Prof. Ashraf M. Salama
Dr Florian Wiedmann
Florian Wiedmann is an academic architect specialized in sustainable urbanism who has been working in research, practice and teaching since 2006. His involvement in interdisciplinary projects and courses in five different countries made it possible for him to gain in-depth experience in various areas of urban development, from urban governance to urban economics and the spatial impact of migration. The main focus of his research, practice and teaching are found in the context of rapid urban growth and transformation in emerging cities and the resulting challenges, such as new satellite settlements, urban renewal strategies and the role of architecture in place making and in introducing affordable housing. After his studies in architecture and urban design at TU Dresden and University of Stuttgart, Dr Wiedmann began his PhD at the urban design institute of the University of Stuttgart. The topic of his dissertation was the new form of urban governance and the resulting transformation of the built environment in fast-growing cities in the Gulf region, with Dubai and Bahrain as case studies.
Ashraf M. Salama is academic, scholar, and Chair Professor in Architecture. He is Professor of Architecture and Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde Glasgow, UK. Professor Salama was the Founding Head of the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning at Qatar University (2009-2014). Earlier, he has held permanent, tenured, and visiting positions in Egypt (Misr International University and Al-Azhar University), Italy (University of Naples_Federico II), Saudi Arabia (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals), and the United Kingdom (Queen's University Belfast). He is the Chief Editor of ArchNet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, collaborating editor of Open House International, editorial board member for International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, International Journal of Islamic Architecture, among several others.
He is a regular reviewer for several international journals including Fabrications; Journal of Urbanism; Habitat International; Cities; City, Culture and Society; City, Territory and Architecture; Journal of Design Research; Journal of Architectural Education; Australian Planner; and Urban Design and Planning. He also serves on the scientific and review boards of several international organizations in North America, Europe, and South East Asia.
Professor Salama is the recipient of the 2017 UIA Jean Tschumi Prize for Excellence in the Architectural Education and Criticism. He chaired and led three schools of architecture over the past 20 years in Egypt, Qatar, and the United Kingdom. He is a licensed architect in Egypt since 1987 and has practiced in Egypt (1987-92) and was the Director of Research and Consulting at Adams Group Architects, Charlotte, North Carolina (2001-04). He has been a consultant to a number of Authorities in Egypt (1996-2000) and development agencies in the Gulf region (2004-06). He has published 9 books and over 170 articles and book chapters. His research interests and experience cross the boundaries of disciplines and involve theories and methodologies of design studio teaching in architecture and urban design; typological transformations in traditional architecture/urban spaces; sustainable design processes; environmentally sustainable tourism development; sustainable schools; workplace environmental quality; assessing designed environments from socio-cultural and users' perspectives; adaptive urbanism and the spatial practice of cultural groups in rapidly growing contexts; livability and diversity in urban environments; and investigating architecture and urbanism in emerging cities in the global south.
Dr Florian Wiedmann
Florian Wiedmann is an academic architect specialized in sustainable urbanism who has been working in research, practice and teaching since 2006. His involvement in interdisciplinary projects and courses in five different countries made it possible for him to gain in-depth experience in various areas of urban development, from urban governance to urban economics and the spatial impact of migration. The main focus of his research, practice and teaching are found in the context of rapid urban growth and transformation in emerging cities and the resulting challenges, such as new satellite settlements, urban renewal strategies and the role of architecture in place making and in introducing affordable housing. After his studies in architecture and urban design at TU Dresden and University of Stuttgart, Dr Wiedmann began his PhD at the urban design institute of the University of Stuttgart. The topic of his dissertation was the new form of urban governance and the resulting transformation of the built environment in fast-growing cities in the Gulf region, with Dubai and Bahrain as case studies.
In 2009, he was employed at Albert Speer + Partner (AS+P) in Frankfurt am Main, where he gained practical experience in architecture, urban design and planning. This included work on the plans for a large conversion of a former industrial area in Munich and providing support to the local planning authorities regarding key urban design and architectural decisions for the new Siemens Headquarters. He also participated in the development of a master plan for a satellite city extension in metro Cairo. After this position, he joined an international research collaboration between TU Munich and Qatar University as a post-doc in 2011. Over three years, during which he lived in Doha, Qatar, he coordinated an interdisciplinary and international team and explored new approaches to identify the various interdependencies between economic diversification strategies and the restructuring of urban settlements.
After returning to Frankfurt am Main in 2014, he became an external lecturer at Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (Faculty of Architecture). He still hold this position currently, and is responsible for various design studios, courses and the supervision of master’s students. In addition to teaching, he has worked as a sub-consultant for Makower Architects on plans for an urban regeneration project in the city centre of Doha. He joined the University of Strathclyde (Department of Architecture) in Glasgow where he has been collaborating in studying the effects of rapid migration processes on housing and urbanism in the Global South.
