Abdalrahman Alshorafa, is a Palestinian architect, born in U.A.E. in 1988. and grown up in his home town Gaza city. He started his undergraduate studies at the Department of Architecture at The Islamic University (IUG) in 2006, and completed his BSc. in Architectural engineering with a very good GPA in 2011. Along his last 4 academic years, he appeared as a representative of his intake, and did plenty of voluntary and extra-curricular work. Additionally he was nominated by the external relations affairs of IUG, as one of the best 30 students of the university. Abdalrahman worked for the Ministry of Sport and Youth. At the same time, he stared working for several consulting offices as a freelancer, designing and supervising many architectural projects. He was selected to be a teacher assistant at the Department of Architecture in IUG, discussing and following up students in many courses. Further he is a member in numerous professional societies.
Aya El-Wagieh was born in 1989. She graduated from Ain Shams University Department of Urban Planning and Design in 2011, ranked third of her class, with the “Waterfront Revitalization” graduation project. Aya showed great interest in team work and participation with others and therefore became a partner in a soft skills student activity. She was working as a moderator, head of quality control and finally as a consultant. After graduation, Aya worked for integrated development Group (IDG) as a researcher and designer, and then got a position as a teacher assistant at the university. Believing that getting exposed to different cultures and schools widens a person’s scope and perception, she participated and organized different workshops and summer schools funded from DAAD and Czech Republic. Finally, she started her pre-masters studies at Ain Shams University where she got interested in the relation between planning and governance.
Ayham was born in 1986 from Palestinian family in Syria and graduated with a bachelor degree in Architecture in Syria. During his time of study he developed several interests in urbanism, arts, music and sociology. In 2008 Ayham won the third price in an architectural concept competition for Arab and European students, the ‘Sham Spiritual Oasis’. One year later, in 2009 he participated in several urban workshops in Damascus, Homs and Hannover. In 2011 Ayham decided to work with an international team on different urban projects in Homs, Syria; such as different master plans of Palmyra (World Heritage Site) and Greater Homs as well as the Strategic Plan of Residency in Homs. After that he moved to Jordan in 2012, to work on several architectural projects in Amman.
Daniel was born in 1985 and studied Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Applied Science Karlsruhe, Germany from 2005 until 2010 and graduated as Dipl. Ing. (Fh) in Architecture. In 2009 he participated in the European students exchange program (ERASMUS) to intensify his intercultural experience while studying for one semester at the Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain. There he attended classes considering International Urbanism and Urban Development. Since his graduation he worked as freelancer in cooperation with several architectural practices in Germany. From 2011 to 2012, he worked as an adviser in Urban Development for the German Cooperation in Development (GIZ) in Guatemala, where he was responsible for the elaboration of a methodology for an area focused zoning plan in the municipality of Poptún.
Dina (*1988, Cairo, Egypt) received her Bachelor of Urban Planning and Design at the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University in 2011. After graduation, she worked as an Architect and Urban Designer at a consulting Architectural and Planning firm (IDG Matrix) and on the meantime joined some pre-master courses at ASU. In 2010 during her undergraduate years, she was nominated to join the EU Project “CEIAC”, cooperated by Ain Shams University and Stuttgart University. Within CEIAC she had an intensive training at Stuttgart University on Environmental Planning and Ecosystem Design. Dina participated in the preparation of the “Developing Strategies and Priority Projects for Lake Maryout", developing the scenario “Minimizing the ecological conflicts” within Lake Maryout. In 2008-2009 she pursued to work in an environment with a pretty wide spectrum of disciplines (i.e. Architecture, Construction and Landscape). During her pursuit, she had internships in different engineering firms such as ECG (Engineering Consultants Group S.A) and Centre of Planning and Architectural studies.
Eric was born in Leipzig in 1988, where he also went to school. He finished high school in 2007 and started to study Design at the Hochschule Anhalt in Dessau. For his civil service, Eric interrupted his studies in 2008/2009. After serving at a youth club in Leipzig, he decided to travel to Australia to work and get to know a different culture. In late 2009 Eric proceeded his studies and in winter 2010/2011 he absolved an exchange semester at King Mongkut´s Institute of Technology Lad Krabang in Bangkok, Thailand. In spring 2011 he joined a group of architecture students at Hochschule Anhalt to design an emergency hospital for a rural area in Guatemala. In February 2012 Eric received his Bachelor Degree in Design and subsequently went to Guatemala, to construct the emergency hospital with his team. Since September 2012, he is joining the IUSD MSc program to broaden his academic horizon.
Franziska has an academic background in Business and Engineering at WFI - Ingolstadt School of Management and the KIT - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. She additionally enhanced her studies with programs in Energy Politics and Sustainable Development at Fudan University and Intercultural Studies with main focus on China at Tongji University in Shanghai. Franziska has practical experience in the field of user experience and service innovation: At Audi she orchestrated a team of architects and designers to realize an interactive Brand Lab, with the aspiration to bring crossdepartmental teamwork to the next level. At the KIT she had the chance to engage in exciting projects like the conceptualization of an online platform for energy visualization as well as the development of a service model in the field of “University 2.0“. She further supports the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute KSRI with the build up of its Service Innovation Lab SiNLAB. Franziska is highly interested in innovative concepts of urban planning, especially in the integration of ICT based services to enhance quality of living for city residents.
Heba Badr is a Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst. She graduated from architecture department at Ain Shams University in Cairo in 2003, and was awarded a scholarship for a diploma in the GIS field. She has experience working with international organizations, non-governmental organization as well as the private sector. Primarily in establishing geographic databases, analyzing data and producing maps to be used in urban planning and urban studies. Heba is further concerned about community development and urbanism as well as the significance of community participation in the process of urban development with respect to adequate environment techniques. She felt the need to enrich her knowledge and experience within academic research so and therefore joined an Urban Development and Community Design program as postgraduate courses leading to master research at Cairo University in 2006 and later to the Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design program in 2012.
Irmtraud Eckart was born in 1987 in Oberndorf, a small city in Austria near Salzburg. After graduating from high school far above average, she began her studies of Human Anthropology and Islamic Studies as subsidiary subject at Hamburg University in 2008. Within these years she also started to study Arabic. Soon Irmi found her mayor interest in the Arabic/Islamic culture and made it the main task of her studies. Therefore she changed universities and proceeded at the “Friedrich-Alexander-University” in Erlangen. There she concentrated on Islamic Studies (Arabic, Farsi, Turkish) in combination with Human Geography and a focus on urban planning as on the MENA region (Oriental Studies and Social Sciences). Before I passed her Bachelor graduation in 2012, Irmi improved her language skills on a one year exchange scholarship in Syria. The IUSD Master program is a consequent prosecution of her Bachelor thesis, which already dealt with sustainable city development in the MENA region.
Katharina Frieling studied Architecture at the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden, Germany. Since 2010 she focused her studies on urban design and was working as a tutor for the Institute of Urban Planning at her University. She started research on informal settlements in Latin America and Africa and attended an urban research week in Havanna, Cuba. Katharina graduated in February 2011 as Dipl.-Ing. in Architecture. Her graduation project in a german context dealt with the urban rehabilitation and transformation on campus of Technical University Berlin and Berlin University of the Arts. During her academic studies she also worked in architecture offices in Stuttgart and Frankfurt and completed an internship at the architecture magazine AIT in Hamburg. After graduation she volunteered in a flood relief programme of the German NGO Grünhelme e.V., rehabilitating homes and infrastructure for flood victims in Pakistan. Returning to Germany she worked in an office in Frankfurt in the field of architecture and urban planning until September 2012. Besides her current postgraduate studies in the IUSD MSc programme, she is also working in an architecture office in Stuttgart. Katharina is highly interested in innovation for urban planning and design, especially in new approaches in developing urban areas.
Mahy has obtained her Bachelor degree of Architecture from the faculty of Fine arts in Cairo after which she has received a Post Graduate diploma in Architecture design and has also completed the Certificate requirements for the Professional Program of Project Management at the American University in Cairo. Being an architect with 10 years of professional experience, Mahy has participated in the design process of numerous hospitality, residential and mixed-use projects in Egypt and the Middle East at many renowned design studios in both architecture and landscape departments. Since 2008, Mahy has joined one of Egypt's premieres Real Estate Companies for 3 years, during which she has gained vast experience in middle to large scale projects, after that she has initiated her own design studio. Mahy’s prior experience included participation in several community development projects, basically in Cairo, her area of residence, as initiatives from both NGO's and official organizations; she is also a member of an active Heritage initiative in Egypt.
Mohamed ElGamal (*1987) studied Architecture from 2004 to 2010, at the Faculty of Fine Arts University at Helwan University in Cairo and Alexandria University in Alexandria, where he graduated 2010. His graduation project dealt with the problematic of Slums. He was working as Teaching Assistant in Architecture department faculty of fine arts at Alexandria University and later completed his academic studies doing a pre-masters program in the field of Urban Design and Architectural Sustainability. He especially focused his studies on the slums around the historical sites in Egypt. During this year, he participated in several workshops and international competitions about sustainability in Egypt, Greece and Serbia. Since February 2012 Mohamed worked as a junior architect at the BINAOMRAN studio for studies and design in Egypt, specializing in projects of city planning in KSA.
Mohamed Mahrous (*1987) studied architecture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Minia University in Egypt and received his Bachelor degree in 2009. His graduation project which was about designing a Cultural Centre in Upper Egypt tried to find ecological solutions to deal with the hot arid climate in the area. Since his graduation he has worked as an architect in several consulting offices in Cairo. There he has involved in developing concepts for architectural, landscape and urban designing projects across Egypt and the Middle East that varied in scale. He has also participated in many architectural competitions and workshops. Mohamed’s interest in sustainability and informal settlements development led him to cooperate with "NGO's" working in the slums of Cairo focusing on rehabilitation projects.
Mohammed Alfiky (*1988), Graduated from Urban Planning and Design department (UPD) at Ain Shams University in 2011 and started his pre-master studies at the Architecture Department of Cairo University the same year. During his study at he started participating in workshops in the field of urban planning, some as an organizer others as a participant with UMAR and DAAD. Three of these workshops were in cooperation with students from Stuttgart University. That encouraged his interest in teamwork with people from different cultures and backgrounds; also this gave the impulse to apply for the IUSD MSc. program. Mohammed started his professional work while he was still studying, working as a Photoshop free lancer. After his graduation he worked for the Urban Development Centre (UDC), being responsible for creating reports and conducting GIS maps.
Nuha Innab is a Jordanian architect and artist, based in Amman, born in Kuwait in 1985. She first started her studies with political sciences in 2003 and ended up with a degree in architectural engineering from the University of Jordan in 2009. Since then Nuha worked on several projects, ranging from architectural branding, commercial and residential buildings and interior design up to landscape planning. She is most passionate for city related issues, which are influenced by human behavior and cultural aspects. This interest also shows in her graduation project, an urban regeneration project dealing with a very busy and critical area in down town Amman called "al-abdali". This area has many layers and conflicts, social- cultural, political and financial issues. Since her graduation, she tried to maintain that connection with the street level, not only by practicing architecture, but also working with different kinds of mediums and domains.
Rasha Abodeeb(*1981) studied Architectural Engineering at Cairo University, where she graduated in 2004. After her graduation, she worked in several projects in Egypt and has a total of seven years of professional experience. In 2006-2007, she has worked as a junior architect in Al Darb Al Ahmer project. Al Darb Al Ahmer, was redesining an open space as a member of the community architects at the Egyptian Earth Construction Association (NGO). In 2008-2009 Rasha was part of the Wadi El-Gemal project, a joint project between ECCA and MADA Architects design office. The main project was to support the sustainable use of natural and cultural assets in the red sea area. It won the Hassan Fathy Award for Architecture in 2009. Later in 2010, she joined MADA Architects design office. Throughout her professional career, Rasha focused in particular on Community participation, architectural conservation and designs of residential, commercial projects.
Sana received her Bachelor degree in architectural engineering from Albaath University in 2004. After finishing her bachelor studies in architecture she completed a diploma research program as well a Master degree in urban planning. Her graduation master thesis was titled “Concepts of urban sustainability in planning modern residential areas in Syrian cities.” In 2006-2007, Sana worked as a research assistant in architectural design at the University of Al –Baath in the faculty of architecture. Later, from 2011 to 2012 she worked as a research assistant in urban design at the University of Damascus. Alongside Sana worked as an urban designer in the General Company for Engineering Studies and Consulting, located in Homs, Syria, from 2004 to 2012 as project director on several Syrian sites. Sana joined the MSc Integrated Urbanism & Sustainable Design at Stuttgart University to enhance her knowledge and enhance her analytical methods.
Sara Mohamed AbdelMeguid, was born in 1990 and raised in Kuwait until 2006 when she graduated from the New English School of Kuwait. She then headed to Egypt, her home country where she studied and graduated from the Arab Academy of Science and Technology in Alexandria in 2011 with a Bachelor Degree of Architecture Engineering and Environmental Design. During high school she was in the band where she played the clarinet. She also played Basketball to make use of her height. Sara is known to be spontaneous, talkative and very much interested in shopping. She considers herself as a hard worker and a coastal girl – Alexandria effect.
Sary Abdullah (*1988 Baghdad/ Iraq) studied architecture at Baghdad University for one year and got his bachelor degree in Architectural Engineering from the Arab International University in Syria in 2011. He graduated as 3rd of his class with honours. During his graduate studies Sary attended two international workshops in Bio-Digital Architecture and Creative art. His project was one of the two winning projects to be built in real scale. Additionally he attended several seminars in Urban Design and Sustainable Architecture. His bachelor thesis discussed the importance of environmental awareness and the need for architectural research centers in the middle east. Directly after graduation, Sary worked for four months at the consulting group al-Dar (A.U.D) for architecture and urbanism in Damascus. Next he moved to Baghdad to work with (ESSAT) bureau and Al-Danube Contracting for several months as an architect. There he was responsible for designing several projects and at the same time working on some residential projects on his own.
Tariq Nassar (*1984) studied Architectural Engineering at Birzeit University in Palestine. Since his graduation he has worked in several different countries. In 2008-2009, He worked in the US as a Designer Assistant. Later, in 2010, he joined the department of camp improvement unit at UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) working on the region-wide Urban Camp Profiles project to document and consolidate comprehensive information and data on all 56 Palestinian refugee camps across the fields of operation, with a partnership the GIZ. In 2012, he joined Medina Association – a non-governmental organization that carries out development cooperation activities with developing countries of the world, by using innovative instruments for the urban planning management and the promotion of urban and territorial inclusion in Palestine and Israel.
Wesam El-Bardisy, born in 1989, obtained her BSc. of Urban Planning and Design in 2011 from Ain Shams University, Cairo. She was appointed as teaching assistant at the department. During this working period she participated as an organizer and participant in the Summer School “New Urban revolution in greater Cairo“, held by the ASU and the TU Berlin. She also participated in a national competition “khroug“, with prime engineering consultants organized by the British University in Cairo. During her undergrad studies she participated in different workshops, competitions and an international co-operation project at Ain Shams University in Cairo, University of Stuttgart, University of South California and Union for the Mediterranean architects (UMAR). Further she worked on noise and vibration measurements for sound pressure level and noise mapping at MB consultant. Throughout those workshops and studies, Wesam has gained a good practical experience in the fields of urban development, participatory planning, landscape planning and Sound measurements.
Adham Sannaa (*1988) is a Syrian architect, born in Edlib city. His passion for art in high school led him to study architecture and urban design in Aleppo University and to graduate in 2011. During university he was interested in urban planning & rehabilitation and that’s why he chose the Development of informal settlement area Tal Al Zarazir, Aleppo 2011 as his graduation project. He developed his artistic and technical skills by participating in many workshops and competitions. After graduation, he worked as a free licensed architect in several architecture and interior design projects in Syria, then he moved to Czech Republic and had there more than one year professional, personal and educational experience. Adham aims to be a participant in changing the urban reality of the Arab countries, especially in Syria.
Aly Elsayed (*1990) studied Architecture in the faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in Cairo and received his Bachelor degree in 2011. During his studies he was engaged in several architectural and urban design projects through “EQI”, a consulting agency located in Egypt in which he worked for two years after his graduation. Until now, Aly was involved in projects and studies of different scales and settings including the development of historical buildings and areas, the management of archeological sites and areas as well as the development of slums in Egypt. Meanwhile, he had the chance to work with International development agencies such as AFD & GIZ and foundations. He was also able to build basic knowledge of vernacular architecture and renewable energy solutions through the company’s work in Siwa Oasis in Egypt.
Ahmed Bakry (*1990, Cairo) got his BSc from Ain Shams University, urban planning and design department (UPD) July 2012, he works as a teaching assistant at Ain shams University Urban planning and design dep., his accumulative ranking is the first upon his colleagues; he began his pre-master studies for one year at the same college he was graduated from and then he joined the IUSD master program. Bakry began his practical work while he was studying by participating in competitions like Elopera & Elatabaa project in collaboration with (BECT) consulting office and (A2M) engineering office. He works as an executive engineer for the renovation of the IUSD branch in Egypt at Ain shams University and as a freelancer for several engineering projects. As under graduate he participated in a student exchange program between Ain Shams University, Artesis University, school of Architecture Antwerp, Belgium and l'ecole d' Belleville in Paris, France in December 2010 concerning urban issues. He also participated in different activities like Aces and Eye academic and time management programs. Respectively, Bakry can deal with several engineering and graphical programs.
Ahmed (*1980, Cairo) is an Egyptian registered architect/urban designer as he is a member of The Egyptian Engineers Syndicate (EES) and The Society of Egyptian Architects (SEA). Ahmed received his Bachelor degree in Architecture in 2004 from The Faculty of Fine Arts at Alexandria University. After graduation, he joined one of the biggest design consulting firms in Alexandria where he gained great experiences in architectural & urban design. Later & since 2006 Ahmed joined The National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH) in Cairo as he worked as an urban designer at The Projects Planning Department where he participated in various projects covering a wide range of scope & complexity with special emphasis on designing & upgrading of public urban spaces. Through this time Ahmed developed a special interest in the fields of urban management & public space issues. Ahmed participated in several workshops & summer schools concerning sustainable design, informal areas & participatory planning. He also participated in various urban, architectural & design competitions & exhibitions and he won several awards & mentions.
Balsam Madi (*1987, Beirut) graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelor of Architecture and minors in Engineering Management and Studio Arts. Throughout her undergraduate years, her chosen design studios often reflected her interests about social, economic and environmental sustainability. Her thesis dealt with the intersection between the different drives (developers, clients and public) that shape our built environment and where tradeoffs happen. The research led her to an ideal paradigm that targets a specific scale of flexible modular housing while continuing Beirut’s urban fabric and targeting the previously untargeted middle class and new “a-typical family”. She believes that the architect and planner is not alone in shaping our surrounding and thus proceeded to work with a designer and builder among engineers and consultants from different disciplines under an integrated approach. She is a LEED GA accredited professional, and was one of the founding members of the NGO Save Beirut Heritage in 2010.
Dina Mahdy (*1984) has studied Architectural Engineering at Cairo University and was awarded BSc degree of Architectural Engineering in 2007. Her graduation project was addressing heritage conservation and rehabilitation in the old city of Cairo. As an architect, she worked for three years for an architectural firm (Ruya Designs) where she was able to develop her technical experiences. There she got the experience of site implementation, preparation of construction drawings as well as urban and landscape design. Through that period Dina also went on with the post graduate studies at Cairo University. Then she decided to change into the academic career. In September 2010 she worked as teaching assistant at Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering B.SC. Program and then moved to the research and teaching team of the German University in Cairo (GUC). Since then she participated in different international workshops and conferences either as an organizer and teaching assistant or as a participant, with the TU-Wien (Vienna University of Technology), Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart and Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). Parallel to that she started working on her masters' individual research at the GUC under the title of heritage conservation and rehabilitation strategies for the Islamic Cairo district at the Mamluks' era.
Friederike Thonke (*1989) went to Northern Ghana in 2008 to work in the field of micro-financing and took part on a school project. With this experience and with the inherent wish to become an architect with the ability to use architecture as a helpful tool to improve life standards, she started her studies of architecture in 2009. For her bachelor thesis she chose to redesign an old car park into a multipurpose center for young homeless. Therefore she held workshops with them to better understand their lives, ideas and dreams. Environmental and sustainable aspects were taken in consideration, but in the same way socially, psychologically, and politically sensitive approaches were applied. To Friederike, architecture is a field to express creativity as well as social empathy and liability. For her it is significant to realize and emphasize the responsibility 'we' as planers have – therefore a holistic approach in the current development of planning is desperately needed. After her graduation she worked with a Nairobi-based NGO in participatory upgrading of informal settlements. Her further studies and work is and will be lead by the hope for mutual understanding and learning between all parties.
Gregor Schopf (*1988, Halle) studied Integrated Design at the Hochschule Anhalt in Bauhaus City Dessau, Germany. There he experienced design in a generalized and interdisciplinary way. In 2010/2011 Gregor absolved an exchange semester at King Mongkut´s Institute of Technology Lad Krabang in Bangkok. Among other things, he dealt with ancient Thai production methods by using local materials in order to meet the requirements of contemporary needs.In June 2012 Gregor received his Bachelor Degree in Integrated Design. In September 2013 he joined the IUSD MSc program in Stuttgart to broaden his academic horizon and to expand his capability as a generalist in the field of sustainable design in the context of urban development.
Jude Al Issa Zada (*1989, Amman) obtained her Bachelor of Science in Architecture at the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the German Jordanian University (GJU), Amman, in 2012. During her studies she had internships in several architecture offices such as Al-Nasser Architects in Amman, Arcass Freie Architekten BDA in Stuttgart and Badran Design Studio in Amman under the supervision of Architect Rasem Badran and Architect Jamal Badran. Jude has become very interested in the fields of urban planning and landscape architecture during her studies and gained professional experience which motivated her to enter urban development competitions. She was short listed in the competition Port Gioia Tauro Vision 2030 and won second place in Project Manifesto's: Holes on Hold competition in Amman. Since her graduation, Jude has worked as a research and teaching assistant in the department of architecture in GJU where she supervised students from all classes in the fields of design, landscape and urban regeneration.
Lisa (*1989) started her studies of architecture and urban planning at the University of Stuttgart in 2009. During one international year she studied in Lima, the capital of Peru with the key issues of water shortage, informal settlements and lack of green spaces. In Lima she worked at the Metropolitan Planning Institute on an urban development plan for Lima 2025 and a water sensitive urban design approach for the city as part of the Lima Waterfront (LiWa) project. The program Construye Idendidad (Construir Identity) gave her the opportunity to get to know earth as a resilient construction material. During a workshop in the Andes she helped to remodel traditional houses and created a new public space for the village. During her studies and traveling different countries she found a great interest in the development of cities and their water related issues. Therefore she enrolled in the IUSD program after graduating with a Bachelor degree in July 2013.
Maram Sha'ban (*1987) was born in Jerusalem and raised in Amman since the early 90's. She gained her B.S in Architectural Engineering from Jordan University in 2010. Throughout her studies, Maram was an active volunteer and took part in different extracurricular courses and excursions for a close examination of the existing urban models in diverse cities. Having been also a part of the urban fabrication workshop held at IaaC (Institute for advanced architecture of Catalonia) in Barcelona, has enabled her to adopt further urban awareness. In 2009, she was an exchange student through IAESTE, where she had her 1st technical experience in an inter-cultural living in Tunisia. For her passion after graduating, Maram has been devoting her skills of integrated planning into community development in the region. In 2010, she worked as an architect with the United Nations for Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)| CIP, Jo for two years. She took a main role in camps urban analytical production and concurrently works on Talbieh (palestinians refugees camp) shelters’ assessment for future rehabilitation based on self-help. Her work experience has widened her horizon in urban improvement from grass-root. She was directly involved with the camps’ communities, where she played a key role in the participatory platform between community segments and stakeholders, designing proposals derived from local needs. Shortly afterwards, Maram joined an architectural office based in Amman that enhanced her knowledge in local architectural fabrics and methods.
Mohammed Fawzi (*1990, Cairo) studied Architecture, Urban Design and Urban Planung at Ain shams university in Cairo and graduated in 2012. Mohammmed was assigned as a teaching assistant in the same faculty and worked there since. Mohammed started working on projects before his graduation, participating in several projects like working as a coordinator in the ECG UTW initiative for students trainings, for the refurbishment of the IUSD headquarters in Cairo and planned the interior design for many apartments and offices. Mohammed started his Academic career driven by the passion and the sincere believe of the importance of the education trying to combine both science and fun in the education process. That's why he participated as a moderator in ACES academic program activity, in the ISLC cultural conference in the AUC and in the scientific committee of the department. Mohammed participated in many activities abroad like the student exchange program in 2010 in Belgium and France. Also he was a member of the technical committee for EZBET competition (2013) in Stuttgart University.
Razan (*1987) was born in Amman, Jordan. Razan’s interest in urban studies started to develop during her senior year at the University of Jordan, specifically during the graduation project 'Integrated Community-Based Tourism Project for Um Sayhoun Village- Petra-' which was shortlisted and exhibited at the CSBE Graduation Projects’ Award in Bahrain. Shortly after graduation, Razan worked on the renovation and design of the Nabulsi heritage house as part of the Tal Hisban Archaeological Restoration and Planning Project in partnership with Andrews University of Michigan. Soon after, she started her journey in working for local and regional offices in Amman, Jordan and experiencing the diverse world of architecture. During her employment years, she worked on the urban planning and design competition of Palace lala yedouna in Fez, Morocco. Then she worked in Um Sayhoun village in Petra as a volunteer on a community-architecture research: a risk-mapping project at the Petra Archaeological Park under UNESCO office management, in partnership with RLICC from Leuven University in Belgium, upon which a publication was released.
Nada Jouni (*1989, Lebanon) received her Bachelor of Science in Landscape Design and Ecosystem Management and Ingenieur Agricole diplomat the American University of Beirut in 2012, Faculty of Agriculture. For her graduation project, she worked on reviving a natural pond located in the village Roumine in South Lebanon. With community landscape as her focus, thoroughly studying and following the case of an under-evaluated rain-harvesting rural heritage that has been practiced for centuries, she carefully designed a community space around the pond, respecting the different environmental and community needs while raising awareness to the importance of the community's traditional and cultural practices. With her design skills and expertise in agriculture, urban development and ecosystem management, she worked on landscape projects and assisted in construction and tree planting while working with Solidere (Architecture and Planning Industry) in 2010 and IBSAR (Nature Conservation Center for Sustainable Futures) for 3 years. Moreover, Nada assisted in landscape projects with an agriculture engineer (GIZ Lebanon) then took on some freelance projects for a year, designing sustainable outdoor spaces and agricultural areas of three residential buildings and two villas.
Maroua Ennouri (*1988, Bizerta) studied Architecture at the National School of Architecture and Urbanism of Tunis (ENAUT) from 2007-2013. During her studies she attended many workshops in Vernacular Architecture in Tunisia. She graduated in June 2013 with honors. During 8 months she had a professional internship. She worked on several projects dealing with the problematic of sustainable architecture with “Atelier AWS”, an unique architecture firm in Tunisia that designs wooden buildings focusing on lumber construction. There she discovered her interest for sustainable design.
Stefanie Wladika studied Architecture at the Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa and the University of Technology Cottbus (BTU) where she graduated as an engineer in Architecture (Dipl.-Ing.). During her studies she developed a strong interest in intersections between architecture and urban planning - focusing on renewal and strengthening of historic city quarters in Germany and the Middle East. She gained intensive practical and international experiences while working for different architecture offices in Germany and participating in Joint Urban Design Workshops in Syria, Egypt and Germany. Additionally, Stefanie worked as a student research assistant and after her graduation as a research assistant for the Middle East Cooperation Unit (MEC Unit) at the Institute of Urban Design and Development of the University of Technology Cottbus. Currently she is working for an architecture and urban planning office in Frankfurt am Main, co-operating on projects in the MENA Region.
Tayseer Khairy graduated from Tanta University in Egypt with a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering in 2002. She gained ten years of experience working on architectural and interior design of different kinds of residential, administrations, services and recreational buildings in UAE & Egypt. As a social and environmental activist with management and leadership skills she worked with national, international organizations and private sector firms in community development projects. In 2011, she joined URBANICS, For Sustainable Natural and Built Environment, assisting the director in preparing and monitoring departmental goals. She served as representative of the entity at state, regional and national organizations, boards, councils, and committees. Her work included fundraising, networking, research and helping as Community Architect. Tayseer is passionate about community development projects and she believes in collaborative participatory planning development with local inhabitants, driven by certain values of qualities and initiatives within a sustainable frame work that benefits people and saves our planet system. As an environmental activist she organized and supervised many campaigns and events related to climate change and its impact on urban livelihoods, waste management, water crisis, sustainable architecture and capacity building for young youth with schools and NGOs. She is also founder, board member and member in many associations and NGOs which activities are covering a wide range of development, sustainability and projects with environmental scopes: she travelled to USA, Denmark, Jordan, Qatar and KSA gaining an extensive cross cultural experience. She felt the need to enrich her knowledge and experience within academic research and therefore joined the Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design program in 2013.
Teresa Fellinger(*1989, Passau) decided after finishing school in 2008 to volunteer in Mombasa, Kenya, for six months. She helped renovating an orphanage and trained a men soccer team. From 2009 to 2013 she studied 'African Development Studies in Geography' and 'Applied African Studies' at the University of Bayreuth. During her studies she realised that lectures which broach the issue of urban development in Africa caught most of her attention. That's why she decided to do within her Bachelor studies an eleven month internship with GIZ. For six month she worked in the Sector Project 'Policy Advice on Municipal and Urban Development' at GIZ Headquarters in Eschborn. Afterwards she collected some work experience in New Delhi, India. She was part of an appraisal mission for an upcoming programme called “Inclusive Cities” by which GIZ would like to promote in-situ slum-upgrading to the Indian Government. Therefore she travelled with national and international consultants to several cities in India, visited slums and resettlement areas and talked with local politicians. During her studies she was selected as student assistant at the chair of Population and Social Geography and tutor for Kiswahili. Teresa is highly interested in finding solutions and approaches for cities in developing countries facing rapid growth through the continuing migration into the cities.
Yasmine Hallawa (*1990) obtained her BSc in Architecture in 2011, Ain Shams University, Cairo then finished her Pre-courses of the MSc in Urban planning in 2013 there. She completed a Global business institute Entrepreneurship course (Mini MBA) in Kelley School of Business, IU, USA in summer 2012 and led her business incubator project team, ranked in the top ten to present it in the US Department of State. She attended several summer schools and workshops focusing on urban regeneration, governance and active citizenship in Cairo, Alex, Aswan, Siwa Oasis, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Stockholm, where she studied in an intercultural context the local communities and urban transformation. She got very much interested in viewing challenges through a holistic approach, linking architecture, urban planning and economic feasibility seeking sustainable solutions. She worked for two years in IDG (Architecture and Urban Planning Consulting Firm) and for 3 months in Archinos Architecture, Cairo, where she carried out architecture, urban, interior and graphic design projects and Academic research.
Azeemah graduated from the National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore in 2015 as an architect. After the Master's studies she joined Yasmeen Lari’s architectural firm Heritage Foundation of Pakistan; where she worked on various Heritage Conservation and Humanitarian Aid projects, including: Tomb of Sultan Ibrahim at WHS, Makli for the UNESCO project Revival of Ancient Kashi (glazed tiles) in Sindh, Build Back Safer with Vernacular Methodologies, Sustainable Green Construction and also Post-disaster Rehabilitation in Northern region of Pakistan. Later in the year 2016, she gained experience in conventional architectural practice by joining a multinational bank as a Project Officer. Also, she worked for two big companies of furniture retail and manufacturing, as an Interior Designer. In 2017, Azeemah joined Marvi Mazhar’s architectural association and started working as a Cultural Heritage Associate at Pakistan Chowk Community Centre (PCCC) — an old town rehabilitation project aimed at providing a space for community engagement, advancement of arts and culture as well as for the democratic and literary discourse in the Old Town of Karachi. Also, she has been a Project Lead and Supervisor of the projects Heritage Walk Karachi (HWK), Sarak Chaap (Old Town Mapping) and Ghair Sarkari Tareekh (Spoken History Project). From the IUSD program, Azeemah intends to expand her understanding of the conceptual and practical tools to develop a holistic approach towards urbane governance systems. In addition, she aims to gain broad inter-sectoral knowledge and applicable skills across three major development planning fields: Natural resource planning, physical infrastructure planning, and socio-economic development planning. |
Héctor (Lima, Peru) is an architect graduated from Ricardo Palma University in 2014. Having professional experience in housing, he also belongs to Ocupa tu Calle family, where he has lead participatory workshops and public space rehabilitation projects. Héctor's Bachelor's thesis was focused on the investigation of how to give proper housing to invasions in the southern part of Lima. In his professional career, he worked as a Designer and Project Manager. Héctor's goal in the MSc IUSD program is to gain experience in different urban contexts, as well as to develop the pre-conceptions for public spaces in line with the sustainability principles.
Laura is from Rionegro, Antioquia in Colombia. She graduated as a Graphic Designer at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB). She is passionate and committed to the environment and has been volunteering in several socio-environmental NGOs as an active member in the creation and execution of projects, and, besides, as a Design Leader creating campaigns to raise awareness. The involvement with those organizations led her attended the UN Climate Change Conference COP21 in Paris. In the preceding event, COY11 (the 11th Conference of Youth), Laura was selected to present the topic "Design as an Awareness Tool". That experience encouraged her to expand knowledge in sustainability development. Later she enrolled in the Eco-Cities: Urban Metabolism and Participation for a Sustainable City course, where she conducted a community workshop aiming to promote the reuse of plastic bottles. In 2018, Laura worked as a volunteer with the Ecocity Builders organization and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in the development of a sustainability plan for a vulnerable neighborhood in Medellin, Colombia. Her motivation for joining the MSc IUSD program is to get both academic and practical formation about sustainability and strategies for the cities and the citizens for restoring their relationship with nature and decrease their carbon footprint.
Maria (*1992, Lima, Peru) obtained her Bachelor's degree in Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, Urban Planning and Arts of the National University of Engineering in 2014. After graduation, she worked as an Architectural Project Coordinator at a consulting and designing firm L1007 Arquitectos. While working for state developers and private clients, she enjoyed being a part of the multidisciplinary environments ensuring the development of the project on site. Simultaneously, she was involved in several volunteering projects and urban design competitions to widen the professional expertise. In 2015, her team’s proposal for urban regeneration of Curundu, Panama during the BID Urban Lab Contest. In 2017, Maria further advanced her qualification on spatial planning and water management at TU Delft Summer School, developing an empirical experience in the coast of The Hague. Through volunteering in the informal settlements of Lima, she gained practical knowledge on elaborating a strategic-action approach through activities, iterations, and participatory planning. Maria is strongly interested in understanding more about development issues and upgrading informal settlements. Motivated to gain a professional understanding of urbanism to encourage further development of the home country, she joined the MSc IUSD Double Degree program.
Mostafa (*1991, Egypt) studied Architecture and Urban planning in The Higher Institute of Engineering at El – Shorouk. After graduation and for 5 years he worked in different fields like Interior design, Architecture, and landscape, but he never forgets his passion for working with people. Therefore, besides his work he participated in several workshops in the realm of sustainability and urban development with different Egyptian non-profit organizations like Megawra, 10 Tooba, and Boldan, also international ones like Urbego, and InterazioniUrbane. Moreover, he participated with the UNESCO-World Heritage Convention at the city of Malacca in Malaysia. Mostafa’s passion for working with people in a participatory approach led him to start his master’s with IUSD, and he hopes to help in making cities a better place for its residents and affording spaces for people to interact, enjoy, and love their cities.
Mridula (*1992, India) completed her Bachelor's studies in Architecture at the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi in 2015. Her dissertation on urban graffiti in Delhi led to volunteering in the capacity of a Coordinator with one of the first large-scale street art festivals in the country. Professionally, she immersed herself with several organizations deeply committed to the urban. The underlying pulse of her quests has been to understand the lifecycle of creativity in the city. Mridula's project "Fleeting Cine-Signs of Hyderabad" created a spatiotemporal mapping of the hand-painted cinema banner industry against the setting of a transforming city. It was done at the think-tank Hyderabad Urban Lab and has been continued further through the Sahapedia-UNESCO fellowship 2017 in Amritsar. Before joining the IUSD program, Mridula was engrossed with SEEDS India on an innovation lab in Bangladesh aimed at promoting community-led solutions in the humanitarian sector. At the IUSD she looks forward to channelizing her energy on critical thinking and positioning herself effectively in the complexity of challenges that urbanism throws; also, to walk the diversified contexts that the program offers!
Nagla (Cairo, Egypt) graduated from Architecture Engineering School at the American University in Cairo in 2013. Her Bachelor’s thesis project expressed her interest in the outdoor space beyond the walls of Architecture; ‘The Urban Development of the Cairo Aqueduct’ and its historical context. It was Nagla’s first step towards urban and landscape development. Ever since she worked as an Urban and Landscape Architect in an engineering consultancy company (Dar Al Mimar Architects) for three years elaborating local residential and touristic projects. After, she was an employee at a multinational company (Dar Al Handasah) for one year where she worked on the strategic planning of Egypt’s and Jordan’s new administrative capitals. Nagla aims through the IUSD Master's program to find the missing link between practice and theory, profit and people, private and public, and to obtain the means and tools for connecting lost ties in her home country in the attempt of developing a content daily user experience. |
Pamela was born in San José, Costa Rica and has lived in diverse regions within the American continent — from a small town along the Caribbean Sea, a megalopolis on the west coast to a metropolitan port by the Atlantic — all of these experiences have molded her views of the cultural and social diversity present within these contexts. Pamela holds a Licentiate degree in Architecture from the Universidad Creativa, where she obtained an Honorable Mention on her thesis dissertation and was bestowed valedictorian when graduating. In 2018, she participated in the XIV International Biennale of Architecture (SJO) and obtained an award for her research on Urbanization Processes in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica (GAM) and the Production of Social Space. Pamela is currently a student in the MSc IUSD Double Degree program, where she hopes to gain an integrated perspective on contemporary urban practice. She believes that the IUSD framework will be a key element in the knowledge she will gain to address the challenges of the built environment, especially when considering the diversity and complexity of cities. As a future urban practitioner, she is interested in combining research with its practical applications and concerned with the creation of tools that will aid in policy making and urban planning. It is her position that cities inherently possess a capacity for attraction and that the action of these forces is closely linked to social mobility. Therefore, she firmly believes that the cities are an agent of social transformation. |
Sara (*1990, Egypt) obtained her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Misr International University (MIU) in 2013. After the graduation, she worked as a Teacher Assistant for two years, mainly conducting classes in the design studio for different year stages. She enjoyed the academic career and teaching juniors immensely. However, her urging passion for professional practice has led Sara to work in a young design firm with a wide spectrum of project categories and scales. The design practice usually took part in different workshops. One of the most inspiring participations were a collaboration with Megawra built environment collective in designing a children’s park in Alkhalifa neighborhood in Egypt. That experience was a real eye-opener that showed her the values and principles of urban development. Moreover, it revealed how designers can help to achieve peoples’ aspirations and actively co-operate to facilitate the creation of more livable, productive and healthy environments. That project convinced Sara that planners can actually make a change if they truly believe in their impacts! And she hopes that the IUSD program would equip her with all the required tools and expertise to help her in the future urban development endeavors
Aarti graduated from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi in 2015. Her graduation thesis investigated the psychological impact of space, rethinking the typology of correctional institutes to deal with child delinquency, rehabilitation and social-reintegration. After graduating, she worked with Professor MN Ashish Ganju for environmental development projects in informal settlements in Delhi, and a school project for Buddhist nuns that explores sustainable building practices in the foothills of the Himalayas. Her fascination for working in the mountains with natural materials took her then to the rural Himalayas of Kumaon, where she lived for almost 3 years and worked as Site Architect at construction sites, collaborating with different architects from India and abroad. She also initiated independent projects with local craftsmen and NGOs for designing rural home-stays, and learning and implementing techniques of native-forest and heritage conservation for the region
Kezang (*1991,Bhutan) received his Bachelor’s studies in Urban Planning from Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, India in 2015. He is an Urban Planner at Thimphu Thromde (Municipality) since his appointment in 2016 by Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB). He is enthusiastic on learning and practicing urban spatial functions and its co-relation with surrounding factors in promoting and achieving the goals of Gross National Happiness (GNH) which is central guiding force of Bhutan’s growth. Recently, he completed a design project of Norzin Lam Urban Design, which envision to enhance social vitality of city through urban space. He and his team had also successfully organized two street fest with a slogan “Street for People” in the busiest street of capital for 3 days with various social programs to create vibrant city and society and giving back people’s street. His interest in harmonizing sustainable urbanism and GNH has inspired him to purse the IUSD program and during his study, he hopes to be equipped with relevant ideas and knowledges that would help him in developing desired cities, GNH city.
Usie Fauzia Anniza was born in Bandung, Indonesia. She got her bachelor degree from School of Architecture, Planning, and Policy Development, Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), Indonesia. Since 2014, she has been active as an architect focusing on humanitarian architecture and community planning for various organizations. She is a co-founder of Architecture Sans Frontières Indonesia (ASF-ID). In 2017, their projects achieved Architecture without Borders Awards (category: Social Construction for Habitat) from Architecture Sans Frontières International. The works included: (1) Participatory Design & Construction of Pilot House in Tongkol Community in Jakarta, (2) Bamboo Bridge in Solo, (3) Farmer’s Shelter Design in Malang, and (4) Participatory Mapping in Cikapundung Riverbank Community Bandung. Before joining IUSD, she practiced as a technical facilitator for different types of communities in rural and urban areas and she was also involved in urban discourse research with ITB. Besides architecture, she spends her time practicing photography.
Melanie (*1992, Lima, Peru) completed her Bachelor’s studies at UPC University in 2014. Throughout her studies she worked in different architecture studios in Lima where she took part in the development of projects of different scales and typologies. In 2016, she became a Teaching Assistant and also joined the Peruvian organization “Build Identity”, which allowed her to be part of an international research project which consists of comparing the challenges that different communities living inside the tropical rainforests have to face in their adaption to climate change, globalization and urban growth. This project enabled her to work directly with a community in Sumba, Indonesia, to do research in participatory approach. In 2018, she was a consultant at the Ministry of Education where she analyzed the current infrastructure in public schools in order to improve their quality in a national level. She currently organizes workshops in Indonesia where she encourages people to learn ecological techniques from local experts.
Saman completed her Bachelor studies in Architecture from National College of Arts, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. During her undergraduate degree, she received an excellent opportunity to travel to the United States on an exchange program. This experience helped her to broaden her vision towards cross-cultural interactions and the way developed world is moving towards sustainable practices. Right after her graduation in 2017, she joined a consultancy firm called Arch-Tech Engineering Consultants and indulged herself in various rehabilitation projects across different cities in Pakistan. Her groundbreaking project as a young and energetic architect called Heritage Trail, Peshawar led her to propose rehabilitation strategies for half a km long urban stretch along with providing building façade treatments. This project introduced her to the concepts of participatory planning, their effects, and outcomes and helped her to decide her future direction. Through IUSD, she aims to nurture her ideas and thought processes in order to acquire pragmatic solutions for challenging global issues.
Vanessa (Cali, Colombia) graduated as an Architect from the National University of Colombia (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) with further studies in Territorial Analysis and Management. During the final stage of her undergraduate program she underwent the Research and Urban Project Emphasis, focusing on urban design and planning. She was also an active member of the Wood and Guadua Research Group at the same university, focusing in the development of sustainable architecture with local materials, wood and Guadua, and participating in joint projects with suburban and indigenous communities. Since then she has collaborated with architecture and urbanism offices and other foundations and social organizations. Her main interests reside on urban development with a social and sustainable approach, particularly in the Latinamerican context.
Sandra (*1992) studied Architecture at Misr International University (MIU), Cairo, Egypt. During her studies she attended several workshops, partnering with Hochschule Luzern and an internship at Orascom Construction Industries. Through her education, she discovered her love for using architecture and design to shape people’s lives, her love for research, and landscape design. After graduation, she began her career by working as a junior Landscape Architect, then got appointed as a Teaching Assistant at MIU for four years, during which she continued freelancing as a Landscape designer. This experience expanded her mind immensely, as she discovered her passion for teaching and her ability to uncover each student’s unique potential. With students, she promoted human-centred design of architecture and urban spaces and worked on real life community service projects. She continued expanding her experience by working as the Design Office Manager and Head Architect of Target Landscape. Her exposure to the market in the scale of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design added a great measure to her knowledge and skills. This led her to apply to the MSc IUSD Program to further enhance her qualifications in aims of creating bigger change in the Egyptian society through a career she is passionate for
Mahmoud (*1995, Cairo, Egypt) received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Urban Planning and Design Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University in 2019. During his bachelor studies, Mahmoud was involved in several development and urban planning activities, he participated in the “Ezbet” Project in 2018. He also worked in child development programs and camps for 3 years. After graduation, he worked as a Site Engineer at an Architectural firm, and in parallel he started tutoring students as a part-time teaching assistant in LAAR and ENVR programs. Trying to satisfy his urge to learn, he had a desire to push ahead and invest in his education through enrolling in the IUSD programme in order to broaden his expertise and widen his knowledge in the Sustainability and Urbanism realm.
Merna Maher (1995, Cairo, Egypt) studied, graduated in 2018 and then worked as a teacher assistant at the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Sciences & Arts, Misr International University. She had a semester abroad in Hochschule Luzern, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, which grew her passion about the teaching and learning process, from different Cultures and mindsets, which she also believes it’s the essence of Architecture. She took various workshops internationally and locally as an undergraduate and after the BCs degree, in Green Architecture with Europ.education, and technical office fundamentals. She freelanced as an architectural designer while she worked as a full-time teaching assistant. Then she got enthusiastic about human psychology and how Urban design can improve it on a bigger scale, So She joined the IUSD master’s program in 2020/21 to get a deeper understanding of integrated urban studies as a start for her journey.
Noorhan Reda (1996) has studied Architecture and Urban Design at the German University in Cairo. She has graduated in 2019 and worked at Megawra Built Environment and Line Designs Studio. Her experiences lie in urban design, participatory design and social practice. She always had an interest in urban design because she believes it is a study that shapes the city by connecting people and places. Her bachelor’s thesis project addressed a new interpretation of ‘Darb El Barabra – The Light District’ by rethinking the urban typologies. During her college years, while working on an urban human scale project, she participated in urban researches that focus on informal settlements of Mit Akkaba, Cairo. The design investigates the built environment, the behavior of the people and its social system; later the observation and analysis were developed into a micro urban intervention and strategic urban development for Mit Akkaba’s vision. As well as, under the title of ‘Rebranding Egyptian Cities’ with the supervision of Prof. Hussam Salama, she participated in forming the masterplan of the New Alamein City. Her motivation to join the IUSD is to experience advanced training in the field of Urban Design and contribute to a future of a resilient city.
Sandy (*1996), received her bachelor’s degree from the Department of Architecture Engineering, Ain Shams University in 2019. She ranked the first of her class in the fourth year of architecture in undergraduate study and ranked the fifth as an accumulative rank for the five years in the faculty of Engineering. She was assigned as a Teaching Assistant in the same faculty. She also participated in different workshops as a mentor and lecturer including iHub summer internships. During her undergraduate years she made internships in many offices and firms including Sai solutions “Smart furniture”. She was enthusiastic about the idea of interdisciplinary solutions for real life problems, that’s why she joined the first World Design Studio (WDS’19) that was held in Clemson university, SC, USA as an architect, and that was her graduation project solving the problem of sea level rise in South Carolina through resilience in design. This interdisciplinary project, with different cultures cooperation gave her the impulse to apply for the IUSD MSc. Program.
Diana was born in Manizales, Colombia, in 1992. She graduated from Architecture at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogota. Her bachelor´s thesis project addressed rural development issues; Rural Reaction was a strategy for young people to be interested in living and developing in the countryside, avoiding large migrations to the city. She is an architect with interest in interdisciplinary and participatory projects with experience in competitions, urban, architectural and landscape projects. Her work has been focussed on rural development, urban redesign, and climate adaptation. Facing the Water was the first neighbourhood in Cartagena to be adapted to climate change; Binding Traces was a strategy to rethink and to redesign two main squares and the street that connects them in La Tebaida, Colombia, and Caravane is about designing a rural artisan village built with Guadua, the Colombian bamboo. The transversal objective in her work is to empower the communities in their territory and encourage local development to improve their quality of life. That is why IUSD master programme is the key to continue her path with deeper focus on holistic urban and rural projects from a sustainable design perspective and strategies applicable in different scales -global, regional and local- and contexts -countryside and cities.
Eliana Paola Gómez Acevedo (*1994, Bucaramanga, Colombia) graduated as an architect from Universidad Santo Tomas in 2016. Has emphasized her bachelor of science studies on Bioclimatic and quality of life. Developed her final dissertation project with a research on thermal comfort in low-income housing in Bucaramanga. By being part of multidisciplinary teams, Eliana early engaged as an architectural and urban designer in the development of projects with a strong focus on social, economic, and environmental responsibility with private and public stakeholders. In 2018 the Public Architecture Atelier of Bucaramanga (a city hall dependency) won the Karl Brunner Prize in Urban and Landscape Design in the Colombian Biennale of Architects, with Eliana being an active member of the design team. Her professional experience has also given her practical skills in the urban interior design field, and in parallel, Eliana has worked as a consultant on bioclimatic and energy efficiency in buildings.
Girisha Sethi (1994) is a graduate architect from New Delhi, India working at the intersection of architecture, research and social design. Her interests and experience lie in the phenomenology of spaces and places, vernacular architecture, participatory design and social practice.
Her graduation thesis investigated and proposed for Integrated Multi-modal Transportation in a zero-energy hub to simultaneously create a vibrant public space for the city, bringing together transportation and placemaking. Later, advocacy and collaborative planning allowed her to work with the Government of New Delhi on their initiative to redevelop the local bus terminals of the city.
She has worked in the urban realm through various players - architects, planners, researchers, government agencies and non-profit organisations in the humanitarian sector, and through contrasting approaches including both top-down and bottom-up.
Her project with the Disasters and Emergencies Preparedness Program (DEPP) Innovation Lab and the Council for Arts and Social Practice (CASP) – are two collaborations hinged in participatory planning, that shape her design approach.
Her motivation to join IUSD is to be able to decode the multi-faceted, multi-layered, complex system of systems that a city is and the mutual interdependencies of the various socio-spatial and meaning systems that make a city
Melvina Pramadya Puspahati (Jakarta, Indonesia) has graduated her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Sebelas Maret University, Solo. During her bachelor study, she did volunteer job as an architect in Jagalan Community which is a community organization in Surakarta that focusing on improving quality of abandon space at Kampung Jagalan. At the time, she did a project to enhance potential abandon space along Jagalan river into active public space for villagers, the project name was Selasar Kampung Jagalan. After graduated, she started her first job as a professional urban designer since 2012 -2017 at URBANE and 2018 -2020 at AECOM. She is consistent on her carrier path as an urban designer. She has an enthusiastic in Sustainable Urbanism because she has a vision as an urban designer to create a livable city for people and environment through design. During her working, she has joined Sustainable City & Inclusive City short course program at University of Twente, the Netherlands (2017).
Makda graduated from Mekelle University with a BSc. Degree in Architecture in 2015, since then she has been working as an assistant lecturer in the university. During her stay, she has participated in teaching, research and community service projects, as an assistant researcher she had a chance to participate in an Erasmus+ funded research project on Social Inclusion and energy management for informal settlements. It is during this project, she started to observe the fundamental nature of urbanization, settlement and built environment in Ethiopia, in comparison to European cases. Her research trip to Eco-housing and participatory planning in the Netherlands, urban upgrading in Kassel and Inclusive Housing projects in Vienna were eye-opener experiences to study and explore different aspects of sustainable urbanization approaches and school of thought. And Through the IUSD program, she hopes to be equipped with the integrated knowledge to contribute to the future of her city and more.
Nadine Ayman (*1996) graduated from the department of architecture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Helwan University in 2019. After graduation, she worked in several architecture firms and as a freelancer. Her bachelor’s thesis project “African Youth hostel and Cultural center” investigated how to create communal spaces by focusing on the user needs, youth behavior, and the psychological impact of space. During her studies besides working on different architecture and urban planning projects, she did her internship in Tataouine, Tunisia where she was introduced to participatory planning and sustainable development. Through Iusd she aims to learn a holistic approach to urban planning that ensures that projects meet the community's needs without neglecting current and future challenges
Sara (*1995, Cairo, Egypt) received her bachelor’s degree in architecture at the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University in 2019. During her study, she worked as a site and technical office trainee in the Grand Egyptian Museum project in Egypt which participated extensively in her knowledge. Also, she worked on many landscape and urban design projects as a trainee in Dar Al-Handasah corporate. After then, she specialized in urban design and planning department where she found her passion in studying the urban challenges in the MENA region. After graduation, she worked as a teaching assistant in Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University where she developed both her knowledge and personal skills. Also, she worked as a junior architect in Spine Architects, Urban & Environmental Planners where she worked successfully on many landscape and urban projects from the early design process till the working drawings and presentation. In 2020, she worked remotely as a coordination architect in Origination Design, LLC where she successfully submitted many hotel projects and developed her knowledge with the international codes and sustainable solutions. In 2020, she enrolled in IUSD international master’s program to broaden her knowledge about the sustainable solutions for the global urban challenges.
Noor (Cairo,1994) has completed her bachelor degree in Architecture in 2017. Alternating between Academia and practice, Noor worked as teaching assistant and researcher as well as a practicing architect with architecture firms in Cairo. Additionally she has worked as a content writer for Arch2O website. Her interest towards participatory planning and sustainability started after winning in an architectural design competition for Eco-Nubia ecolodge in upper Egypt . However, after working in Mumbai, India her vision was broadened and an interest grew towards learning about marginalized communities. Her fields of interest include urban sociology, heritage, history, environmental behavioral studies and visual studies. Passionate about humanitarian design and participatory approaches, her research work at the University of Stuttgart involves urban development, and economic empowerment of marginalized women.
Yara (*1994) is a Palestinian–Syrian Refugee who holds a Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt. She participated in designing a 300 Feddan Multi-Functional land in San Miguel, Mexico City, Mexico, and worked as an Intern at multiple international offices such as ECG and CLUSTER. After graduating in 2017, she worked as a Research Coordinator Assistant at IUSD where she had the chance to participate and co-coordinate a handful of workshops and excursions. She engaged in projects addressing Climate Change in ElGouna, Resilient Communities in Nuweiba, and Informal Settlements in Helwan. To expand her professional experience, she worked at architectural consulting firms including Arch-Plan and IDG. She collaborated in designing residential, commercial, educational, and administrative projects in the New Administrative Capital and the New Alamein City respectively. Since 2016, she has also been freelancing as an Architect, as a Ghostwriter, and as a Photographer for multiple companies. Her aspiration to make a difference has led her to focus her research interests on Sustainable & Resilient Disaster Relief Housing, Participatory Design, and Usage of Public Spaces.
Sherry Eskarous (1993) graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Misr International University (MIU) in 2017. After graduating, she started working as a Teaching Assistant at MIU, conducting design studios for different disciplines, years, and stages. She enjoys the challenges thrown at her in those design studios, keeping up to date with the news of architecture, theories, and design methods. Living in different countries ever since she was a child opened her eyes to differences in culture, behaviors, thoughts, and norms the built environment can bring. Therefore, along with her work as a TA, she is passionate about helping improve people’s life quality, no matter how small or big the actions are. She often volunteers in charity groups helping with improving the living conditions of the underprivileged. With her passion for continuous learning and gaining knowledge of integrated urbanism and how all disciplines play a key role in improving the built environment and people living in it, she joined the IUSD program. Looking forward to all the new experiences and knowledge she will gain with the aim of assisting her in her future practices.
My name is Yasmina Safwat. I was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1995. I reflect a varied personality including ambition, determination and thoughtfulness yet the most important thing is to be passionate about what I do. Since my childhood I have been obsessed with drawing and arts in general. I believe I have had good imagination and proportion sense. Throughout my high school years, I’ve worked on developing my skills and I happened to win first place position in an art competition on the scale of all the school grades which meant a lot to me.
From this point ahead, and upon graduation from high school I was encouraged to enroll in architecture school. In 2014 I joined the landscape architecture program in Ain Shams University. Actually, the truth about architecture wasn’t as it seemed to me at all before. Throughout my studies I’ve learnt and acknowledged about a lot of dimensions and aspects that transgressed my primary previous definition. I found myself very passionate and more attracted to landscape and urban design majors. In 2019, and after achieving consistent high performance throughout my years of study, I was to be assigned as a full time teacher assistant in the urban department in Ain Shams University. Nevertheless, I chose to proceed my post-graduation studies so I enrolled in the IUSD master’s program which offers a wide range of study fields. Besides, I work as a part time engineer in one of the most significant landscape corporates in the field.
I am motivated by my passion for the continuous learning and succeeding as I am looking forward to become a remarkable woman in today’s and tomorrow’s society. Actually, I’ve always dreamt of offering my knowledge in building more civilized cities for all social classes. I aspire to contribute to a team who is passionate about helping Egypt become a pioneer in sustainable urbanism and planning one day.
Rumman Mateen graduated as an architect in 2017 from the Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. During his studies, he took part in various design and research-based national and international competitions highlighting the issues of gender inclusion, sustainable architecture, mixed housing and urban design. His graduation thesis examined and addressed the sensitive issue of communal violence in his native city Bareilly where he designed socially inclusive congregational spaces where people from all parts of the society can live and interact in peace and progressive harmony promoting social participation and cohesion.
As part of his academic internship, he contributed in the participatory design and execution of a primary school in the village of Motidevati Gujarat, India where he got involved with multiple stakeholders and mediated between the village community and design colleagues in Stuttgart and Zurich. In cooperation with one of his university professors, he facilitated the process of constructing 'Wall of Kindness' in New Delhi to help the poor and homeless. After graduation, he joined the Indian office of the architecture and design firm 'Blocher Partners' where he worked for over three years handling various institutional and large scale hospitality projects
Yassmine (*1996, Cairo), graduated as an Architect from Ain-Shams University, Faculty of Engineering with an Excellent graduation project as WDS (World Design Studio) student. Project was held in The Peninsula, USA with a site inventory analysis trip in a team for different cultures as American and Chinese students. Believing that getting exposed to different cultures, schools and mindsets widens a person’s scope, perception, and his way of thinking. Leading urban and landscape team in graduation projects and developing sustainable strategies for the Peninsula problem that will suffer from sea level rise and be exposed to sink in 2050. That helps her a lot in developing her personality as a team leader and player, also exposing to different disciplines and growing her way of thinking. After graduation she worked as a full-time Architect in (IDG Integrated Development Group) and as part-time a teaching assistant in ASU and AAST to develop my career as an academic and a technician, believing in the importance of academic career for enriching practical work experience. She engaged in many educational projects in her technical office, Universities and schools. In 2020 she started her freelance journey in many residential projects and presentations as well. Her aspiration to make a difference has led her to complete her studies as masters’ student in IUSD (Integrated Urban and Sustainable Design), focusing on Resilient Disaster Relief as a completion for graduation project researches and chooses to have a semester exchange in Stuttgart University in Germany which is a life changing experience in her personal life and academic career.
Aya is an Architect and Urban designer interested in Sustainable Urban Development. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree (BA) in Architecture from the University of Khartoum.
Her Degree Project (DP) consisted of an Environment-Friendly Urban Design study focusing on Tuti Island, her thesis was noted by an international research team working on urban sustainable development (SDG11) in Sudan during a workshop in Khartoum in January 2020, where she presented a synopsis of her research. This has resulted in her current involvement as a research assistant in the project Resilience in Urban Sudan (RUS), hosted by Malmö University and carried out in collaboration with Lund University and Khartoum University.
Aya is a climate change activist that has participated in many events like Khartoum Climathon event -which was jointly organized by GCCA+ and Climate-KIC and funded by the European Union- aiming to solve Khartoum’s city local climate challenges and make it more resilient to climate change, she also participated as a consultant with COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale organization in a Disaster Risk Reduction training program to Enhance climate change resilience of the most vulnerable residents of the Mayo Slums.
Bassant graduated from Ain Shams University, the architectural engineering department with a major in urban planning and design in August 2021. Right after graduation, she started working as a T.A in the department of urban planning, in the faculty of engineering.
During studying in the undergraduate years, she managed to participate in multiple events. She joined ‘Manifesto for a just city’ -program offered by TU Delft-, which focuses on socio-spatial justice and its challenges, also joined ‘Environmental pioneers program’ -offered by UN volunteer and YLE foundation-, and "Sustainability ambassadors" initiative -provided by the ministry of planning and economic development and multiple sustainability specialists-.
It is during those events, she was inspired to observe the socio-spatial dynamic in her surrounding urban context, Cairo, her hometown, and search for new solutions to develop sustainable just communities out of the local disprivileged ones.
And Through the IUSD program, she hopes to gain the perfect hands-on experience and depth in addition to new knowledge.
Danielli graduated from Santa Catarina State University in Architecture and Urban Planning (Brazil) in 2017. During her bachelors, as a volunteer, she worked assisting and developing projects in impoverished communities and did internships in the private sector as well as in public institution. Furthermore, after graduating, Danielli worked as an architect and urban planner at the Planning Department of her home town, where she had the opportunity to participate in urban problem solving. Danielli aims to create better cities for the residents – more inclusive, sustainable, healthier.
Emmanuelle is a Masters’ student in the IUSD program. She received her Bachelor Degree of Science in Architecture Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University in 2021. Currently, she is a Demonstrator at the Urban Planning Department at the same Faculty. During her undergraduate studies, she participated in the International Festival of Architecture Schools (IFAS) in 2019 in Corinth, Greece, where international architecture students worked together on the enhancement of the historical region of the Isthmus of Corinth, applying sustainable approaches. Not only that, but she also had a training experience in various architectural firms and contracting companies during these years. Presently, as a student in the Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design program, her primary research goal intends to relate integrated, sustainable and holistic solutions to the urban challenges we face nowadays. More specifically, she tends to explore how the implementation of sustainable architectural and urban designs serves and improves local communities, while emphasizing on their unique identities.
I am a Master of Science Student in Integrated Urbanism & Sustainable Design at Ain Shams University graduated from the department of Architecture Engineering from Future University in Egypt, with the academic and professional backgrounds in both architecture and urban planning.
Cities rely on urban planning to remain functional, grow in population, and attract businesses. Every crucial aspect of an urban environment is under the effect of how its layout is planned. This includes key infrastructure, transportation, and city area layout and density.
This reason fostered me to join IUSD where studying there will enable me to become one of those international knowledgeable, famous, and highly respected Urban Planners.
Laura Medhat was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1996. She graduated from architectural engineering at October University for Modern Sciences and Arts. During her bachelor study, she managed to join elective courses in green architecture, restoration, and resettlement of informal settlements. Her final graduation project focused on the agricultural problem in Nubia, Egypt by bringing back its cultural legacy to the younger generations where her vision was to enhance Nubians’ life quality by providing a place equipped with all needed technological systems that develop new techniques in agriculture. After graduation, she took part in winter school training held by Ezbet project in Ain Shams University and underwent appropriate training as a junior architect in Takween integrated community development, where she had worked on rediscovering Esna’s cultural heritage asset. Recently, she is a junior landscape architect with one year, six months of experience in landscape architecture where it has given her the exceptional opportunity of learning by working on exciting large-scale projects. Her interest in sustainable urbanism and landscape planning has inspired her to pursue the IUSD program to explore ecological solutions for urban challenges and develop a holistic view of urban planning.
Luis is a civil engineer, local from Medellín, Colombia.He is focused on roadways, transit and transportation (public, active and cycling mobility), Luis is passionate about territories, planning and sustainability. He has leadership and experience in projects and challenges in his field. He loves urban cycling, is an empirical musician and an amateur swimmer. Also, Luis promotes a lifestyle based on the respect of the species around.
One phrase that could explain the vision of Luis is:
"The knowledge about nature is the most important tool to transform and adapt our civilization for the future. Planners are the dreamers that must drive this revolution.”
I've graduated from Landscape Architecture program in Ain Shams University with an accumulative GPA 3.43, and with an A+ grade in my graduation project. I work as a landscape architect at "Nature for Engineering Consultancy" since graduation and as a parttime teaching assistant at Ain Shams University in construction design studios, and sustainable design studio courses. I've applied during my third year in college in the summer school in Reggio Calabria to work on a memorial pavilion for the families killed by the mafia in the early ages in Rosarno, where it changed my way of thinking completely regarding the sustainable methods in designing, I attended lectures to the Italian architect Valerio Morabito, who influenced the way I design landscape. Throughout all the courses that I studied I found myself interested the most in all the sustainable architectural, landscape, urban and construction courses, and the environmental and sustainability related courses. My age-long ambition has always been to become a unique landscape architect who has her own fingerprint in all her designs and to become a professional able and prepared to deal with and to manage complex projects with advanced environmental performance, in order to enhance the quality of the territory.
Marco Zaki is an Architect born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. December 8, 1994. From an early age, was attracted to all fields of Art. He had his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from Misr International University Class of 2018. Worked as an Urban Planner and Landscape Designer for one and half year at Integrated Development Group (IDG). He in an active community member. Since 2012, he was serving as a scouts member and troop leader with children and youth, along with community service in church. Also was a volunteer member in different organizations and projects such as "Architecture and Children" Egypt, which hosts activities for children teaching them about Architecture and Cities. He participated in the renovation of the "House of the Egyptian Architecture" in Darb El Labana, and "Beit Yakan" in Souk El Selah. He is currently studying MSc at IUSD to know more about Integrated approaches for solving different challenges on various scaled projects, and how to apply sustainable fundamentals in Design. Willing to implement and apply them to solve societal and communal challenges in Egypt, and to have a positive impact in people's life. Believing that Architects are there to make other's life easier.
Maria Jose Palacio is from Bogot , Colombia, graduated as Architect from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
In 2014 she travelled to Germany to learn the language and after it, she did her internship at P+ Architekten, participating in the realization of residential projects. Her bachelor thesis was focused on creating an educational centre including permacultural design strategies, for people
displaced from the countryside to the capital due to the country's internal war. After graduating in 2016 she worked on residential design and urban plans. She was a part of the Habitarte strategy, a Master plan led by the Mayor’s Office of Bogotà, focused on the social and aesthetic intervention of houses in deprived areas of the capital.
As a volunteer and community coordinator, she is involved in projects that aim to spread awareness about human trafficking in Nepal, encourage single traveller women to fight against harassment while travelling, document the everyday experiences of racism, spread the Colombian culture and create a community of Colombian Life Defenders.
Today, the combination of these experiences with her interests in sustainability, well-being, nutrition and physical and mental health, have led her to be interested in creating spaces connected with nature that consciously generate a positive impact on the individuals who inhabit it.
Maria Paula is an architect from Pontifical Xavierian University in Bogotá, Colombia, with experience in the development of social housing master and partial plans, and the construction of social housing buildings with detailed processes of pilotage, deep foundations, concrete and masonry structures control, steel quantities control, budgets and units, construction's preliminaries development, construction license procedure and urban license procedure.
Also, she was involved in technical advisory for current and new pocket construction projects in the metropolitan and expansion area for Bogotá. In Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design Master's program, her aim is getting skills in order to work with urban situations such as uncontrolled urban sprawl, informal settlements and the conservation of cities fringes.
An Architect graduated from the German University in Cairo. She has done her bachelor project in Stuttgart University in 2018. After Graduation in 2019, she joined Hassan Allam Company Graduates Program and has been working in the company since then. She has joined IUSD in 2021 to complete her studies in Sustainable Buildings. Her future goal is to become a self-employed design and build firm owner. She intends to have the firm specialize in Sustainable projects and green buildings. Her hobbies include video gaming, horseback riding, and skiing.
I’m graduated from environmental architecture department, environmental urbanism track 2020, at faculty of engineering Ain Shams University, through my academic study I’ve learned more about eco and sustainable design, and I’ve attended ‘’Health & sustainability in architecture’’ workshop in Italy.
I’m now working as a coordinator and researcher assistant in the smart and future cities laboratory (SFCL), and I’ve been an instructor in the Digital Fabrication workshop, beside my work at SFCL I’m a teaching assistant at faculty of engineering ASU.
After graduation I started working in several projects as the Cairo urban AI charter, and now I’m a part of the team of ‘’The local area development plans in two areas in Cairo -participatory infrastructure project’’, and in the team of project ‘’ preparing the urban character guidelines on the urban district level-Cairo Governorate ‘’.
I’m interested in smart city concepts and how we could integrate Urban AI with Urban sustainability, therefore I enrolled in the Maker Diploma where I learnt more about sensors, circuits and integrated it with my field of study in the final project ‘’Smart enclosed outdoor space‘’.
Patricia Gamal, born in 1998, obtained her bachelor's degree in Urban Planning and Design in 2021 from Ain Shams University, Cairo. Patricia was appointed as a teaching assistant in the same department and has continued to work there ever since, where she has thoroughly enjoyed her academic career and teaching juniors. During her working period, Patricia took part in the TU Delft Autumn School "Planning and Design for the Just Transition." She also took part in an international competition called "15-Minute City," which was organized by the Busan Architecture Festival Organizing Committee. During her undergraduate studies, she attended several workshops organized by NOUH on urban upgrading and development. Patricia has gained experience and research interests in the fields of urban development, social inclusion and justice, and participatory planning as a result of her workshops and studies. Further, her research interests are focused on the correlation between environmental psychology and urban planning and design.
Samjhana graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the Institute of Engineering (IOE), Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu in 2017. As an architecture student, she became aware of the urban vulnerabilities when the massive earthquake hit Nepal in 2015 and exposed the risk of unplanned settlements and cities. However, it also provided her with an opportunity to reevaluate our urban infrastructures, open spaces, and development tendencies as a developing nation. Post the earthquake, Samjhana volunteered as a Technical Advisor in the construction of temporary shelters in the severely affected areas with the team of Aashraya Nepal. In the following years, she also volunteered in redevelopment of rural communities facilitated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Following my graduation, Samjhana worked for over 3 years at an Architectural and Planning Consultancy, Urban Park Pvt. Ltd. As an architect, she has worked on several projects in the field of Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Planning, and Landscape Design. The experiences have helped her comprehend the significant role that planning plays in shaping both the physical and social aspects of a sustainable community which led her to pursue my Masters with IUSD. Her career goal, post IUSD, is to work in the field of urban development and create design and planning solutions that can positively impact the urban communities by making them more livable, equitable, and resilient.
Vishal Kumar (1995, Meerut, India) graduated from School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal with Bachelors in Architecture in 2018. During his bachelors, he developed interests in the role of built environment in disaster resilience, participatory design and social housing. It led him to his final thesis work on disaster resilient resettlement design for Rohingya refugees on a cyclone and flood prone- riverine island in Bangladesh. His thesis work was ranked among top 3 at the international built4Humanity competition (2018) in Lisbon, Portugal.
Later, he worked with multiple non-profits for 3 years on projects with focus on energy efficiency and disaster resilience in the built environment for the marginalized communities in rural and urban contexts. He was part of SEEDS Technical Services team for the development of Artificial intelligence model for disaster vulnerability assessment using satellite imagery to generate hyper-local advisories at household level, which was piloted at multiple live cyclone and heatwave events in 2020 and 2021 in Odisha, Maharashtra and New Delhi.
At IUSD, he is motivated to further develop his skills in research and understanding of complexities of inclusivity and resilience in varied urban contexts.