MASHRABIYA || 00 Identity
i·den·ti·ty noun 1. the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. Whether we manifest it ourselves, or it is superimposed on us, our sense of identity can become a driving force behind everything we create. Identity is deeply embedded in the spaces we occupy. Other times, it is something we carry within, transcending borders, wars, and generations. Conflicting or dual identity is part of what it means to be Middle-Eastern, especially for Middle-Eastern Americans. MASHRABIYA is a periodical produced annually by Future Architects of the Middle East, an undergraduate student organization in the City College of New York’s Spitzer School of Architecture. The publication focuses on Middle Eastern architecture, with the goal of shining light on a vibrant, diverse community that is often exoticized, villainized, underrepresented and misunderstood. Through this journal, we seek to facilitate an ongoing dialogue about architecture and identity. Mashrabiya is run entirely by student editors, and features work by students and practitioners around the globe. (Definition by Oxford Dictionary)
Acknowledgements: A warm thank you to the wonderful students and practitioners whose beautiful work is the heart of this issue. Special thanks to Sean Weiss, our ever-patient, supportive faculty advisor. Finally, our love and gratitude to the Spitzer School of Architecture community, for their resilience and committment to producing beauty during a difficult time for the school and for the global community.
VOIDED HERITAGE Ranad Deeb
Š Copyright 2020 Mashrabiya, all rights reserved. All material is compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but published without responsibility for errors or omissions. We have attempted to contact all copyright holders, but this has not been possible in all circumstances. We apologize for any omissions and, if noted, will amend in any future editions. All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted. Contact: Mashrabiya Editor@Mashrabiya.org www.mashrabiya.org Mashrabiya Future Architects of the Middle East The City College of New York Spitzer School of Architecture 141 Convent Avenue New York, New York 10031
The Mashrabiya Team Student Editors: Benjamin Akhavan Hajar Alrifai Ahmed Helal Tatiana Voitovic
Mashrabiya Volume 00 Identity ISBN: 978-1-64871-491-7
With Contributions From Dima Abdu: Dima is a fourth-year student in Architecture and Town Planning at Technion University. Her photographs were taken in the city of Haifa, where she has lived and studied her whole life. Benjamin Akhavan: Benjamin is a fifth-year B.Arch student with a concentration in Architectural History and Theory in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. Abdalla Almulla: Abdalla is the architect/designer behind MULA, a UAE-based design studio. Abdalla received his B.Arch from Woodbury University in San Diego, USA. MULA’s creative practice is driven by the creative energy, which is constantly in flux; going into the unknown, creating new ideas and developing them as the design advances. Hajar Alrifai: Hajar is a third-year B.Arch student in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. She also serves as president of Future Architects of the Middle East. Ranad Deeb: Ranad is a graduate of Architecture and Town Planning at Technion University. Rayan Elnayal: Rayan is a Sudanese-British artist/designer interested in multiculturalism in art and design. Her interest in magic realism and the idea of “Afrabia” initially started as part of her architecture graduate project at the University of Greenwich and remains on-going. Rayan is currently working as an Architectural Assistant on educational projects in the UK and Asia. Nada El Sayed: Nada is a third-year B.Arch student in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. In addition to her studies, she has a passion for Middle Eastern art and calligraphy, particularly mandalas. Nelly El Sharkawi: Nelly is an architect and ballerina from Cairo, Egypt, with a passion for street and architectural photography. She currently serves as Partner, Manager, and Creative Director at Cairopolitan, a design store and art gallery in Cairo. Mohamad Hafez: Mohamad is a Syrian American artist and architect. He currently serves as a 2018 Yale University Silliman College Fellow, Interpreter in Residence at U-Chicago Oriental Institute, and artist-inresidence at the Keller Center of Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago. Ahmed Helal: Ahmed is a third-year B.Arch student in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York. He has studied and practiced architecture in Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ahmed has always been interested in architecture as a representation of cultural identity. Nadeen Hassan: Nadeen is a fifth-year B.Arch student in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York. She currently serves as secretary of Future Architects of the Middle East. Maike Steidler: Maike is a fourth-year student at the Technical University of Munich. She took a year to study in the Middle East, at Technion University, where she fell in love with the conservation and adaptive reuse of historical buildings, which she currently practices in Germany. Tatiana Voitovica: Tatiana is a third-year B.Arch student in the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture at The City College of New York. She was born and raised in Riga, Latvia, studied art and design in Northern Ireland. Tatiana discovered her passion for painting early in her life, and still carries it with