Five Architectural Graduates from the Arab World to receive The Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Design at the German Jordanian University.
145 architectural graduation projects from 37 Universities from 9 countries in the Arab World were submitted for the sixth cycle of the Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Design. The projects came from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Award jury consisted of Egyptian architect Shahira Fahmy, the founder of Shahira Fahmy Architects; Lebanese architect Bernard Khoury, the founder of the architectural office DW5 / Bernard Khoury; and Turkish architect Murat Tabanlıoğlu, the co-founder of Tabanlıoğlu Architects. The Award jury awarded equal winning prizes to five projects. The winners are as follows:
Nassmah al Ghoussein
Project: Treading the Line, Beirut's Interactive Hackerspace, Beirut , Lebanon
American University of Beirut
Instructor: Karim Nader
Renall Elghoul
Project: All senses pavilion - Experience box, Ramallah, Palestine
Birzeit University
Instructor: Shaden Qasem
Haneen Khouli
Project: Machine in an empty and vast territory - Tension of permanence
American University of Sharjah
Instructor: George Katodrytis
Parastoo Najafi
Project: CRYSTAL [DE]FORMATION
American University of Sharjah
Instructor: George Katodrytis
Ahmad Yehya
Project: Home for Bedouins, Bekaa, Lebanon
American University of Beirut
Instructor: George Arbid
The Award Ceremony will be held in association with the German Jordanian University in Amman during December 2013.
The Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Design was initiated in 2008 to recognize distinguished architectural graduation projects among students of architecture at Jordanian universities. In 2009, the scope of the Award was expanded to include students of architecture from throughout the Arab World. The Award was founded by Omrania & Associates (O & A) and the Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE). O & A is an architectural and engineering consulting practice based in Riyadh, with offices in Amman and Manama, and has more than 35 years of experience in the Middle East and Europe. CSBE is a non-profit, private study and research institution that aims at addressing the challenges that affect the built environment in Jordan and beyond.
The Award is intended to help focus attention on the process of architectural education in the Arab World. It aims at recognizing quality in the teaching of architecture and encouraging students to excel in their design performance. It provides an opportunity for honoring recently-graduating students as well as their instructors and universities, and for promoting a healthy environment of competition among architectural programs in the Arab world.
The Award has grown and expanded over its six cycles. Award ceremonies and exhibitions have been held in different cities in the Arab world, including Amman, Beirut, Dubai, Irbid, and Manama. The yearly Award ceremony is held to honor the winners and to exhibit their graduation projects to a wider audience. Detailed information about the five cycles of the Award is available on the CSBE web site at www.csbe.org and the Award's website at www.omraniacsbeaward.org.