Two Public Lectures by Prof. Alraouf, ISOCARP Board Member
Prof. Ali A. Alraouf, ISOCARP Board Member delivered two keynote speeches at Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland and UCL, London, UL respectively. In his first lecture during the Aalto University International conference, Prof Alraouf 13th Annual Symposium of Architectural Research 2021, 21-22 October 2021 at Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. His lectured titled: Diversity and Cultural Tapestry as A Catalyst for Creative architecture and Urbanism – The Case of Middle East and Gulf Cities. Prof. Alraouf emphasized the role of better space planning, urban design, and sustainable concepts in preparing Middle Eastern cities and Particularly gulf cities to the post carbon paradigm. He also stresses the need for a continues real efforts to predict, mitigate and better plan for the impact of climate change on the region’s urbanity.
At UCL, Bartlett School of architecture, Faculty of the Built Environment, Prof. Alraouf delivered a talk titled: Inclusive Spaces: Accelerating Islamophobia and emerging “Mosquephobia”. In this talk, Professor Ali Alraouf discussed the concept of Islamophobia and explain how it is related to inclusivity in the built environment, particularly in Mosques. He explained how creativity in a mosque’s design, alongside activities, openness, and its relation with the community and the urban context would lead to a better perception of Muslims and Islam. Architecture, in his proposed design conceptual proposal, can provide and enhance equity, celebrate diversity, and attain inclusivity. The session concluded with an analysis of selected case studies from the East and the West to highlight how a mosque can be transformed from a “ritual space” to “my place.”
The Success of MSHEIREB Workshop during the 57th WPC in Doha.
Prof. Alraouf conducted a full day workshop at the main location of the 57th WPC, Msheireb, heart of Doha. The workshop titled: The Urban Regeneration of Msheireb, Heart of Doha – The Holistic Narrative. The workshop was An Interactive in nature and included a Technical Site Tour. The workshop stated with a 45-minute lecture by prof. Alraouf contextualize the project as part of the city, the state, and the region. Then, a focus on the uniqueness of the project methodology was presented to the participants particularly the notion of composing the main planning and design guidelines, and the main principles of the adopted architectural language. The walking tour moved from the heritage “Museums” Quarter to the Mixed-use Zones and Metro Hub. Then, selected cases were presented to explore the notion of urban regeneration all in the form of Research-based Papers. The topics that were selected include Urban Regeneration using GIS-based methodology as an approach for the redevelopment of historic commercial city cores, Building on Tradition, The New Architectural Language of Qatar, and Transition to Sustainable Smart Energy. The workshop concluded by an Open Forum where debates, lessons learned, evaluation, shared experiences and conclusions were experienced. The workshop final assessment was a great success from its 45 participants who were appreciative to the ability to know about such a valuable project in the fabric of Doha city while attending the 57th WPC.