1. December
2017
Newsletter

2. The Committee
Members
The committee was elected to serve and would love to hear what you have to say
or what you would like it to address. Contact them on our social media platforms:
RIBA Gulf Chapter RIBA Gulf @RIBAGulf RIBA_Gulf
Sumaya Dabbagh Dubai, UAE Honorary Chair
Jonathan French Dubai, UAE Honorary Secretary
Andrew Mowat Dubai, UAE Honorary Treasurer
Mohamad Al-Dah Dubai UAE Member
May Al Hinai Oman Magazine and Media Editor
Dr. Hasim Altan Dubai, UAE Education Representative
Jonathan Ashmore Dubai, UAE Member
Mohammed El Arabi Dubai, UAE Social Media Coordinator
Kim Nielsen Dubai, UAE Events Planner
Mary Jane Rooney Dubai, UAE Education Representative
Vishal Sawlani Dubai, UAE Events Coordinator
Paolo Testolini Dubai, UAE Events Coordinator
Sarah Abdulla Bahrain Chapter Representative – Bahrain
Jasbir Bhamra Qatar Chapter Representative- Qatar
Amy Lam Jeddah, KSA Chapter Representative - Jeddah, KSA
Natalia Naber Castillo Jordan Chapter Representative-Jordan
Ian Purser Kuwait Chapter Representative – Kuwait
Rohan Thotabaduge Oman Chapter Representative – Oman

3. Chair’s Note 4
People One on One: Ralf Steinhauer 5
Projects Al Haramain High Speed RaiL, KSA 8
News Grimshaw Launches Office in Dubai 10
May Al Hinai Wins Best Architect 11
Become an RIBA Mentor in Dubai 12
Dubai Design Week: Aidah 13
AREA awards 2017 15
World Architecture Festival Awards 2017 16
Recent Design MENA Summit 2017 17
Events Mentoring Talk to students of Effat University 18
IStructE - RIBA Retrofit Debate 19
CPD Talk - Technal 20
RIBA Routes to Membership 21
The RIBA President’s Medals Gulf Tour Exhibition 22
RIBA Gulf at CItyScape Global 23
Rethinking Architecture in the Arabian Peninsula 24
Upcoming 25
Events
Contents

4. Dear Members,
I hope you will enjoy browsing
through this issue and the highlights
of our recent events.
The regions busiest event season has
meant many opportunities for the
RIBA Gulf Chapter to partner and be
visible in the various regions as you
will see in the extensive section on
events in this Newsletter.
The season had started in September,
with RIBA’s participation at Cityscape
Global in partnership with the
Department of International Trade.
There was a lot of interest generated
which prompted a talk that followed
soon after, in October, about Routes
to Membership by Alison Mackinder,
Professional Education Programmes
Director at the RIBA HQ.
Furthermore, behind the scenes, the
committee has been busy in the past
few months planning for 2018. We are
planning some exciting events, which
we will announce once the dates are
confirmed early in the new year. On
the educational front, we are keen
to encourage better engagement
between practicing architects and
students through a new Mentorship
Scheme we are about to launch. The
driving force behind this is Mary Jane
Rooney, the Head of Architecture
at Heriot Watt University, who has
first-hand experience of setting up
a similar scheme. We are delighted
that she is sharing her experience
with us here and implementing the
scheme as a pilot for the Gulf Region
as of January 2018. Details of which
are outlined in this issue.
Fosters Al Haramain High speed Rail
Stations in Saudi Arabia are this issue’s
Project Feature. A simple and elegant
design for four stations forming a
long awaited rail connection between
the two Holy Cities of Makkah and
Medina via Jeddah and King Abdulla
Economic City.
The subject of our One on One
interview for this issue is Ralf
Steinhauer, Director of RSP. He offers
insights into his professional life, his
influences and his achievements.
Following the success of the RIBA
Presidents Medal Awards Exhibition
Tour this year, we look forward
to building on the collaborative
relationships with the participating
Universities across the Gulf. The
recently announced winning
entries of 2017 will be showcased in
another tour next year starting as of
January 2018. Next year’s tour will
cover a wider participation of more
Universities from across the Gulf.
We owe the success of our recent
events to those who helped organize
them and all those who attended.
Particular thanks to our sponsors
Mapei for their invaluable support
without which many of our events
would not be possible. Also a big
Thank You to all our Partners and
collaborators. These include: The
British Council, The Big 5 Architecture
Talks, Cityscape Global, Department
of International Trade, Design MENA
Summit, Institution of Structural
Engineers, Mawane, Technal, as
well as all the regional Universities
that participated in the Presidents
Medal Exhibition Tour. We look
forward to another successful year of
collaboration in 2018.
I invite you to connect with us and
“like” us through our social media
platforms in order to keep up to date
with events and news. Your feedback,
suggestions and contribution to the
chapter are vital for its continued
growth and success.
Wishing you all a fantastic end of
year and I look forward to working
together with you all in 2018.
Warm wishes,
Sumaya Dabbagh
Chair, RIBA Gulf Chapter
sumaya@dabbagharchitects.com
Chair’s
Note

5. One on One:
RalfSteinhauer
Ralf has over 15 years of professional experience in the MEASA
region. His predilection with architecture is one that exerts a
comprehensive knowledge base, spanning from conceptual
design through to project delivery. As an accomplished and
inspiring leader, he has led his teams from concept design, to the
successful completion of significant and award winning projects.
With a diverse portfolio under his belt, Ralf’s key areas of focus
include large-scale hospitality, mixed-use lifestyle, and innovative
projects in education sector.
Ralf asserts an all-rounded position, which can only be achieved
through a well-balanced program of commercial practice,
academia and building. His on-going dedication to knowledge
sharing,researchandconstantchallengeofdesignmethodologies,
is channelled through his role as Guest Lecturer at the Department
of Architecture at the Canadian University in Dubai.
Ralf was recently honoured as one of the Top 40 Most Powerful
Architects of the Middle East.
People 5

6. Q1: What drives you in your work?
A1: Being born into an architectural family
let me live and breathe this profession from
a very early age. My father has been an
inspiration and mentor for all my life and I am
trying to continue his legacy. Perfection and
an insatiable appetite for exceptional design
and challenging projects keep me driven and
motivated.
Q2: How would you label your design
approach?
A2: Being raised in Germany influenced my
design philosophy – finding the fine line
between art and engineering. Less is more
(quote by Mies van der Rohe).
Q3: Who are your Architectural heroes?
A3: Oscar Niemeyer for his poetic lines. I can
only highly recommend reading his memoirs
– The Curve of Times. Mies van der Rohe for
his simplistic elegance – everyone should
visit the New National Gallery in Berlin or the
Barcelona Pavilion. Le Corbusier for his 5 Points
of Architecture which changed our profession
forever and his buildings at the Weissenhof
Siedlung in Stuttgart. Frank Lloyd Wright for
the Guggenheim Museum in NYC – for me
the best museum worldwide. And the entire
RSP Team who are working so hard every day
producing amazing and award winning work.
People 6

7. Q4: What makes a project most rewarding
for you?
A4: When a project is actually getting build.
As an architect, you put so much hard work,
time and soul into a project and it might end
up in an archive folder on your server. Seeing
how people interact with the spaces you
created and how they perceive the experience.
Revisiting projects that are completed for
some time and realising that they are still there
and successful.
Q5: What is your greatest architectural
achievement to date?
A5: Getting married this year and the opening
of Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi. As it was
my first project in RSP it means a lot to see it
through from Concept to Completion.
Q6: Where do you see yourself in 5 years
time? What do you wish for in the future?
A6: Still in Dubai. This chapter of my
professional life is not finished yet and many
more exciting projects are waiting around
the corner. In the future I wish for more open
dialogue about design and aesthetics; and less
about time and money. This city has so much
potential and has progressed already so far
in the 10+ years I have been here and I think
it is time now to talk about quality instead of
quantity.
People 7

8. The Haramain High-speed Railway is a major infrastructure
project for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, connecting the
cities of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and the developing King
Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). The stations are conceived
as gateways to each city, filled with places to meet, shop,
eat and shelter from the sun. Altogether, the large, flexible
stations will cover an area more than 30 times the size of
London’s Trafalgar Square and will initially accommodate an
anticipated 60 million passengers – approximately six times
the number of passengers that take the Eurostar from St
Pancras each year. This is expected to increase to 135 million
passengers by 2042.
The modular approach to the stations’ design is
complemented by variations in colour, which signify the four
cities while remaining emblematic of the HHR system. The
terminal stations of Medina and Makkah are characterised
by a rich colour palette: Makkah Station references the gold
leaf of the decorated Kab’ah and the city’s significance as a
holy site, while Madinah Station’s vivid green colour draws
inspiration from the Mosque of the Prophet. Jeddah Station
features a shade of purple which has a particular resonance
with the city and KAEC’s station is a futuristic blue and silver,
representative of its role as a modern new city. Drawing on
Islamic architecture, the design concept takes the traditional
gateway arch form as the basis for its roof design. The design,
common to all stations, features a sequence of 25-metre-
high arches rising from the concourse, complemented by
smaller 9-metre-high arches at platform level. Supported by
freestanding structural trees, repeated on a 27-metre square
grid, the arches connect to form a flexible vaulted roof.
By following the direction of the trains, the arrangement of
spaces helps passengers navigate the stations intuitively,
with few level changes and the interior spaces provide
respite from the heat of the desert. Following a ‘kit-of-
parts’ approach, each station has a combination of different
facades according to their orientation – solid facades are
used where visibility is not essential, in order to reduce
solar gain. The glazed entrances to the concourse and the
platforms are concealed behind a combination of external
mashrabiya and the deep overhanging roof canopies.
Each station is oriented according to the path of the sun,
turning from Madinah Station, which faces east, to north-
facing Makkah Station. Their changing position is articulated
through openings in the roof, through which light tubes
draw daylight down to the concourse level and animate the
space. At night, spotlights between the perforations give
the impression of stars in a night sky. Spherical chandeliers,
suspended between the arches, provide focused lighting,
mediating between the scale of the roof and concourse level
and accentuating the rhythm of the structure.
Al Haramain
High Speed Rail Stations
Foster + Partners
Projects8

9. Projects9

10. On Tuesday 31st October, Grimshaw launched
their new office in Dubai, located in the D3
Design District. After many years of working on
projects in the Middle East, the Dubai office will
act as a central hub for the practice’s projects in
the region, a number of which are now on site.
While providing the opportunity for face-to-face
client support, the Dubai office is also set up to
collaborate with other Grimshaw offices across
the global network to encourage knowledge
exchange within the company.
The practice continues to work on projects
initiated from its Doha office, but now with an
added office resource in the UAE to support a
major project in its design and construction; the
Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion.
Set to open in October 2020, the pavilion is a
celebration of ecology and will be a working
demonstration of sustainable design. The core
exhibition building is crowned by an over-arching
roof structure with sizable photovoltaic panels
designed to draw energy from the sun to power
the site, and a series of ‘solar trees’ are designed
to harvest water from the humid atmosphere.
Importantly, as a legacy project for the Dubai
Expo, the Sustainability Pavilion will remain on
site as a permanent fixture.
Grimshaw’sotherkeyprojectsintheregioninclude
a high-end retail and entertainment destination;
a grand-scale botanic garden in Oman; and a
number of transit, sports and leisure projects in
Qatar.
In the near future, the office is involved in Dubai
Design Week with an Open House on November
14th and a Computational Design and VR
Workshop on the November 14th – 15th. Visitors
will also have a chance to see the practice’s
‘Emergence’ exhibition which explores three
themes central to Grimshaw’s work in the Middle
East: ecology, legacy and future urbanism.
https://grimshaw.global/
Grimshaw launches office
in Dubai
News10

11. NEWs:
May AL Hinai, Design Architect, Atkins OMan and Riba Gulf
Editor wins Dossier Awards Best Architect 2017
News11
One of the year’s
highlights on the Oman
events calendar is the
Dossier Construction
Infra Conference and
Awards Summit. The
event aims to drive the
exchange of knowledge
and best practices
within the industry via a
summit and an awards
ceremony.
One of the award
categories was for best
Architect of the Year
Award, awarded to May
AlHinai,DesignArchitect
at Atkins Oman.

12. BECOME AN RIBA MENTOR IN DUBAI
RIBA GULF STUDENT MENTORING SCHEME
2017-2018
Motivate and Transform
This proposal aims at implementing a pilot of the very successful RIBA
Student Mentoring scheme that is offered to Undergraduate RIBA
student members during the spring and summer terms in UK schools of
Architecture each academic year.
We know that mentoring architecture students helps students gain the
confidence to move into practice, particularly for those who have no
contacts in the profession. In the UK students reported that they began to
have the confidence to see that they could work in an architects practice.
They also reported ‘I can see that what we design and the way we study is
relevant to practice.’ Many practitioners experienced great satisfaction in
mentoring students and in transmitting their knowledge of their discipline
and love of their profession.
The RIBA Mentoring scheme is intended to give students ‘an insight into
practice and to enhance their learning experience’.
RIBA MENTORING SCHEME
The RIBA mentoring scheme is offered as a pilot in Dubai by RIBA Gulf
Architects in conjunction with the Heriot Watt Architecture Program
which is an candidate course for RIBA Part 1.
The RIBA Mentoring scheme will be started in Spring 2018 in Dubai.
HOW WILL THE RIBA GULF ARCHITECTS MENTORING SCHEME
WORK?
RIBA student members taking part in the scheme would be matched with
mentors in their practices, and could also meet through an informal event
at Heriot Watt in January 2018. Mentors and their mentees would arrange
to hold at least three meetings of at least two hours, before the end of
May in (2018). These meetings will cover:
RIBA Mentoring, in action in the UK.
• an introduction to working life at the practice
• an introduction to a successful project
• an offer to follow-through of a current live project
• an offer to attend a site visit or a meeting of the design team
CAN I BE A RIBA STUDENT MENTOR?
Mentors can be Chartered RIBA practices, RIBA Architects who work for a
Chartered Practice or RIBA Members. A mentor will:
• demonstrate design in practice
• offer an insight into the business of architecture and experience of
practice
• provide support on professionally-related matters
• introduce the concept of professionalism; and the value of a
professional institute.
• support a visit to a project or site (check insurance)
PROPOSED LAUNCH EVENT
January 2018 3.00-5.00 pm (Heriot Watt will offer a ‘Launch Event’ for RIBA
Gulf members who wish to participate in January 2018. This has been very
popular previously, as both students and practices enjoy seeing the range
of practices and students. We would expect this presentation to cover:
• No of employees e.g. Large practice / small studio /
• The manifesto of the practice/ positioning statement
• Type of practice / Website / how it is structured
• Range of work / Award winning / One project in more detail
• How many students could participate / how we would wish to work
with them
STUDENT MENTOR
If you are interested in becoming a student mentor please contact:
Professor Mary Jane Rooney at m.rooney@hw.ac.uk
MENTORING counts for CPD and is eligible for CPD points.
News12

13. “Aidah”
Kublai Khan entered the courtyard. The pace of his stride sounded majestic
and calm, with each step echoing in the arcade clearly but with an audible
heaviness, as if tired from carrying the burden of the whole empire. The
sun gently filtered through the green leaves and reached Marco Polo who
was sketching under the tall tree. Surprised by the approaching footsteps,
Marco looked up and a hint of a smile appeared on his face. Kublai
stopped, and the silence flooded the courtyard with palpable tension.
Even the old pavement stones seemed to be respectfully waiting for the
emperor to say a word.
“Marco,” said the emperor, “Look at these beautiful flowers. They will be
dead one day, when we are not here to look after them. And even your
sketches will vanish in a rainy night. What will be left of this beautiful
place?”
Marco replied: “My emperor, the solid stones of this palace will be here
forever. Architecture stays, it has the power to oppose the vicious tyranny
of time and space.”
“Marco, architecture might stay, you are right, but unfortunately it won’t
record our conversations, nor the smell of the morning dew, nor the
purple colour of the shadows in autumn. That’s why we are forced to
whisper fragments of realities into the wind, hoping they will be heard”.
Marco, with a wider and confident smile, invited the old emperor to sit
close to him.
“Marco,” continued the emperor “In my life I’ve learned that the real
wisdom comes with the understanding and acceptance that everything
evolves and changes. Today it is my turn to tell you about a city and I invite
you to listen to me. I will tell you about Aidah, the city that returns, the city
that grew from the sand and flourished outside the reign of time. I’m sure
you haven’t been there yet”.
Marco, intrigued, said “Aidah? No, please, tell me more.”
Kublai Khan began. “Imagine a vast plateau gently edged by rough
mountains. Imagine a desert, so dry and hot, the midday sun can break
its mightiest stones with a crack so loud, even the sky trembles. At the time
I was just a solitary wanderer, walking east, determined to discover where
the sun rises. The desert, magnetic and irresistible was dragging me inside
her core, swallowing my hopes and my fears until I was completely lost. I
was hiding under the dunes during the day, and travelling at night, guided
by the brightest stars ever seen by man. Every day the sun was rising far,
too far, beyond the horizon. I was almost losing hope when one day, I
saw it.”
“Saw what?”, interrupted Marco impatiently.
“Marco, I have never interrupted you, please pay some respect to this old
emperor, and listen. Your patience will be rewarded” said Kublai Khan.
“It was night, and the pale reflection of the moon defined the roundness
of an object - a sphere. It gently floated and moved on the warm breeze
released by the desert sand. I have no idea what it was or why it was there,
but I knew I must get closer and catch it. A bit further, behind the curved
profile of a hill, I discovered a field of spheres. One, two, three... I wanted
to get them all and in half an hour I had more than twenty! But the sun
was already appearing at the horizon, ready to desiccate any living thing,
reckless enough to linger in the open. The realisation came to me with a
jolt, that I hadn’t prepared my shelter for the day. There was no time to
think, in thirty minutes I could die. I took a rope, connected the spheres
together and hoping they would be strong enough to lift me from the
ground. And it worked! The spheres were able to shelter me from the
heat, cradled by the wind.
“Every night more spheres appeared in the desert and I kept connecting
them. Tethering them to rocks and to each other. I created structures you
could not imagine. I built towers. I built bridges. I built palaces. I built a
metropolis in the empty sky!”
Marco: “Aidah...”
Kublai Khan, nodding: “My satisfaction and pride in birthing Aidah was
fuelling my dreams and aspirations. With every new structure, I thought I
could not out do myself and yet today a higher and more beautiful tower
would be erected. And tomorrow I will build the widest arena the world
can conceive! Aidah was challenging and breaking the rules of nature.
Defeating any law of physics. You know, scientists just say words in the
end, tell stories, just as we do.
Dubai​ ​Design​ ​Week​​ 2017
Boano​ ​Prismontas​ ​+​ ​Ricardas​ ​Blazukas
I spent one month scouting the desert every night, looking for more stones
big enough to ballast and anchor my ever growing city. But I eventually
realised there were no stones left, only the black spheres seemed to be
of an infinite source. Aidah was beautiful, yet fragile. A strong wind could
push her away and vanish all the ef orts made to build her. Once again, I
had to decide what to do. I could either keep her as she was, or set of and
start a long journey, heading for new adventures.
“One day, I’ll come back” I thought. I removed three big stones and let
Aidah afloat, free to be transported by the wind. I no longer had interest
in heading towards the sun, I just wanted the world the see how beautiful
Aidah was.
Marco, I visited so many places and received so much appreciation and
support. The city welcomed people from all over the world and my
solitude finally ended. The whole world helped me to erect more amazing
futuristic buildings. Aidah buzzed with trade, art and celebrations, secured
by anchors carried from all corners of the Earth. It was a truly unique city.”
Engrossed in Kublai’s words, Marco asked “...but did the spheres end
eventually? And did Aidah ever return to the desert? Why did you leave
Aidah to return here?”
”So many questions, Marco.” Said Kublai, lifting his hands as if to gently
hold them back. “These are different stories, too long to explain. Now, let
me return to my room, I’m tired. You are too curious my dear friend, once
I believed this was a positive thing, but now that I am old, I think that the
beauty of the world hides in those mysteries we cannot untangle...”
The Emperor left the courtyard and a little gust of wind followed him,
stirring some of the leaves on the ground. Marco stood up and moved
closer to the old wall, pensive. He looked at the old stones as if they were
an ancient manuscript to decipher. The last of the Emperor’s words were
still resonating in his mind when he noticed a small inscription, gently
highlighted by the afternoon sun. “L.... Lo... London... Br...Brick... London
Brick? Who knows what this could mean”...
Authors:
Boano Prišmontas
www.boanoprismontas.com
@boanoprismontas
Ricardas Blazukas
www.ricardasblazukas.me
@ricardasofficial
Links:
www.boanoprismontas.com/aidah
News13

14. “Aidah​ ​-​ ​An​ ​Invisible​ ​City”
The Middle East Region has boomed in the last 50 years with an economy
based on oil. This growth rate and the incredible wealth has made the
unthinkable possible. Cities bloomed from the arid desert and the whole
region became an incredible and alluring place, attracting people from all
over the world. But this semi-utopian development approached its climax
almost 10 years ago. The region had to re-imagine its future and create
its own new, enticing identity. This process had to be planned and didn’t
happen spontaneously under the leveling action of history, people and
time.
Dubai’s time scale is on steroids, and its future had to happen, now. Aside
from the obvious business vocation, the new-unknown identity focused
on tourism, fun and wonder. Now, events like Dubai Design Week aim
to widen the city’s foundation spectrum and focus on art, design and
architecture as active tools to make the city, a city.
The Middle east region started as an inflated reality, balancing on the
verge of becoming a theme park made of a collection of expensive
capricious architectures. But now, the present time, it seems able to
combine together its cultural, social and political input, creating a new city
vision with a strong identity. If the region wants to strengthen and develop
its future in the long term, it has to tie itself to a sustainable reality, not
limiting its narration to just hyper bombastic urban scenographies.
Aidah is a project that plays with what is described above.
Aidah is a provocative representation of a process, a diagrammatic
illustration of a portion of Middle Eastern history translated into
architectural forms. Most of all, Aidah is a dream, a suggestion, an
immaterial city that aims to investigate what makes a city a city. Our
intention, is to use a temporary installation not as a self-referenced
narcissistic display, but as a device that positively contributes to a debate
about the future development of the Middle Eastern Metropolis.
In Arabic culture Aidah means “one’s who returns”. We chose this name to
build an a-temporal city where the cyclical idea of returning was present
and celebrated. In a symbolic way, we want to highlight how the future of
Dubai and the whole region cannot rely on temporary present conditions.
With respect and humble admiration, the project homages Italo Calvino
“Invisible cities” imagining an additional chapter to the famous book.
This time, the emperor narrates the story of Dubai to Marco Polo. Words
can be liberating, they can explore the concepts without any demand
for reality. Starting the project by creating its story, allowed us to focus
on the concept, giving great importance to the core idea that we then
transformed into real spatial relationships and architectural forms.
We really enjoyed turning the usual architecture-illustration relationship
upside-down. By writing a story first and then creating an architecture
about it we used architecture as a tool, as a form of three-dimensional
representation, as a medium to express a narrative, which allowed the
concept to retain its powerful role.
The installation is made of 50 black balloons, 500m of black ropes and 50
foam bricks. These elements are combined together generating a floating
landscape that belongs to and is in dialogue with the desert, the origin of
everything. These flimsy structures evoke a sense of transient fragility and
at the same time inform Aidah’s bold and distinctive character.
The floating spheres are the foundational element of the city (ref. Dubai’s
oil), but at the same time its Achilles heel. Much like the bubble of wealth
created by the finite resource of oil, the city might burst or float away and
it needs ballasts to anchor it firmly on the ground. The economic stability
of the Middle east is granted by its foreign investments, that are here
represented with black foam “London Bricks” we especially crafted for
this installation.
By building in the desert, Aidah also aims to question the idea of “land
value”. The installation shows that the occupied square meters might have
zero “land value” from a real estate point of view, but they generate a
fascinating space, adding a qualitative, symbolic and artistic value to the
deserted land.
News14

15. AREA awards 2017
Words: Ian Purser
For the third year running, Pace has sponsored the Architectural
Review Emerging Architects award, which this year was held
at the World Architectural Festival in Berlin. The AREA awards
programme grants early recognition to young designers and
celebrates the architectural stars of tomorrow. Past winners
include Shigeru Ban, Anna Heringer, Thomas Heatherwick,
Jürgen Mayer and Frida Escobedo.
Selected from over 300 entries, the 14 shortlisted finalists
presented their projects in front of a world-renowned panel which
this year which comprised the Aga Khan winning Bangladeshi
Architect, Marina Tabassum; co-founder of Sauerbruch Hutton,
Matthias Sauerbruch; as well as director of, Iredale Pedersen
Hook Architects, Martyn Hook.
Announced at the awards ceremony at The Aedes Metropolitan
Laboratory in Berlin, Christelle Avenier and Miguel Cornejo were
declared the overall award winners and received the coveted
£10,000 prize. Their Rue Bonnet social housing project in Paris
was selected from stiff competition by this year’s judges.
The judging panel applauded Avenier and Cornejo’s realisation
of social housing in a challenging urban environment and
the ambition to tackle important social issues within a tightly
controlled approvals context. An insistence on generous
internal spaces and the practice’s high quality and well-detailed
treatment of materiality, contrasting robust brick street facades
grounded in the local context with delicate metal cladding
around the internal courtyard, all on an extremely tight budget,
was also commended. The architects insist that ‘even social
housing can be noble’.
Joining the winner, the judges selected two Highly Commended
projects: the Fort Vechten Waterline Museum in Utrecht in the
Netherlands by Studio Anne Holtrop from Bahrain, and José Luis
Muñoz’ Casa de Los Vientos in Cádiz in Spain. The judges were
impressed by Studio Anne Holtrop’s sophisticated and gestural
architectural language, while the Casa de Los Vientos was
praised for its economy of material with a drastically reduced
budget.
https://www.architectural-review.com/awards/ar-emerging-
architecture
https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/overall-winners-2017
News15

16. World Architecture Festival
Awards 2017
Words: Ian Purser
Pace, represented by RIBA member Ian Purser, Head of
Architecture, recently attended the World Architecture
Festival (WAF) in Berlin from 15-17 November to
present two of its shortlisted finalist projects in the
future project category and as a proud sponsor of the
Architectural Review’s Emerging Architecture (AREA)
awards programme.
The first project to be presented was the Kuwait
University Administration Facilities which are being
delivered in association with SOM at the new campus
of Kuwait University at Sabah Al-Salem University City.
Established in 1966, Kuwait University was the first in the
country. The new administration facilities will become an
iconic gateway to the new campus. Comprising of seven
separate facilities buildings serving ‘University City’ will
house the main administrative and ceremonial facilities,
including a library, cultural centre, mosque, visitor’s
centre, conference centre, a central administration
building along with a ‘pearl-like’ convocation hall as
the centrepiece, to be used for graduation and other
ceremonies.
The second project is a large civic courthouse in Kuwait
City designed on a 33,400m2 plot with direct views into
the Gulf Sea. The facility is set to be the largest judicial
building in the Middle East, hosting over 140 courtrooms
and a built-up area approaching 400,000m2.
The monolith structure balances two elements that are
joined together to create a hollow void that resembles
a golden glistening geode, underneath which sits a
public plaza, reinforcing the feeling of openness and
transparency that the design intends to create, and
providing public civic space at the heart of a high
security building.
A vast void created within the interior of the building
is its jewel - an indoor space permeable only by light
that casts a golden interior that overwhelms the plaza
spaces, inspired by the traditional geometry found in
the Middle East.
The big prize winners at the event were awarded for
the ‘World Building of the Year 2017’ to The Chinese
University of Hong Kong for their ‘Post-earthquake
reconstruction/demonstration project of Guangming
Village’, Zhaotong, China and ‘Future Project of the
Year 2017’, which was awarded to Allen Jack+Cottier
Architects and NH Architecture for their design of
Sydney Fish Markets, Sydney, Australia.
News16

17. Design MENA Summit 2017
Recent Events17
RIBA Gulf partnered
with Design MENA for a
the second consecutive
year. 5th Dec 2017
Earlier this year, RIBA
Gulf were parts of the
advisory panel that
discussed current topics
that are interest in the
industry, which informed
the content of this years
event.

18. 7th
November 2017
RIBA Gulf Chapter, Jeddah representation Amy Lam participated
in a mentoring talk to students of Effat University (Women) on
becoming an architect, under a CSR programme by Direction KSA
Recent Events18
In November, our Jeddah
RIBA Gulf representative Amy
Lam was invited by the CSR
arm of Direction, a business
consultancy house in Saudi
Arabia, to join their mentoring
session and held a talk to
the students of Effat Women
University in Jeddah on the
practicality and aspects of
‘Becoming an architect’. A
selected number of students
attended to learn about the
RIBA Gulf Chapter, the role of
RIBA and the important aspects
of an architect and designing
for the future. ‘Direction’ is
also collaborating with the
United Nations program for
Sustainable Development on
volunteering chapter for the
Arab region and empowers
the youth to participate
in knowledge and cultural
programs, and cultivates
their knowledge about the
economic and innovative
benefits that serve them and
their societies environmentally
and socially.

19. CPD TALK
IStructE - RIBA
Retrofit Debate
On 15 Nov 2017 The RIBA in conjunction with the
Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) held
a Retrofit Debate chaired by Mr Rashad Bukhash,
Chairman of the UAE Architectural Heritage
Society. RIBA Gulf Committee Member Mr Jonathan
Ashmore RIBA represented RIBA on the panel.
The event was organised by RIBA Gulf Committee
Member Mr Mohamad Al-Dah FIStructE.
The subject of the debate was to provide an
alternative to demolition for the buildings in the
Gulf. Typically as buildings get older in the Gulf
area, they get demolished to pave way for newer
and bigger buildings. This adds to the urbanisation
of cities and architectural heritage is lost. The panel
also included a Structural Engineer, a Mechanical
Engineer, a Contractor and a Chartered Building
Surveyor.
The talk was very well attended, and was supported
by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) as well as
the UAE Architectural Heritage Society. The event
took place at Dubai Municipality’s Falcon Heritage
and Sports Centre in Meydan.
Recent Events19

20. Façade Design: BIM
modeling and Fire
Safety.
TECHNAL Middle East
RIBA CPD Breakfast Event
Recent Events20
In partnership with Technal Middle East, RIBA held a CPD event
on Façade Design on 6th December in Dubai.
Following an introduction of the Technal brand, by Ms. Begona
Burguera, Brand Manager, Mr. Bertrand Assemat, Director – House
of IT, Technal France, presented its BIM modeling software, *TECH
3D . A user-friendly software that can enhance the modeling
of facades, windows, and doors and is offered exclusively for
architects. The presentation included a brief software demo on
how to seamlessly produce façade details in Revit/sketch up and
other BIM platforms.
The final part of the presentation gave an update on Technal’s
recent laboratory testing, in collaboration with SIDERISE,
demonstrating compliance with the UAE Fire and Life Safety Code
2017.
The presentations were followed by a networking breakfast
offered as part of this CPD event. The event was informative and
well attended.
About Technal
The Technal brand is dedicated to the creation of innovative and
sustainable aluminium façade systems that inspire contemporary
architecture. Using of aluminium, a material of exemplary
modularity and infinite recyclability, Technal allows architects to
make all of their projects part of a sustainable lifestyle concept
and offers solutions for aluminium windows and doors, creating
custom-designed systems and making each project unique.
*Note : For the RIBA members who missed out, you could still
download the Tech 3D software (Revit/standalone version) free
from http://tech3d.technal.com/?lang=en

21. CPD TALK:
RIBA Routes to Membership
On 15 Oct 2017 RIBA Gulf welcomed Alison
Mackinder, RIBA Professional Education Director
from the UK who gave a talk about Routes to
Membership. The talk was attended by architects
of various backgrounds and at various levels in
their careers.
Mackinder explained that there are 6 main routes
to membership. Routes 1, 2 and 3 were of interest
to UK-based candidates. Route 4 was for non-
UK candidates but needed a RIBA approved
degree. Route 5 required a 5 year degree and
5 years of experience, no interview was needed.
Route 6 needed a 5 year degree and 2-5 years
of experience as well as going through the
Assessment Panel.
The next MEAP course in Dubai is booked for 20
and 21 April 2018.
Recent Events21

22. The RIBA President’s
Medals Gulf Tour
Exhibition 2017
Words: Amy Lam
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awards the RIBA
President’s Medals annually as a way to celebrate and promote
excellence in the study of architecture, reward talent and
encourage architectural debate worldwide to the international
communities. Each year, an exhibition of student work (President’s
medals Bronze and Silver) is displayed at the RIBA London
headquarters as well as venues throughout United Kingdom, and
also travelled internationally to Australia, Chile, China, Malaysia,
Singapore, Hong Kong South Africa, Turkey, Malaysia, Sri Lanka,
Bulgaria, Serbia, Cyprus, France, Romania, Egypt, Lebanon and
the United Arab Emirates. First awarded in 1836 as the RIBA Silver
Medal for an architectural essay (and from 1855 to ‘Measured
Drawings’ produced by a talented graduate), these are the RIBA’s
oldest awards (preceding the Royal Gold Medal, which was
established in 1848) and are regarded as the most prestigious
prize in architectural education worldwide.
The President’s Medals Tour exhibition was launched early this
year 2017 in the Gulf region. The RIBA Gulf Chapter was very
proud to have brought the exhibition to the Gulf and for the first
time in Saudi Arabia and Oman. The hosting universities include
Dar Al Hekma Women University in Jeddah, King Fahd University
of Petroleum Minerals in Damman, Al Faisal University in
Riyadh, Effat University (Women) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Other
hosting venues were German University of Technology in Oman
and American University of Sharjah in UAE. The tremendous
success of the President’s Medals Tour exhibition attracted over
thousands of attendees, architectural students, professors and
architects to each regional venue. For year 2018, the RIBA Gulf
Chapter will be working to expand the tour exhibition covering
Bahrain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Jordan to further showcase the
talented work of the President’s Medals .
RIBA Gulf Chapter, Jeddah representative Amy Lam with Dean of Architecture Dr. Mona Helmy at Dar Al Hekma University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
RIBA Gulf Chair Sumaya Dabbagh with HRH Princess Dr. Maha Bint Mishari AlSaud at the opening ceremony of Alfasial University in Riyadh, other
guests attended President of Alfaisal University H.E Mohammed Al Hayaza, Chairman of Architecture Engineering department Dr. Tarek Mokhtar
and Dr. Hoahmed Anan, Acting Dean of College of Engineering.
Effat University, Jeddah.
The opening ceremony at University of Petroleum Minerals in Damman, Saudi Arabia by KFUPM University Rector, Dr. Kaled Alsultan, accompanied by Dean of college of Environmental design Dr. Adel
Aldosary and KFUPM Chairman, Dr Mohammad Babsail.
Recent Events22

23. RIBA Gulf at CItyScape
Global
RIBA participated in Cityscape Global in
September with a stand at the Exhibition
halls, in collaboration with the Department of
International Trade.
Chloe Sadler Head of International Chapters
and Mitch Steprans of RIBA Membership
Development (pictured) reported a marked
increase of interest from last year’s exhibition.
Inquiries were predominantly about routes to
membership as well as the RIBA Gulf Chapters
activities.
The Exhibition was flowed by a reception hosted
by the Department of International trade which
was well attended by RIBA members and industry
associates.
Recent Events23
Networking event hosted by UK Department of International Trade (DIT) RIBA and UK DIT stand at Cityscape

24. Abu Dhabi Art Talks Programme
9th
November
Manarat Al Sadiyat, Abu Dhabi
“Rethinking Architecture in the Arabian Peninsula: Emerging
Architects and the Role of Heritage in Modern Architecture”
As part of UK/UAE2017 Year of Creative Collaboration,
the British Council, Abu Dhabi Art, and RIBA Gulf Chapter
collaborated on a Panel discussion, held at Abu Dhabi Art on
9th November. As part of the fairs’ Talks programme
Thesubjectofthediscussionwastitled:“RethinkingArchitecture
in the Arabian Peninsula: Emerging Architects and the Role of
Heritage in Modern Local Architecture”
The talk highlighted the transition between traditional and
contemporary architecture.
It was hosted in the intimate setting of the pavilion built by
the winners of the Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize, by the Saudi
Architects, Nada Al Mulla and Salwa Al Khudairi. Whilst Salwa
and Nada explained their concept of the Modern Majlis and
presented their other built work/ installations, Mark Kyffin
shared his experience of the restoration and remodelling of
Qasr Al Hosn as well as The Cultural Foundation, a significant
modern heritage landmark.
The discussion also posed the question on the future of
Architecture and whilst there is a an appreciation of vernacular
architecture of the region, contemporary interpretations of
the vernacular using technology as a tool must be the way
forward.
As the discussion came to close, it was agreed by all panellists
that it is vital for the identity of the UAE to preserve Modern
Architecture from the 70’s and 80’s that are an integral part of
UAE’s heritage and history.
Panelists:
Nada Al Mulla
Salwa Al Khudairi
Mark Powell Kyffin - HeadofArchitectureforAbuDhabi’sDepartmentofCultureTourism
Moderated by:
Sumaya Dabbagh - RIBAGulfChair,PrincipalofDabbaghArchitects
Recent Events24

25. Up c o m i n g
E ve nts
December 2017
Manama, Bahrain Possible Architecture, The
Dhow 1 by Winter Architecture School (WAS)
January 2017 (TBC)
Jeddah, Dar Al Hekma Univeristy, President’s
Medals Tour Exhibition.
January 2017 (TBC)
Architectural tour at Al Haramain High Speed
Rail Stations, Jeddah KSA by Foster + Partners
Upcoming Events25

26. Tha nk You
RIBA Gulf would like to thank our sponsor Mapei,
and collaborators for their support. These
include:
• The British Council
• The Big 5 Architecture Talks
• Cityscape Global
• Department of International Trade
• Design MENA Summit
• Institution of Structural Engineers
• Mawane, Bahrain
• Technal Middle East
We would like to wish our sponsors, members,
and readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year.