Architecture of Culture. Design Labs II. Volume I

Architecture of Culture is a project which explores the subject of craft preservation from a macroscale, looking at it in relation to local materials, local architecture, and local environments to study its everchanging role and impact on the Emirati community’s sustainability and to revitalize its role in today’s economy and environment.

Architects, designers, urbanists, curators, researchers, artists, geologists, biologists, chemists, and craft specialists across the MENASEA, have been invited to contribute to this publication. Crafting connections and empowering women from its base in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council operates a pioneering Council of creative, cultural and commercial initiatives designed to empower women through craft. Spanning the Middle East, North Africa and South-East and Central Asia, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council’s activities centre on the preservation and promotion of indigenous craft heritage, the engagement of young generations and the development of new international market opportunities.

Due to the cultural and sustainable significance of looking inwards and returning to the vernacular, Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council set out to curate an experimental research on the Architecture of Culture by delving into the context of UAE’s cultural heritage, for its Design Labs II initiative: in which the first year focused on a research fellowship with the American University of Sharjah’s College of Architecture, Art and Design.