Universita di Venezia, Scuola di Dottorato, Venice, Italy

Tropical Toolbox. Fry and Drew and the search for an African modernity
by Jacopo Galli
Tra Mediterraneo e Sahara.
André Ravéreau e la valle del M’Zab by Daniela Ruggeri

Introduction
Fernanda De Maio Università Iuav di Venezia

Discussants
Salma Samar Damluji American University of Beirut
Laurent Hodebert ENSA Marseille
Patrizia Montini Università Iuav di Venezia, AFRO-LAB
Ola Uduku Manchester School of Architecture

Salma Samar Damluji in conversation with Rob Wilson

Contents: Manifesto, Cabinet of Science & Fragments of the World
“…a “manifesto” in the form of an exhibition, the fruits of collective work with the architects of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture…”

Architects in discussion:

- Alborde,
- Carin Smuts,
- Stefan Behnisch,
- Salma Samar Damluji,
- Anne Feenstra,
- Thomas Herzog,
- Patrick Bouchain,
- Francis Kéré,
- Kevin Low,
- Giancarlo Mazzanti,
- Rintala Eggerston,
- Rural Studio,
- Philippe Samyn,
- Studio Mumbai,
- Tyin Tegnestue,
- Vatnavitnir,
- Troppo / Parc Kakadu,
- Wang Shu / Hangzhou University,
- Francis Kéré / Gando,
- Construire / Atelier électrique,
- Rural Studio / Auburn City,
- Studio Mumbaï / Alibaug

In September 2013 a call for projects in public interest design was made, projects were submitted and the winners were announced in December. The winners will be present at a public convening on April 18 + 19, 2014 in Paris, France at Ecole Spécial d’Architecture. The international gathering will provide participants from a wide range of international expertise – architects, agronomists, conservation ecologists, business, economists, public health officials, members of government – with a chance to study how design can add value and momentum as communities tackle myriad problems. See winners and update.

École de Chaillot (see attached brochure) has different training for architects both from public and private sectors to specialize in conservation and the development of architectural, urban and landscape heritage. Students become Architectes du patrimoine, Architectes des batiments de France or Architectes en chef des monuments historiques.

It is a tradition to invite each year an architect to give an "inaugural lesson" to explain how he (she) considers history and heritage in his (her) work. This event, which takes place in the auditorium of the Cité, is open also to a wider public (about 250 persons), architects, urban planners, civil servants, clients, students, etc. The 1h30min lecture is followed by an exchange with the audience.

Architects who gave this lecture in the last years, include Wang Shu, Bernard Desmoulin, Alexandre Chemetoff, Jean-Marie Duthilleul, Jean Nouvel, Pierre-Louis Faloci, Patrick Berger, Henri Gaudin and Yves Dauge. The ‘lesson’ is published with a video on the website, as in previous years.

This year Salma Samar Damluji has been invited to give this prestigious lecture. The focus is on
‘…why a contemporary architect decided at some point to choose conservation as a priority. The technical, economic and social experience on different scales make the architect a unique witness and actor in the field of heritage. Your worldwide experience certainly allows to compare different kinds of heritage in different cultures in terms of knowledge, training and in terms of local development. Your involvement, especially as a woman, in community capacity building through your worksites and through your Foundation is certainly a point from which we could learn a lot.’
Mireille Grubert, Directrice September 2013.

On Thursday 30 January 2014 Louisiana Museum of Modern Art will hold the private and press opening of Arab Contemporary – Architecture, culture and identity. Louisiana’s Director, Poul Erik Tøjner, will welcome the press, and curator Kjeld Kjeldsen will introduce the exhibition.
Daw‘an Architecture Foundation contributed in the development stages of the exhibition, with SS Damluji as consultant, photographer Roger Moukarzel with photos of Shibam and GOPHCY with surveys and documentation of Shibam houses.

“ … The exhibition spotlights among other things new cities such as Dubai, old Yemeni civilizations and new architectural projects that relate to the desert as ‘place’. It shows how studios like Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Paris, X-Architects, Dubai, and Henning Larsen Architects, Copenhagen, intervene in the region with new interpretations. A topical focal point for the exhibition is the relationship between private and public space, which in recent years has been undergoing constant transformation socially, politically and architecturally.”

“… Thus the mud-brick city Shibam, also called the Manhattan of the Desert, lies at the edge of the Yemeni desert. Shibam … is one of the finest examples of Arab desert architecture. The almost magical beauty of the city and its simple but impressive construction technology are today inspiring architects and urban planners all over the world, and thus can be experienced at the exhibition, with architects who work with the desert as context and with the Genius loci – the spirit of the place – as their guiding principle.”

Expert Meeting CER

Premise
“In 2013 the Prince Claus Fund celebrated CER’s (Cultural Emergency Response) 10th anniversary. Since 2003, when CER rehabilitated the University Library in Baghdad, CER has developed into an important programme of the Fund and a leading player in the field of cultural response. It implements an average of 40 cultural emergency actions per year all over the world. After ten years it’s time to reflect on what we are doing and where we are heading together with our implementing partners and counterparts working in the field of disaster preparedness and rescue of culture and heritage.”

Topic
“…Confronted with violent complex and fluid conflict situations, involving extremist groups, government armies, rebel groups, and possible foreign intervention, in air or on the ground, how can CER, through local partners operate and what can be its role and significance in such situations? In conflicts, cultural or religious heritage may be intentionally targeted for its significance for one or more population groups. What does it mean that foreign money supports the rescue of certain cultural heritage? These are questions we would want to address.”
Deborah Stolk, Programme Coordinator Cultural Emergency Response, Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development (September 2013).

Presentation
The subject of our presentation was on the work of the Foundation as CER partner, over the past 3 years of political conflict and turmoil, in order to highlight the context of operating in complex emergencies and ongoing conflict situations, experiences of working in Yemen, especially now, and what makes it possible to still continue our work. What are the conditions and assets we require to still go on? And to provide some insight on how a (lingering) conflict effects the possibilities and practicalities of safeguarding heritage in relation to (international) politics, economics, and ethnic tensions … SS Damluji

Daw‘an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation has been invited to renew its membership and attend the CGI Annual Meeting in 2014.

‘‘...what Canova holds most dear is that humble Continuation; the key to discovering the most exciting future solutions.’’
Ken Marquardt, President, Associazione Canova

Contributing Architects:
Salma Samar Damluji, London-UK/ Hadramut-Yemen
Minakshi Jain, Ahmedabad, India
Glenn Murcutt, Sydney, Australia
Eko Prawoto, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Daw‘an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation was invited to join the CGI as a member and attend the Annual Meeting in 2012. Chairman Abdullah Bugshan will represent the Daw‘an Architecture Foundation at the Annual Meeting. Salma Samar Damluji is invited to participate and speak on the CGI PLENARY SESSION: Designing Inclusive Built Environments, on Monday 24 September.

‘‘We are very glad that Daw’an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation is a member of the CGI community.’’
(Julia Rosenbaum, Account Executive Clinton Global Initiative)

‘CGI was created by President Clinton in 2005 in an effort to translate ideas into action. Our Annual Meeting brings together heads of state, government and business leaders, scholars, and NGO directors. Participants analyze pressing global challenges, discuss the most effective solutions, and build lasting partnerships that enable them to create positive social change.’

Women and the Built Environment: Designing for Opportunity
Session Description

Moderator:
Nicholas D. Kristof
Columnist, The New York Times

Participants:
Joan Clos
Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT
Salma Samar Damluji
Chief Architect, Daw'an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation
Elizabeth Heider
Senior Vice President, Skanska USA Building Inc.; Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Green Building Council
Jonathan Reckford
Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity International

Design and Urban Planning Direly Needs Women’s Input, Says a CGI Panel

Can architecture and design help improve women’s rights?

Clinton Global Initiative: The Wrap
Photo Gallery

'Developed by the Museum of Architecture, Home is an exhibition that picks apart the very fabric of what makes up the home in the Arab world. The notion of home is explored through visual conception, materials and forms that reference traditional typologies and environmental contexts that are uniquely Arab.'

Daw'an Mud Brick Architecture Foundation represented Yemen. The exhibition touches on the theme of Al Bilad, the name given by Hadramis to their home, town and land. The installation is threefold:
A Film: 'Sundust' made from images shot in Shibam reflecting a sense of the living landscape; The Wall reconstructed to mirror the exterior and interior of the architecture, building and urban culture; The Story: 'A Celebration of Al Bilad' depicted in a wall of words annotated by drawings of the Sa'id Ba Surrah house.
Architecture is not only about buildings.

Special Thanks:
Abdullah Ahmad Said Bugshan, (Jeddah & Hadramut)
Photography: Julie Haddow (UK) & Roger Moukarzel (Beirut)

In Memory of Master Builder Karamah 'Ubayd of Tarim (d. 2011)

The conference was to provide a platform for discussion of the condition of historic and future cities, showcasing innovative and creative projects in construction and design drawn from Chile to India.

It was intended to create an important exchange between North and South, East and West, promoting a more serious understanding of the technology, design language and environmental characteristics of earth architecture, and its effective implementation. The fact that the conference was to take place in the heart of the kingdom of mud brick architecture, the valley of Hadramut, was of considerable significance in terms of highlighting this agenda.

Conference Themes

1. Architectural Rehabilitation and Development
2. Modern & Contemporary Buildings: Innovation, Construction and Design (Case Studies and Projects)
3. Yemeni Cities & Vernacular Architecture at Risk: Dilapidation, Destruction & Flood Hazard
4. Future Use of Restored Residential Clusters & Heritage Landmarks
5. Environmental Issues: Sustainable Planning Methods & Guidelines