Hello Steemit,
I am an Architect who’s was born in Iraq during the Iraq-Iran War and happens to be half Iraqi-Half Iranian from my mother side, I’m also an American Citizen (naturalized after migrating from Iraq post Iraq-US war. As you can see I come from a slightly conflicted background but I love it. My background taught me a lot about tolerance and empathy; two words are extremely needed in this age.
- Me in Africa during my 3rd Semester at Columbia University.
When I was a little I was lucky enough to discover the tools of art and architecture to express my most happy, sad, angry and controversial thoughts without getting into trouble. I studied and practiced Architecture in various global cities including, Baghdad/Iraq, Amman/Jordan, London/UK, Washington DC/ US, Kumasi/Ghana and New York/US. I have obtained my Masters from Columbia University in Architecture and Urban Design, there I worked on numerous research topics , tackling issues that deals with urban design, ecology, housing, post war architecture, sprawl and urban regeneration.
What I have been doing Lately:
Architecture in War:
I am collaborating with Studio-X Amman (of Columbia University) to conduct a year-long research in the Middle East, primarily in Iraq to understand the physical and cultural condition of cities during a state of war. I believe that cities are witnessing an erratic condition due to the war against terror. Through my research "Architecture in War" I am aiming to explore the role of the destabilization of security in the culture and architecture of a place. My area of focus is Baghdad since it's a perfect example of a city withstanding volatile instability for over fourteen years. However I shall be looking at other cities as case studies to enhance my research.
- From the short story War Frankenstein, written and illustrated by me.
My objective is to study the current behaviour of architecture and understand the factors and outcomes of this behaviour and its effect on the social order of the city. Choosing Baghdad as my city of focus, I intend to conduct interviews with the citizens, academics, intellectuals, practitioners and government agencies. My ultimate goal is to gather research and data to support a comprehensive publication on the context and roles of war in Baghdadi architecture and urbanism.
- Invincible Cities, Illustrated by me.
Triplicity Architects:
I also Co-founded “TripliCity,” an all-female research and design platform dedicated to the study of architecture and urban design issues around the world, with a focus on Iraq. The first design project, a competition held by the Mayoralty of Baghdad to rebuild two shopping centers that were destroyed by a terrorist attack, was short-listed with one other proposal among numerous submissions.
- Condolences banners hang by the family of the victims of the Karada shopping center.
Teaching:
I also taught Sustainable Urbanization: New Designs for the Future City for high school students. This course was designed for high school students interested in the fields of sustainable development, design, and engineering. Students are introduced to emerging trends in urban design in an interdisciplinary workshop environment in which they explore new solutions for sustainable cities in the context of a real-world project.
Non-Profit:
I am also a junior board member at Asia Initiate non-profit organization, whose mission is to leverage the power of social capital to promote healthcare, education and sustainable development, striving to bring positive change in the quality of life of people in under-served communities.
Looking Forward
I’m currently traveling in middle east between, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, UAE and Lebanon for my Architecture in War research. I am very excited to inform the Seemit community about the architecture and culture of my origin and help shed another perspective of what really happens in these countries, a perspective that is much different from what you hear and see in the media.
