In the 4th Conference on Sustainable Architecture…
The 4th International Conference on Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urbanism at the beginning of the third millennium was launched in March 2017 in the United Arab Emirates. Since 2014, these conferences have been held every year in the last month of the year in Dubai Knowledge Village. The purpose of holding these conferences is to exchange views and acquaint the country’s architects, engineers, and urban planners with international experts in construction and urbanism. So far, well-known university professors and internationally renowned engineers have been present to give lectures and participate in related topics. professors, engineers, students, and managers of the country’s engineering organizations, municipalities, city council, and trade unions members have also been present on behalf of our beloved country.
In addition to conferences and specialized meetings, new projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, such as the Knowledge village university complex, Palm Island, Masdar Town, Yas Island, and the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, have been visited. on the second day of the conference field studies of these projects and Discussion on new construction and urban issues have been noticed by the participants.
The fourth conference was launched on March 6 in Dubai and on March 7 in Abu Dhabi. researchers and enthusiasts in the field of construction and urbanism were present at the conference. Ana Baftshahr, designing holding, Michael Hopkins Office from England, and Amiti University from India participated in this conference. Architecture students in Dubai also attended the conference and took an active part in the event. on the first day, the conference opened with presenting 15 selected articles in the presence of judges. In the following, when the conference officially started, Dr. Vahid Ghobadian, the chairman of the conference, explained the objectives of holding the conference every year, while welcoming the audience and mentioned what are the principles and criteria of sustainability.
Mr. Andrew Ardel, Design Director of Michael Hopkins, one of the leading British companies in the field of sustainable design in the world, was the first scientific speaker of the conference. While explaining about sustainable architecture and urban development, he described several projects designed and implemented following these principles by Hopkins office.
After him, Dr. Niva Mahanta, Director of the Department of Architecture at Amiti University, accompanied by Dr. Abraham Samuel, Professor at Amiti University, discussed the role of water in sustainable design. Minimizing water consumption and its key role in building and urbanization were considered as sustainable design priorities.
It should be noted that Professors Alexander Smith and Fatima Smith, professors at the American University in Dubai, as well as Dr. Vahid Ghobadian and Mr. Mohsen Abrisham Kar, were present until the end of the conference and answered the participants’ questions. Dr. Fatima Smith and Mr. Abrisham Kar translated parts of the lectures and gave specialized explanations simultaneously.
At the end of the conference, a specialized panel was held with the presence of the above professors.at first, Dr. Vahid Ghobadian gave a summary of the conference results and then discussed it with the audience and other panel members. Researchers and professors present in the hall also participated in this panel and expressed their views on sustainability issues in Iran and other countries. when the specialized panel ended, appreciation letters and gifts were presented to the guests by the conference organizing committee.
The second day of the conference, which was dedicated to a field trip to Masdar and Abu Dhabi, started at 9 am from the Holiday Inn Express Hotel. The participants traveled by bus from Dubai to Abu Dhabi with Dr. Ghobadian. During the trip, the last exit, which was at the exit of Dubai Road to Abu Dhabi and on the way back to Dubai, was visited. The different and interesting atmosphere was noticed by the participants.
A few kilometers to Abu Dhabi is the city of Masdar, which was one of the destinations on the second day of the conference. The city of Masdar is the first and currently the only sustainable city in the world. The master plan of the city and its university was designed by Norman Foster. And by 2025, this project will be fully operational.
Masdar University is currently completed and opened, Also, several different companies as well as a part of the underground transportation of the city which is done by driverless electric cars. The whole city is designed with a human scale and for pedestrians also private cars aren’t allowed in the city. The city is dependent on solar energy and other renewable sources. The Masdar city is located 17 kilometers east-south-east of the city of Abu Dhabi, beside Abu Dhabi International Airport.
This green city was built in one of the most difficult habitats in the world, which is the desert. In summer, the temperature in the afternoon reaches 48 degrees Celsius. during the desert dry winds, the conditions are quite unbearable. The city of Masdar is an example of zero carbon, zero waste, for pedestrians, and Using 100% renewable energy city It is a world-class and environmentally friendly city. Following the trip to Abu Dhabi, Yas Island, and Saadiyat Island were visited.
During the trip, the place where the turtles lay their eggs and the significant buildings were discussed and described. The second destination of the trip was to visit the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. Before visiting the Louvre, they ate lunch, said their prayers, and took some rest in Yas Island and they made a general visit to Ferrari Park. Ferrari Park is home to international car racing.
Louvre Abu Dhabi is an art and civilization museum which is located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The museum was launched on November 8, 2017, by French President Emmanuel Macron. The museum establishment was part of a 30-year agreement between the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the French government. The museum is located on the Saadiyat Island Cultural District. The Louvre Abu Dhabi building was designed in 2008 by Jean Nouvel, a prominent French architect, inspired by region architecture. He designed the museum by combining indigenous Arabic architecture with minimalist modern style. Jean Novell is the winner of the Pritzker Prize, which is the Nobel Prize for Architects. None of its 55 halls, including its 23 permanent galleries, are similar.
The placement of the museum halls in the complex plan is similar to the placement of buildings in old cities in the Persian Gulf. There is a huge metal lattice dome adapted from Chinese knot designs on the whole museum.After visiting the Louvre Museum and taking some photos from this architectural artwork, the two-day event concluded. On the way back from the city of Abu Dhabi, specialized explanations were provided about the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, the Capital Gate Tower, and the Abu Dhabi Communication Bridge which is designed by Zaha Hadid.
Conference speakers
Prof. Vahid Ghobadian
Prof. Alexander Smith
Dr. Hanan Taleb
Dr. Ftima Smith
Dr. Niva Mahanta
