SA&D launches Al Qasba lecture series

The School of Architecture and Design (SA&D) has collaborated with Qanat Al Qasba Authority in Sharjah to present the Excellence in Architecture and Design Lecture Series. According to Dr. Amer Moustafa, SA&D Director of Graduate Studies, Scholarship and Outreach.

The series began in September with the exhibition “Explorations in House Design,” which featured innovative and award-winning home designs by AUS faculty and alumni. In conjunction with theexhibition, the featured designers presented a series of lectures. SA&D Associate Dean Kevin Mitchell delivered the lecture “House Rules,” and Assistant Professor of Architecture George Katodrytis and SA&D adjunct instructor Khalid Al Najjar spoke on the idea of “Homecoming.” SA&D alumni Ahmad Ebrahim and Farid Esmael spoke on “Ismailʼs Villa: An Investigation of a Contemporary Arabic House,” while Omran Al-Owais and Atif Khawaja talked about their office design of villa “J6” in Jumeirah.

A special Ramadan program featured presentations by three SA&D faculty members at Qanat Al Qasba. Dr. Nadia AlHasani, Professor of Architecture and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, delivered the lecture “The Built Fabric of Al-Andalus: Delicate Strength, Bold Fragility”. Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar, Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering, presented his film “Design Guidelines for Ablution Spaces in Mosques and Islamic Praying Facilities.” Dr. Samia Rab, Associate Professor of Architecture and Heritage Management and Chair of the Department of Architecture, spoke on “Rehabilitating Historic Cities in the Islamic World: Lahore, Cairo and Sharjah.”