RGP Cycle 5 Grantees and Projects
Research Project: Architecture as a Craft: Enabling the Knowledge Heritage of Construction Crafts as an Alternative Approach to Justice and Environmental Development in the Construction of Space
Traditionally, the concept of craftsmanship was not limited to the work executed or its methods. In fact, craftsmanship underlined a work methodology, as well as social and economic systems which enabled the direct representation of artisans before the state and society. Artisan communities organized work among artisans, collected taxes, and brought cases relating to their work and issues before the courts. Artisan groups also worked to define the concepts of skill and mastery, and artisans abided by the rules of their training and profession. They evolved in their training as their experience grew on the one hand, and as their financial capabilities allowed them to ensure their independence from their teachers and their ability to prove themselves on the other hand.
In this respect, architecture was a craft covering construction in its simplest forms, namely building and restoring houses, and direct representation of builders of public buildings before the state. The craft gradually became more complex, splintering into different architectural arts. However, the rich and diverse construction crafts came to be reduced to the architect as a person. Thus, the once direct relationship between construction crafts and the city required the intervention of an architect as an intermediary. This evolution can be seen in a preliminary survey of the development of the city of Damascus, where we can identify its different stages and the impact of the various mechanisms of built and social environments in the city which, in turn, affected the city’s image and identity.
Globalization, industrial and technological revolutions, and the complexities of the local market left their mark on crafts in general, which could no longer continue unchanged. However, they also affected the modern Syrian society in Damascus. The relationship between the apprentice and the master craftsman, in particular, was and probably remains subject to the determinants of skill, discipline, and sometimes educational tutelage. Despite the absence of artisanal groups, the educational structure remained present in Syrian craftsmanship until recently. It is not yet clear what impact the current crisis will have on this structure, nor the damage it will wreak on the wealth of educational and professional knowledge.
This research proposal aims to explore the concept of craftsmanship in modern-day Syria in general, and Damascus in particular. It focuses on crafts related to construction and architecture, and their impact on the production of spaces in the city. The project hypothesizes that the study of craftsmanship related to the production, principles and styles of built environments represents an alternative approach to achieving justice, development, and well-being in the production of the city’s image. Thus, this project attempts to document these crafts’ resources and how the current Syrian crisis impacts them.
The main research question involves issues of rights and representation in the production of built environments. Despite numerous legislations and regulation attempts to control construction through planning and organizational frameworks, more than half the cities of Damascus and Aleppo remains the product of informal buildings. And despite attempts to neutralize and undermine informal buildings as illegal, informal buildings continue to thrive. This raises the timely and relevant question of “who makes the city?” On the other hand, the current crisis in Syria resulted in disruptions on all levels, especially in terms of knowledge and professional expertise in building methods and construction crafts, which is a problematic that requires the study of crafts and their knowledge heritage.
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Iyas Shahin graduated second in his class from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Damascus in 2007. He completed a master’s degree in architectural design in 2013; his thesis focused on the role of public squares in promoting a sense of belonging. Shahin then obtained a PhD in housing in 2017. He has published six peer-reviewed research papers on architecture and housing. He also produced four booklets based on his work and activities. In 2010, Shahin co-founded IWLab, which is a laboratory that specializes in architectural and cultural projects. Through IWLab, he has put together a number of exhibitions and workshops in Damascus and abroad. He also organized a workshop to raise awareness about the cultural heritage of Damascus among children. Shahin received five cultural grants in Britain, Finland, Beirut, Egypt, and Jordan. He also organized eight technical and architectural workshops. His most recent artistic works include “City Incarnation,” a visual art exhibition presented at the University of Cambridge in February 2017 and an exhibition on the art of mapping knowledge in Damascus at the National Center for Visual Arts.
Wesam Al-Asli is an architect and a building apprentice. He is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Natural Material Innovation at the University of Cambridge, where he studies crafts and traditions in thin-tile vaulting and its potential in reconstruction. He graduated in 2007 from Damascus University and earned his MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies from the University of Cambridge. His work experience covers Syria, Denmark, and the UK. In 2010, he co-founded IWLab in Damascus as a lab for the study of architecture, culture, and urban heritage. In Denmark, he worked with architectural studios HLA and Vismo. He was a guest tutor at the WAVE workshop in 2015 and 2017. He helped coordinate the Urbicide I conference in 2016 and the Venice Charter on Reconstruction. He is a co-founder and teacher at the IUAV and EAHR Master’s Program in Project Strategies & Innovation in Humanitarian Emergencies at the University of Venice (IUAV).