architectural Research
http://www.archnet-ijar.org

Archnet-IJAR Volumes and Issues

Volume 1
Vol 1 Issue 1 http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10061
Vol 1 Issue 2 http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10081
Vol 1 Issue 3 http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10261

Volume 2
Vol 2 Issue 1 http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10321
Vol 2 Issue 2 http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10441

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed and is part of many Databases, Directories, Catalogues, and University Libraries including
General: Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals; Architectural Review List of Periodicals and Magazines (United Kingdom); Directory of Open Access Journals at Lund University (SWEDEN); Library of Congress (USA); OCLC-Online Computer Library Center (USA); UIA-International Union of Architects List of Periodicals (France); Ulrich's Directory: The Global Source of Periodicals; WorldCat-World Catalogue (USA); Worldwide Science Organization (USA). Australia: ARCLIB; National Library of Australia; Swinburne University. Belgium: Vrije University Brussels. Canada: University of Guelph; University of Manitoba; University of Quebec; University of Saskatchewan; University of Waterloo; University of York; Wilfrid Laurier University. France: National Library of France. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University. Switzerland: Swiss National Library. Taiwan: National Taiwan University. USA: Archnet, MIT School of Architecture and Planning; California State University Libraries; Columbia University; Florida Atlantic University; Georgetown University; InformeDesign-University of Minnesota; North Carolina State University Libraries; Ohio State University Libraries; Texas A & M University Libraries; University of Maine; University of Nevada-Reno; University of Oklahoma; University of Washington Libraries; Wittenburg University.........................................

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN “SBD08”

2008-05-29T18:12:00.004-04:00

Community Technical Housing Services Association (COMTECHSA) U.K

&
Global Built Environment Review (GBER)

Based on the current demand for sustainable design professionals and the future need for environmentally sustainable education in Pakistan & UK, a collaborative post-graduate program; Masters of Architecture in “Sustainable Design” is proposed. Sustainable Design Program, Faculty of Architecture, National College of Arts, Lahore, Pakistan and Edge Hill University, Lancashire, UK has agreed to establish and design this program jointly. Higher Education Commission Pakistan and British Council Pakistan are promoting this program under Joint Higher Education Links Program (JHELP). The goal of the program is to educate students in the area of Sustainable Architecture Design with an innovative program that is truly unique. This initiative will lead to a master’s degree program starting in 2009.

As part of this initiative the first seminar is being organized at COMTECHSA, Liverpool to lay the foundation for the development of a truly unique curriculum for this Masters program.

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN “SBD08”

Seminar Secretariat UK
Ar. Dr. Tasleem Shakur (Link Coordinator & Program Director)
Dr. Linda Rush (Asst. Link Coordinator)
Ar Galib Khan (Community Architect; COMTECHSA)
Jamie Halsall (Global Built Environment Review)
Edge Hill University, Lancashire L39 4QP, United Kingdom
shakurt@edgehill.ac.uk; tasleemshakur@yahoo.co.uk ; www.edgehill.ac.uk

Seminar Secretariat Pakistan
Ar. Muhammad Ali Tirmizi (Link Coordinator & Program Director)
Ar. Syed Faisal Sajjad (Asst. Link Coordinator)
Ar. Prof. Fauzia Qureshi (Head; Dept. of Architecture; NCA)
Ar. Dr. Shakeel Qureshi (Associate Prof; Dept. of Architecture; NCA)
Sustainable Design Program; Faculty of Architecture;
National College of Arts, 4 The Mall, Lahore-54500; Pakistan
tirmizi@nca.edu.pk; tirmizi@aaschool.ac.uk; www.nca.edu.pk

MONU Magazine - Exotic Urbanism..Call for Submissions

2008-05-25T15:03:00.004-04:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR MONU

magazine on urbanism #9 -

EXOTIC URBANISM

Ever since our cities became areas of continuous interaction and ever-expanding exchange the term “exotic” - understood as counterpart to the “local”, the “native” or even the “authentic” - has become a rather vague term. Who – in actual fact - is still able to distinguish between the one and the other, between the exotic and the local? Who would be interested anyway? Yet, once again, there seems to be an increasing fascination with, and interest in, importing and seeing certain urban elements from other parts of the world in our own cities. There are, apparently, more Japanese people visiting the fake Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas than the original in Paris. What makes this displacement so interesting today?

The fascination with the “exotic” and its appearance in our cities has a long history, although at first merely going in one direction: from the “West” to the “East”. Interest in the exotic by the Western World was first stimulated by trade with the Eastern World back in the 16th century. But right from the start there has always been this intriguing contradiction in the term “exotic” as being on the one hand associated with fantasies of opulence and barbaric splendour, yet on the other hand considered as integer, uncorrupted and tasteful. The charm of the unfamiliar with its thrill of menace hasn’t lost its attraction even today and has been turned into a global phenomenon that can no longer be discussed within the narrow-minded Orient – Occident dialectic. These days, all kinds of foreign urban elements evoke the atmosphere of far-off lands all over the world. A finish sauna can be as exotic in Sao Paulo as Islamic ornamental motifs on a building in New York City.

MONU#9 investigates what the term exotic actually means for our cities and how exotic urban elements appear, what they look like, and how they may influence our cities. In any case, exotic urban features appear more and more as an inexhaustible source for progressive urban design ideas. When the exotic influenced the appearance of the “Art Nouveau” at the end of the 19th century, it might today have the power to create an “Urban Nouveau”.

We invite daring concepts, mind-stretching speculations and ground-breaking new strategies about the topic “Exotic Urbanism” for our next issue of MONU. Submissions may be essays, photography, art projects or design concepts that trigger the term “exotic” in the urban context. MONU #9 will be published in the summer of 2008. Submissions or questions should be sent to info@monu-magazine.com by the end of June 2008. www.monu-magazine.com

The Evolving Arab City (2008), Yasser Elsheshtawy-Editor

2008-04-24T20:28:00.005-04:00

The Evolving Arab City
Tradition, Modernity and Urban Development

Edited by Yasser Elsheshtawy, UAE University, Al Ain

Part of the Planning, History and Environment Series

Routledge
Taylor and Francis Group
United Kingdom

book.orders@routledge.co.uk

www.routledge.com/builtenvironment
May 2008:
Hb: 978-0-415-41156-1

Contents
1. The Great Divide: Struggling and Emerging Cities of the Arab World, Yasser Elsheshtawy. 2. The New Arab Metropolis, Fuad K. Malkawi. 3. Amman: Disguised Genealogy and Recent Urban Restructuring and Neoliberal Threats, Rami Farouk Daher. 4. From Regional Node to Backwater and Back to Uncertainty: Beirut, 1943–2006, Sofia T. Shwayri. Rabat: From Capital to Global Metropolis, Jamila Bargach. 6. Riyadh: A City of ‘Institutional’ Architecture, Mashary A. Al-Naim. 7. Kuwait: Learning from a Globalized City, Yasser Mahgoub. 8. Manama: The Metamorphosis of a Gulf City, Mustapha Ben Hamouche. 9. Rediscovering the Island: Doha’s Urbanity from Pearls to Spectacle, Khaled Adham. 10. Cities of Sand and Fog: Abu Dhabi’s Arrival on the Global Scene, Yasser Elsheshtawy
----------------------------------------------------------------

This outstanding collection, written by sophisticated and engaged Arab architects/urbanists, is a stunning sequel to Planning Middle Eastern Cities (2004). Like its predecessor, it does three things: effectively demolishes the monopoly ‘orientalists’ had over the topic; integrates grounded Arab scholarship with mainstream ‘Western’ critical urban theory; and, by detailing the diverse ways Arab cities are responding to globalization, challenges oversimplified debates on ‘The Global City’.

Studies of Arab/Islamic cities used to be the province of ‘outsiders’ who not only prematurely generalized to a genre, but to one encapsulated in timelessness. In contrast, the case studies included in the earlier volume (Dubai, Sana’a, Baghdad, Algiers, Tunis, and Cairo), now supplemented in this volume by studies on three older cities (Amman, Beirut, and Rabat) and five newer oil cities (Riyadh, Kuwait City, Manama, Doha and Abu-Dhabi), focus, often critically, on the cities’ rapid transformations.

Each case study traces the city’s colonial and post-colonial history, the evolution of its distinctive social and physical structures, and its intersection with the region and the world. Particular attention is paid, inter alia, to the effects of recent wars, migration patterns, petroleum prices, and the increased role of ‘rulers’ in city planning and real- estate investment both within and between Arab countries. Each case study traces the increased interaction between multinational firms and local developers as they strategize and compete to elevate themselves to global city status. Neoliberalism and State-sponsored advanced capitalism are all implicated in the painful task of balancing identity and post-modernity.

A must read!

Janet Abu-Lughod, Professor Emerita, Northwestern University and The Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research
-----------------------------------

Coverage of Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, by Ashraf M. Salama and Nicholas Wilkinson (editors).. Online and Printed

2008-04-11T23:55:00.007-04:00

DESIGN STUDIO PEDAGOGY: Horizons for the Future

Ashraf M. Salama & Nicholas Wilkinson (editors).

2007
ISBN: 1-872811-09-04
The Urban International Press
P.O. Box 74 Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE9 5UZ
United Kingdom

Visit http://www.openhouse-int.com/

Contact:
Carol Nicholson carol.nicholson@ribaenterprises.com
Carol Punton openh@hotmail.co.uk

Excerpts from the Introduction by Ashraf M. Salama and Nicholas WilkinsonTitled: Legacies for the Future of Design Studio Pedagogy

"………Contemporary societies are in a continuous process of transformations and learning systems should respond to the changes associated with these transformations. Design and built environment professions are no exception and thus corresponding changes in education are crucially needed. There are continuous attempts to massage and modify design studio teaching practices, to re-configure the structure of studio content, and the way in which knowledge is delivered and experienced. However, consensus is lacking on the issue of what changes and developments in studio pedagogy will best meet the needs of design professions while supporting the aspirations of contemporary societies. In response, Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future presents thoughts, ideas, and experiments of educators of different generations, different academic backgrounds, who are teaching and conducting research in different cultural contexts. It simply probes future universal visions within which the needs of future shapers of the built environment can be conceptualized and the design pedagogy that satisfies those needs can be debated. Since education is the cornerstone of any design profession, since the 'approach to' and the 'content of' that education is the bedrock for creating responsive built environments, and since the design studio is the backbone of architectural education, it is imperative that design studio pedagogy needs to be encountered in its broadest sense. As well, it is essential to deal with the subject as a rich field of research whose knowledge base, content, methods, tools and techniques can be examined and questioned. …………

This book addresses academics, practitioners, graduate students, and those who make decisions about the educational system. It offers a web of experiences and thoughts while laying the foundation to debate aspects, rituals, and future visions of studio pedagogy and their impact on design professions. This is not all; its value lies in the fact that it does not only provide visions —from different parts of the world-- on the body of knowledge required for successful studio teaching, but introduces actual experiences that would help transform this knowledge into guiding practices. Such visions and experiences represent prospects for future design studio pedagogy articulated in a conscious endeavor toward the betterment of the built environment: Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future."

The following list represents online and printed coverage of Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future

Review by Michael Crosbie
Published in Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research, vol 1, issue 2, July 2007, pp.106-108 Under the title of "Assessing Architectural Education's Crown Jewel.
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10109

Review by Michael Crosbie
Published in Open House International, vol 32, issue 3, September 2007, pp.90-90

Review by Michael Crosbie
DESIGN RESEARCH NEWS Volume 13 Number 3 Mar 2008 ISSN 1473-3862, DRS-Digital Newsletter
http://www.designresearchsociety.org/
http://www.designophy.com/article.php?id=1670

Review by Nikos A. Salingaros
Intended for Publication in Open House International, vol 33, issue 1, March 2008

Review by Nikos A. Salingaros on Architecture and Urbanism (Coming Soon on Open Huse International), March/April 2008
http://architectureurbanism.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

Review and Critical Analysis by Halina Dunin-Woyseth
Published in Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research, vol 1, issue 3, November 2007, pp.194-206
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10279

Review by Julia W. Robinson
Published in Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research, vol 1, issue 3, November 2007, pp.207-208
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=10280

Review in Research-Design Connections, Fall 2007
http://www.researchdesignconnections.com/pub/06_04/book-reviews/544-1.html

Published Reviews in the Directory of Open Access Journals
http://www.doaj.org/doaj?func=searchArticles&q1=Pedagogy&f1=all&b1=and&q2=&f2=all&p=5

Announcement in Open House International Website
http://www.openhouse-int.com/

Announcement in IAPS Website: International Association for People-Environment Studies
http://www.iaps-association.org/
http://www.iaps-association.org/bulletin.html

Announcement in Archnet Digital Library's New Publications
http://www.archnet.org/calendar/item.jsp?calendar_id=53540

Announcement in Architecture -Urbanism
http://architectureurbanism.blogspot.com/2007/05/design-studio-pedagogy-horizons-for.html

Announcement in the Bulletin of IAPS
International Association for People-Environment Studies, Issue 32, Winter 2008-03-29

Announcement in World Architecture Community
http://www.worldarchitecture.org/news/?position=comments&up=306

http://www.worldarchitecture.org/theory-issues/?position=comments&codde=554&tipi=8&up=158&title=news%20on%20Architectural%20Education%20/%20Design%20Pedagogy

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future on Google Books
http://books.google.com.qa/books?id=dDTwLBmgG6AC&dq=%22design+studio+pedagogy+horizons+for+the+future%22&hl=en&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future in World Catalogue, WorldCat http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/170954770?tab=details#tabs

Ashraf Salama's Book Pages, Personal Website
http://www.arti-arch.org/Ashraf%20Salama-Books-Design%20Studio%20Pedagogy.htm
http://www.arti-arch.org/Ashraf%20Salama-Books-A%20Structured%20Content-A%20Rigorous%20Process.htm

Ruth Morrow's Page at the Art and Design Research Institute, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, UK.
http://www.adbe.ulster.ac.uk/staff/bios/view/morrow_r
http://www.arts.ulster.ac.uk/research/artdesign/a-m/Morrow/MorrowR.htm

Yasser Elsheshtawy's Personal Website and List of Publications Architecture-UAEU
http://www.sheshtawy.org/elsheshtawy.htm
http://sra.uaeu.ac.ae/english/html/publications/Faculty_Research/PDF/COE_Architecture_2007.pdf

Yaasser Mahgoub's Website – List of Writings and Publications
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/cameroon/84/index.html/
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/cameroon/84/index.html#research

Landscape Architecture News Page, University of Washington
http://www.caup.washington.edu/LARCH/Events/news.php

List of Publications (2007), Oslo School of Architecture, Norway
http://www.aho.no/Forskning/Forskningskat_2007_NN.pdf

A Daily Dose of Architecture, May 31, 2007
http://archidose.blogspot.com/2007/05/2-new-books.html

Architecture Lab BlogSpot, Aline Chanine, Lebanon, June 22, 2007
http://architecturelab.blogspot.com/2007/06/design-studio-pedagogy-horizons-for.html

Archiblog Articles, September 14, 2007
http://archiblog.info/en/2007/09/14

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, Library of Congress
http://catalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=1&ti=1,1&hd=0,0&SEQ=20080329064415&SC=Author&SA=Salama%2C%20Ashraf%20M%2E%20A%2E&PID=17972&SID=2

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, MIT Libraries
http://library.mit.edu/F?func=find-b&find_code=WTI&request=Design+Studio+Pedagogy

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, University of Cincinnati Libraries
http://uclid.uc.edu/search/X?(Design%20Studio%20pedagogy)&b=&l=&Da=&Db=&m=&s=&v=&c=&SORT=D&searchscope=39

Design Studio Pedagogy: Horizons for the Future, Texas Tech University Libraries
http://lib2.tosm.ttu.edu/F/QTRPTTQI628E5L4GUUA17HJJ3MFK4CGLI352FJRTACGP31APGY-18063?func=full-set-set&set_number=067138&set_entry=000001&format=999 http://lib2.tosm.ttu.edu/F/QTRPTTQI628E5L4GUUA17HJJ3MFK4CGLI352FJRTACGP31APGY-18016?func=find-b&request=Design+Studio+Pedagogy&find_code=WRD&filter_code_1=WLN&filter_request_1=&filter_code_2=WYR&filter_request_2=&filter_code_3=WYR&filter_request_3=&filter_code_4=WFM&filter_request_4=&filter_code_5=WSL&filter_request_5=&x=0&y=0

Archnet-IJAR, Special Issue on Traditional Spas / Hammams in the Mediterranean: Rediscovering a Forgotten Heritage

2008-04-01T17:47:00.006-04:00

Special Issue Announcement

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research
Academic Peer Reviewed/Double Refereed Journal published on the World Wide Web three times a year

http://www.archnet-ijar.org

http:// archnet.org/gws/IJAR/
http://archnet.org/library/documents/collection.jsp?collection_id=1543

Traditional Spas / Hammams in the Mediterranean:

Rediscovering a Forgotten Heritage

A Special Issue- November 2008
Guest Editor Dr. Magda Sibley
School of Architecture - The University of Liverpool- UK

Based on a selection of papers presented at the International Conference to be held in Damascus under the title

The Traditional Hammam, a Gift from the Past for the Future
Damascus, Syria, July 13 – 16, 2008

Organised by the IFPO Institut Français du Proche-Orient and OIKODROM - The Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability

This conference is the final dissemination meeting of the multi-disciplinary research consortium (12 institutions from both Europe and the Mediterranean countries) that has been working together for the last three yeas (since September 2005) on the HAMMAM project. The project was initiated and scientifically co-ordinated by Oikodrom, the Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability; supported and financed by the European Commission’s 6th Framework Program Specific Targeted Research Projects Contract No.: 517704 under the name:

HAMMAM, Aspects and Multidisciplinary Methods of Analysis for the Mediterranean Region

The Islamic bath house Hammam is a central place of cultural heritage in the Mediterranean cities. Traditionally, the Hammam is a place of complex urban and societal relations with various functions: a support for health care and hygiene, a meeting place for merchants, one of the rare meeting places for women in the Islamic context, a place for relaxation and leisure, a place for confidential political discussions and a place for artistic and ceremonial activities. The Hammam also forms an important heritage building with a rich architecture and valuable lessons in environmental design. However, it has been neglected for a long time as studies on this building type have been rare and very few examples of restored and re-used historic Hammams exist today. In most Mediterranean cities, these historic buildings are on the way of disappearing, as many of them have been either demolished or totally ignored and forgotten. With the disappearance of them, Islamic cities are about to loose a major feature of their cultural heritage with detrimental consequences on the local urban, societal and architectural qualities.

Field work has been carried out over the last two years on seven case study hammams in six different Mediterranean cities (Cairo, Damascus, Fez, Constantine, Ankara and Gaza). Multi-disciplinary teams in collaboration with local stakeholders have worked together in the location of each case study building in order to increase national and international awareness about the importance of this heritage building and develop future scenarios for its the safeguard and its sustainable re-use.
See www.hammams.org
http://hammams.info
http://www.liv.ac.uk/lsa/research_new/hammams/index.htm

Underlying the Hammams/ Traditional Spas Theme, the papers in this special issue of Archnet-IJAR will focus on the following topics

• Architectural typologies and urban morphologies across the Mediterranean Region
• Vernacular architecture and construction and challenges for conservation and restoration
• Thermal performance and Lessons of Environmental Sustainability
• Socio-culture and the Intangible Heritage
• Economy and Management
• Future scenarios for the sustainable re-use of historic Hammam buildings

Other topics will also be considered.

Authors outside the HAMMAM consortium are also invited to submit papers for this special issue. Please e-mail an abstract to Dr Magda Sibley- msibley@liv.ac.uk no later than 30th of June 2008. Deadlines for receiving full papers to be refereed and considered for publication in Archnet-IJAR, Vol 2, Issue 3, November 2008 is September 1, 2008

Archnet-IJAR is published and archived by ARCHNET, the most comprehensive online community for architects, planners, urban designers, interior designers, landscape architects, and scholars working in these fields, developed at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning in close cooperation with, and with the full support of The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network.

...Chief Editor: Ashraf Salama, Advisory Board: Attilio Petruccioli; Besim Hakim; Hashim Sarkis; Henry Sanoff; Jamel Akbar; Mohamad Al-Asad; Michael Crosbie; Nasser Rabbat; Nicholas Wilkinson; Nikos Salingaros; Peter Rowe; Suha Ozkan; William Mitchell, Editorial-Scientific Board: Akhtar Chauhan; Aleya Abel-Hadi; Ali Cengizkan; Amer Moustafa; Anne Beamish; Budi Sukada; Dalila Al-Kerdani; Donatella Mazzoleni; Eman El-Nachar; Fuad Mallick; Hulya Turgut; Ihab Elzeyadi; M. Alaa Mandour; Malika Bose; Magda Sibley; Mashary Al-Naim; Peter Kellett; Rabee Reffat; Yasser El-Shehstawy; Yasser Mahgoub.
____________________________

After One Year.. Archnet-IJAR: Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2008

2008-03-25T10:34:00.014-04:00

Archnet-IJAR:
International Journal of Architectural Research After One year

Archnet-IJAR
Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2008

ArchNet-IJAR, the new online journal of architecture and urbanism, begins its second year on ArchNet with the publication of its first 2008 issue. The past year's efforts have been very successful; IJAR now boasts both a high readership and contributions from distinguished scholars and educators in the field.

In this first issue of 2008, several giants in architecture and human-environment interaction, joined by younger scholars, offer their thoughts and research. This multiplicity of views opens the way to a lively, complex debate on the built environment.

All issues of IJAR may be downloaded here from the Digital Library on ArchNet, or accessed via the IJAR Group Workspace.

Content of Archnet-IJAR Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2008

Editorial: Excellence in Architectural and Urban Research-PP.07/15.
Ashraf M. Salama

Some Further Thoughts on Culture and Environment-PP. 16/39.
Amos Rapoport

Architecture between the Culture-Nature Dualism: A Case Study of Geoffrey Bawa’s Kandalama Hotel-PP. 40/56.
Ceridwen Owen

Multiple Views of Participatory Design-PP.57/69.
Henry Sanoff

Rethinking Residential Mobility: An Interdisciplinary Interpretation- PP.70/83.
Roderick J. Lawrence

Assessing Building Performance: Its Evolution from Post-Occupancy Evaluation-PP. 84/99
Wolfgang F. E. Preiser and Jack L. Nasar

A Theory for Integrating Knowledge in Architectural Design Education PP. 100/128.
Ashraf M. Salama

Intelligence-Based Design:A Sustainable Foundation for Worldwide Architectural Education-PP.129/188.
Nikos A. Salingaros and Kenneth G. Masden II

An An Architecture for Autism: Concepts of Design Intervention for the Autistic User-PP.189/211.
Magda Mostafa

Quantitative (GIS) and Qualitative (BPE) Assessments of Library Performance-PP. 212/231.
Wolfgang F.E. Preiser and Xinhao Wang

The Impact of War on the Meaning of Architecture in Kuwait-PP. 232/246.
Yasser Mahgoub

Proportions and Human Scale in Damascene Courtyard Houses-PP. 247/263.
M. Salim Ferwati and M. Alaa Mandour

Book Reviews: Selected Scandinavian Contributions to Contemporary Architectural Discourse-PP. 264/269.
Ashraf M. Salama

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Interested scholars, researchers, practitioners, and graduate students of architecture may contact the chief editor of IJAR, Ashraf Salama, at ijar@mit.edu.

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World Architecture Community: Press Release

2008-03-22T10:53:00.002-04:00

PRESS RELEASE
March 2008 http://www.worldarchitecture.org

Invitation to all architects of the world:
Contribute in the making of the future of architectural thought

FRANÇAIS ESPAÑOL РУССКИЙ ITALIANO

World Architecture Community, launched on March 1, with 200 honorary members including Hans Hollein, Mario Botta, Arata Isozaki, and Fumihiko Maki, is probably the first interactive database created to provide an opportunity for all local practices to become internationally recognized. Unique features of this portal enable all members to contribute in the making of the future of architectural thought by submitting, discussing, editing, rating, sharing their work.

While there are many channels that promote architecture, WA will probably be the first interactive database created to provide an opportunity for all local practices to present their work to the international audience and become internationally recognized.

It is evident that content capacity in printed media is very limited that only a few can access. Appearing in international or even local media is highly competitive and requires grand projects; therefore local practices rarely have the chance to be criticized and the agenda of architecture concentrates on a few names. On the other hand, there are many young, talented architects, passionately designing buildings in the different parts of the world. Unfortunately, as they cannot appear on the media, they are solely criticized by their customers. -Impetus for creativity, however, is criticism. WA realizes the dream of local practices to be discussed by prominent scholars and academicians from different countries via the platform offered by the internet . Architects and scholars from ALL countries of the world are invited to submit their buildings and writings freely. The aim of WA is to highlight the different quests of local practices in the global agenda and initiate a new definition for architectural media. WA Community Portal also aims to present the work of all contemporary masters of architecture in a concise form eventually with their support of the educational premises of the project.

Another unique feature of the portal is that Issue Pages can be created by all members as a collaborative effort to create connections across the individual resources on the internet. For instance, an architect being inspired from local culture, can create an issue page to define his theoretical discourse that has guided his design, and relate his buildings to this issue page so that theory and practice in architecture can -come together within the same context. This independent global forum and extensive database will be also a big occasion for theorists. They will be able to -access examples, works, and efforts from most diverse regions and cultures of the world and will have the chance to get in touch with practice at a global scale.

All members will be able to submit links, articles, projects (even unrealized or projects under construction can be submitted) to this completely free international portal. Contributions from all members will have equitable chances to be represented, promoted, reviewed and criticized at this international arena.

You can read more about the story and philosophy of WA here

WHAT DID HONORARY MEMBERS SAY ABOUT WA?The WA Community initiative has over 150 Honorary Members who have accepted the invitation to collaborate. Complete list of Honorary Members include important architects and scholars like Joseph Rykwert, Eric Owen Moss, Bart Prince, Fumihiko Maki, Udo Kultermann, Dennis Sharp, Farshid Moussavi, William Lim, Hans Hollein, Michael Sorkin, Arata Isozaki, Mario Botta, Kenneth Yeang, and Renata Holod among many others...

For the complete list of Honorary Members click Honorary Members

"The potential of this forum could be enormous, and your concept has that hallmark of all truly great ideas, which is to say something that seems so brilliantly simple that only after it becomes a reality does one wonder how it could not have always existed? There is so much good that can be done if certain ideas in our field of experience could only be shared more easily, and though the technology to do this has been available for quite some time now, it clearly has not been used to anything approaching its full potential, which your initiative promises to expand." Martin Filler, Editor, House&Garden, USA.

For more comments please follow the link What Did Honorary Members Say About WA?
www.worldarchitecture.org

Submit, discuss, post, edit, revise, update, share, comment, rate, vote, evaluate, relate,review… To enrich architectural thought by multicultural diversity!info@worldarchitecture.org

Algorithmic Sustainable Design: An Important Series of Lectures by Nikos A. Salingaros

2008-03-08T22:54:00.004-05:00

"Algorithmic Sustainable Design: The Future of Architectural Theory"
A series of 12 Lectures by Nikos A. Salingaros

This lectures series involves
Application of cutting-edge mathematical techniques to architectural design. Fractals and algorithmic processes. Cellular automata that generate the Sierpinski carpet. Harmony-seeking computations. Generative codes, and their difference from static New Urbanist codes.

Below are the list of topics.
To download the lectures as video files or as slides, click here:
http://www.math.utsa.edu/~salingar/algorithmic.html

1. Recursion and the Fibonacci sequence. Universal scaling. Biophilia.
2. Geometric Recursion and Fractals. The Sierpinski gasket. Perforation, bending, and folding. Anti-gravity anxiety. Architecture of the horizontal.
3. Universal distribution of sizes. Fractal design, ornament, and biophilia. Sustainable systems.
4. Cellular automata. Sierpinski carpets and sea-shells. Design in hyperspace and connection to the sacred.
5. Harmony-seeking computations. Architectural harmony. Alexander’s theory of centers. Design as computation. Computational reducibility.
6. Alexander's 15 Fundamental Properties. Three laws of architecture.
7. Biologically-inspired computation. Genetic algorithms. Computation versus memory retrieval. Evolutionary regression.
8. Emergent systems. Examples from Artificial Life. Inhuman experiments. Architectural education.
9. Symmetry production. Symmetry breaking. Classical moldings. Binding energy.
10. Generative codes and their application to building and urban morphology.
11. DPZ New Urbanist codes and the Transect.
12. Implementation of generative codes in design.

World Architecture Community

2008-03-08T10:56:00.004-05:00

INVITATION TO COLLABORATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD ARCHITECTURE COMMUNITY
www.worldarchitecture.org

Have you ever imagined an opportunity where all architects in the world could submit the images of their recent buildings to the same database where you can also write articles referring to thousands of architectural images available, and develop your ideas further with the comments of an interested community? The World Architecture Community web portal tries to define such a context.

The World Architecture Community Portal provides an opportunity for all local practices to become internationally recognized and discussed by prominent scholars from different countries. The WA Portal is an independent global forum and extensive database where architects and scholars from ALL countries of the world are invited to submit their buildings and writings freely. Contributions from all members will have equitable chances to be represented, promoted, reviewed and criticized at this international arena.WA Community Portal also aims to present the work of all contemporary masters of architecture in a concise form eventually with their support of the educational premises of the project.

Create and Maintain Your Personal Architect Page @WA
Just register and fill in the blanks of the template at your User Page. It will be extremely easy to edit your “Architect Page” and fun to read the discussions about your buildings if they excite any. One of our editors may even write an article about one of them. Occasionally updating your “Building Pages” will keep them higher on the agenda of the WA community.

Make Your Articles Available On-Line@WA
You can submit all your articles to the WA database for wider readership, recognition and impact. And please do so for the WA community to share, discuss and develop your ideas.

Linking to Articles that are On-Line Elsewhere
If your articles are already published on-line at another website and you cannot post them at WA due to copyright reasons, you can simply submit the respective link after creating one or more Issue Pages concentrating on the topics you think the discussion in your article relates to. Please browse present Issue Pages to find out already established topics and connections. It may even be the case

Advantages of the Issue Pages
We have developed a unique feature for the discussion of most diverse issues by cross-referencing among “related issues” that can be introduced and developed by voluntary members who will eventually become Issue Editors. This extensive “Thesaurus of Ideas” will easily guide the reader to your articles either in our database or elsewhere on-line.

Architects for Peace: Committed Humanitarian Efforts

2008-02-28T16:25:00.005-05:00

architectsforpeace http://www.architectsforpeace.org/ is a humanitarian, not for profit professional organisation for architects, urban designers, engineers, planners, landscape architects and environmentalists, seeking urban development based on social justice, solidarity, respect and peace.

The site of "Architects for Peace" includes editorials, articles, and discussions on critical issues of concern to the worldwide community of architects, planners, and design professionals.

Check some of these articles/editorials:

Just Sustainability
by Ceridwen Owen
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2007/03/editorial-march-2007.html

The New Town Centre and the New Main Street
by Anthony McInneny
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-town-centre-and-new-main-street.html

Developed – Developing: Dialogical Integration in International Conferences
by Beatriz C. Maturana
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2008/01/developed-developing-dialogical.html

What's War/Peace - Construction/Destruction got to do with Architecture?
by Ashraf M. Salama
http://archpeace2.blogspot.com/2008/02/whats-warpeace-constructiondestruction.html

Discussing Transdisciplinarity: Making Professions and the New Mode of Knowledge Production

2008-02-20T11:51:00.009-05:00

Discussing Transdisciplinarity: Making Professions and the New Mode of Knowledge Production

The Nordic Reader

A Publication of the Oslo School of Architecture, Norway (2004)

ISSN 0804-0729

Edited by

Halina Dunin-Woyseth and Liv Merete Nielsen

An Important publication that places knowledge produced within design professions in focus.

Contents include the following topics:
- The Potential of Transdisciplinarity
- The Concept of Technical Knowledge
- Transdisciplinarity and Architectural Design
- On knowledge Production through the Practice of Architecture
- Approaches to Scientific Practice and Transdisciplinary Research
- Transdisciplinarity—Progressive Science and Mob Rules?

AFTER AMNESIA: Learning from the Islamic Mediterranean Urban Fabric, by Attilio Petruccioli

2008-01-11T07:08:00.000-05:00

AFTER AMNESIA:
Learning from the Islamic Mediterranean Urban Fabric

Attilio Petruccioli
2007

ICAR - Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture
Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy

ISBN 88-95006-03-8

Short Notes on After Amnesia by Ashraf M. Salama
The new book "After Amnesia: Learning from the Islamic Mediterranean Urban Fabric, 2007" by Attilio Petruccioli comes after marvelous efforts he has undertaken in articulating the need for understanding the city, its structure, fabric, and the essence behind the physical manifestation of the Islamic/Mediterranean Urbanism. Through this and previous publications, professor Petruccioli is a well known authority in architecture and urbanism in countries with Muslim traditions. His three decades of experience on this subject are clearly reflected in this book.

The book is constituted in beautifully illustrated four chapters, each of which addresses a specific aspect of the the physical realities of the Islamic city. The first chapter introduces issues that pertain to the dialectic relationship between buildings, cities, and civilizations and highlights the typological processes involved. The second chapter involves a typological analysis of the Islamic houses which formed the structure of many cities including Fez, Mostar, Aleppo, and Algiers--among others. Chapter 3 addresses the physical aspects of the building tissue in the Islamic city and the dialectic relations between the building tissue and the larger contextual fabric. In chapter 4, the city is analytically described as an urban organism; it also involves methods of interpretation while at the same time concluding with the fact that Islamic cities have unique character, especially in terms of its spontaneity and intentionality. Such a composition of the book makes a must read book

In my position as architect and professor of architecture, I can confidently argue that there is a severe lack of serious Arabic publications and Arabic reference materials. This is evident if one would search any public or academic library or navigate the World Wide Web. While there have been some writings or reports on the urban environments of the Islamic cities, they are scattered, difficult to have access to, or are published in obscure locations or in low quality publications. In essence, this manifests the urgent need to develop and secure the necessary funds to translate and publish this book into Arabic. A logical reason is that the book is of high value to the academic and professional community in architecture, planning, and built environment studies. Such a community is exemplified by practicing architects, planners, landscape architecture and those who are working in these fields in the academy and their students. Therefore, it serves the interests of a wide spectrum of reader types.

Looking around in most Islamic cities in the Mediterranean basin, one can find that while architects manage individual buildings well enough, the overall urban environment in those cities is increasingly mismanaged. The reason is that many architects are lacking the fundamental understanding of the city and its evolution, how it was, it situation in the preset, and how it should position itself in the future. Therefore, this book if translated into Arabic those who make decisions about Islamic cities including current and future generations of architects and planners would have an easy access in Arabic to the fundamentals of development in those cities. This is not all, it will facilitate decision making based on understanding the evolutionary aspects of the Islamic city and its traditional fabric. Truly, this book is a conscious endeavor that deserves special attention by translating it into Arabic in order to have the full potential benefit to a larger segment of professionals, academics, and students in the Arab World.

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The Author:
Attilio Petruccioli is Professor of Landscape Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Bari. He was the Aga Khan Professor for Design in Islamic Societies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT (1994-1998). He has published several works on Islamic architecture and urbanism and on architecture in developing countries and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre.

Attilio Petruccioli: New Book on Fathpur Sikri

2008-01-05T00:54:00.000-05:00

Attilio Petruccioli
PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Christian Richters
SERIES: Architettura e architetti classici
PUBLISHER: Electa
PAGES: 400
ILLUSTRATIONS: 500
YEAR PUBLISHED: 2007
RELEASE DATE: November

“Because of its political and religious significance, Fatehpur Sikri speaks to the heart of the people of India. At this moment in time, when a centrifugal tendency towards religious and regional particularism is dominant in the country, I think we are duty-bound to offer this evidence”.

Author Attilio Petruccioli thus prefaces the new Electa monograph on the imperial city of Fatehpur Sikri. The city, whose construction was started in 1571 by emperor Akbar, was to be the new capital of the Mogul Empire.

Over the centuries, several cultures have left their traces here, enveloping Fatehpur Sikri in a veil of mystery and lending it a particular charm that has never ceased to attract researchers and archaeologists, as well as the common traveller. However, despite the juxtaposition of elements from different cultures, the entire structure of Fatehpur Sikri can be said to have been designed and built by Akbar, the emperor-architect who is the protagonist of the book.

Unlike many Indian monuments, the architecture of Akbar’s palace in Fatehpur Sikri displays a striking combination of elements belonging to different styles, as here for the first time a sophisticated intellectual design is combined with a consolidated popular tradition.

Fatehpur Sikri was constructed in record time, in only fourteen years, between 1571 and 1585. Built by emperor Akbar in honour of Salim Chisti, the famous Sufi saint, it was the capital of the Mogul Empire for slightly more than a decade. It is an extraordinary example of a walled city, entirely built in red sandstone, and includes examples of Hindu and Islamic architecture. The wealth of details and grandeur are particularly impressive in the mosque, the imperial palace, the doors to the city, and the broad public squares.

The author traces the history of Fatehpur Sikri, analysing the architects’ sophisticated planning techniques, based on a natural capacity for joining various architectural elements, a refined sense of geometry, and a great talent in organising work at the construction site. An array of architectural and topographical survey reports and new exclusive photographs gives readers a close-up view of the uniqueness of the red city, which has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.

The Author:

Attilio Petruccioli is Professor of Landscape Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Bari. He was the Aga Khan Professor for Design in Islamic Societies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology-MIT (1994-1998). He has published several works on Islamic architecture and urbanism and on architecture in developing countries and is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Islamic Environmental Design Research Centre.

For information Ufficio stampa libri Electa

Tel 02 21563456/441 Fax 02 21563314

brognoli@mondadori.it www.electaweb.com

SMART HOMES & USER VALUES, Greger Sandström and Ulf Keijer (editors)

2007-12-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

SMART HOMES & USER VALUES

Ulf Keijer and Greger Sandström (editors)
School of Architecture, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Urban International Press
Gateshead, United Kingdom

ISBN: 1- 872811- 08 - 6

This book discourses upon Smart homes and User values. Its aim is to contribute to bridging the gap between technology and user values in the home setting. Most smart home projects address technology development, albeit often with some application of the technology in mind. In the book the other view is taken, starting with the users' experiences and bringing it back to technology, organization and service delivery. Evaluations of smart homes in use are presented. User perspectives on, i.e. ordinary residential living, assistive living and digital services are covered. Presented results indicate how society, the real estate industry and the individual residents may benefit; and the prerequisites for it. The book contains evaluations of smart homes in Europe, Asia and North America. The book constitutes the state-of-the-art in the field, indispensable for the construction and the real estate industry, developers of systems and technology, other professionals in the field, institutions, students and everyone interested in new technology for homes and everyday life.

DETAILS
Book Title: SMART HOMES AND USER VALUES (first published September 2007)
Publisher: Urban International Press
ISBN: 1- 872811- 08 - 6
Pages: 191, soft cover, dimensions 22cms x 20 cms with illustrations and tables/graphs.

Order address: openh@hotmail.co.uk (for invoice Carol Punton)
For a free read and making orders, visit http://www.openhouse-int.com/