The crises that devasted our country over the past 4 years, stimulated faculty and students to explore new approaches in design and investigate new grounds. The selection of projects offers a sample of the diverse students’ work that addresses the complex and emergent socio-economic dimension of the country and reflects the pedagogical commitment of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design in time of crises.
This approach continues to stress the importance that “architecture” can contribute to the improvement of society, through its attention to social, economic, and political issues. From revitalizing old neighborhoods in Beirut and other Lebanese cities which have been left to decay under speculative ‘development’, to the concern for suburban and marginal sites, students were initiated into the appreciation of the urban dimension of the architectural project and of the urban fabric of the interior space.
The attention given by these projects to social, environmental, economic and urban issues and their interrelationship, is one of the key aspects of this pedagogical approach that attempts to sensitize young architects and designers to the local, regional, and global problems facing us in the 21st century. This is a challenge that architects and designers will be called upon to address, in more than simple stylistic efforts.
The exhibition features students’ work from the architecture and interior design programs ranging from punctual and small scale design projects to larger and more comprehensive urban design strategies.