November 23rd, 2016: The latest presentation in the Canadian University Dubai (CUD) School of Architecture and Design lecture series has addressed the social dimensions of architectural design.
Presented by Assistant Professor, Mr. Massimo Imparato, the lecture explored the reconciliation between architecture and civic society and considered how design approaches could help to improve people’s lives.
Mr. Imparato discussed the idea that architects should consider more than the physical space in the design process; they should also pay attention to the culture and the attitudes of the community and make their designs responsive to societal needs.
Drawing upon the example of Giancarlo De Carlo’s Villaggio Matteotti, which brought together houses designed for different socio-demographic groups in a single development, Mr. Imparato examined how an evaluation of stakeholder needs could help to meet the requirements of an entire community.
More locally, Mr. Imparato identified the Sha’bi housing that originated in Abu Dhabi in the 1970s as a good example of incremental architecture, which, based upon the creation of an open and flexible framework, could then be adapted by the residents themselves to address their particular needs.
Mr. Imparato concluded by saying that architects must always remain aware that their goal should be to serve the needs of the end-user and the design process should be approached in this way.
The lecture was one in the series of events from the School of Architecture and Design to showcase ongoing research being conducted by faculty members.
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