Paper Presentation, ISOCARP Conference, Doha, Qatar

Dr. Apostolos Kyriazis presented a peer-reviewed paper at the “Planning Unlocked” International Conference of ISOCARP, in Doha, Qatar (https://doha2021.isocarp.org/programme/tracks/track-1 ). The paper was entitled: “Transformations of the Emirati housing typologies: A survey on the trending urban condition and cultural clashes”. It’s the outcome of an ADU-funded (Abu Dhabi University) research project, conducted by Dr. Apostolos Kyriazis, his colleague Dr. Magdy Ibrahim (Associate Professor of Architecture and the Chair of the Architecture Department in ADU) and two students, Ayesheh Benyas and Shaikha Almazrouei.

The project is based on a survey amongst Emirati nationals with regards to their housing typologies as they seemingly contradict both cultural norms and climatic conditions. It’s a survey that reveals housing design patterns and the role of the house as a social status indicator. It also reveals thoughts on future possible shifts back to more contextually aware typologies.

The Research Team will now focus on communicating the findings with the related authorities in order to discuss and inform housing policies and strategies. Apart from this presentation and proceedings’ publication, an extended version of this paper is under peer review on an international academic journal.