The Municipality & Planning Department – Ajman organized “Rawaq 2” forum, with the presence of H.E. Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Nuaimi, the Department’s Director-General, and H.E. Eng. Jamila Al Fendi, the Director-General of Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme, and the participation of an elite of architects, developers, and expertise holders in the field of contemporary design, as the forum, in its second version, was titled “The Spirit of Location and Human Identity”.
The forum witnessed conducting 3 interactive sessions that hosted the Architect Ahmed Bukhash, the Architectural Engineer Somayya Al Dabbagh, the Architect Islam Al Mashtouli, and the Architect & Urban Designer Moaadh Abu Zaid, who enriched the forum with their vast experience and enlightening ideas in the field of the preservation of existing authentic structures and the development of the same and the creation of the desired improvement.
A Minaret for Meeting & Promotion
H.E. Abdul Rahman Al Nuaimi confirmed in the beginning of the forum that the Department has found it appropriate to organize the vital forum in the most significant event of type in the UAE and the region in general, that is, Expo 2020 Dubai, which is a minaret for the meeting and promotion of brains in what would fully integrate with Rawaq’s objectives, aiming for the collection of the holders of bright ideas under one ceiling to think of the best and find active solutions that promote cities and disseminate individual designs and that merge the authentic heritage with the requirements of the modern age in an outstanding professional manner.
His Excellency continued: “Rawaq was able in its first version, to attain the desired objectives and it yielded a set of recommendations that have been transformed into realistic projects. We are looking forward in the current version to achieve further successes and to link culture and heritage with architecture and urban design.
The Dissemination of Beauty Everywhere
From his side, Dr. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed bin Omair Al Muhairi, the Executive Director of the Department’s Infrastructure Development Sector, emphasized that Rawaq forum is a vital platform for the collection of creative people under a single umbrella for the demonstration of outstanding projects that reflect the bright image of civilization and creative design, while he conveyed the Department’s aspirations to see beauty and art become a bright reality and aesthetic landmarks that can be found everywhere.
Dr. Eng. Bin Omair appreciated the efforts of the Department’s Buildings Department, which launched the idea of Rawaq and transformed the same into an applied project, based on ambitious competent human personnel that took charge of the circulation of the outstanding experiments in Arabian and global architecture and that aimed to host experts and specialists to avail experiences and disseminate qualitative ideas.
Interactive Sessions
The forum began with a session that hosted the Architectural Engineer Ahmed Bukhash, who is an Emirati talented architectural engineer who is fond of the presentation of the authentic heritage through outstanding architectural arts, and who emphasized the importance of powerful ideas and their ability to change the society and the importance of offering creative people throughout the world an opportunity to present their various works.
Bukhash presented the idea of the preservation of the ancient history, authenticity, and the spirit of identity, while he talked about Expo Live pavilion, which relied in its design on a Bedouin tent that contained heritage, the authentic customs and traditions, and the values of our Islamic religion.
The forum witnessed holding the second session, which hosted the Architect Somayya Al Dabbagh, who talked about several projects in architectural engineering, interior design, and projects management, over a span of more than 25 years, while she emphasized the importance of the unique fusion of cultures and designs for the creation of a qualitative design.
Al Dabbagh noted the role of positive change and the adoption of awareness about the values of a good design, while she stated the importance of the preservation of legacy and the preservation of the natural resources of rocks, sands and trees, which give a bright impression in design.
The forum closed its sessions by hosting Engineers Islam Al Mashtouli and Moaadh Abu Zaid, as Abu Zaid emphasized the importance of the designs that have a contemporary style and their role in the enhancement of interaction with the environment within an aesthetic and practice context that copes with future challenges, whereas Al Mashtouli presented human philosophy and its role in improving the life of communities, while he also believes that the practice of architecture requires a wide and comprehensive understanding of all the changes that are being witnessed by communities and linking history with the contemporary reality.
H.E. the Department’s Director-General honored the speakers and sponsors, while he emphasized the importance of appreciating the role of the enlightened minds and the efforts made for the creation of a bright present and setting forth wide milestones for a better future.
