Widening the Range of CES Credit Opportunities

Detail from a Traditional House in the Old Jewish Mahallah of Bukhara

The AIA UK Chapter’s commitment to offering its members a wide range of Continuing Education opportunities has received a boost this year via our arrangements with other organisations that also have an interest in the built environment. 

Two virtual lectures - coincidently both aired on 30 Sep 2021 (13:00 and 17:00) - took viewers through projects in distant Jordan and Uzbekistan, addressing conditions far outside the usual London architectural experience. 

ARTICLE 25 / Make Design Matter Lecture Series – Azraq School and Za’atari Classroom, Jordan.

AIA UK Board member, Bea Sennewald AIA – a Director at Article 25 - has been able to use her position to monitor the charity’s on-going lecture series ‘Make Design Matter’ and ascribe CES credits to their latest events.

September’s event – introduced by Denise Bennett, Chair of Article 25’s Board of Trustees - focused on the work of Emergency Architecture & Human Rights (EAHR) and their project in a Jordanian camp to create a multi-use public space and a classroom for refugees fleeing Syrian hostilities.  The discussions centred on methods of working with local communities to elicit their involvement in planning, designing, constructing, and using public spaces.   Refugees do not generally have a say in their own wellbeing; this initiative gave them a voice and - however narrowly focused – their involvement was productive.

The speakers included: Michael Ulfstjerne, EAHR’s CEO and Assistant Professor at Aalborg University; Chiara Garbelotto, Architect and Project Manager at EAHR; and Kotaiba Alabdullah, the founder of Acting For Change International.  Learn more about Article 25 by visiting its website HERE.

Azraq School in Jordan Refugee Camp

WORLD MONUMENT FUND® / On My Watch Series - Traditional Houses of Bukhara's Old Jewish Mahallah, Uzbekistan 

This lecture was the 2nd in the ‘On My Watch’ lecture series made available to AIA UK members through Lorraine King AIA’s involvement with WMF in London.  Whereas the 1st lecture focused on the building and conservational techniques for traditional mud architecture in Africa (see HERE), the 2nd one discussed the complexities of international research and planning, and the collaboration required to bring a large conservation project into being. 

In doing so, the lecture opened a window on a little know aspect of isolated Jewish culture along the Silk Road.  Less than 200 Bukharian Jews remain in the city and their traditional homes - with exceptional representations of woodworking craft - are in danger of serious decline and degradation. A video of the lecture summaries the situation of the vernacular architecture HERE.

The speakers included: Dr Ona Vileikis, University College London, and Sukhrob Babaev, Director for Strategic Development, both with the International Institute for Central Asian Studies; and Javier Ors Austin, an architect working with the World Monument Fund Modern Architecture Initiative and Jewish Heritage Program.

Housing Deterioration in an Abandoned Traditional Bukharian House

There are clearly other opportunities to widen our range of CES credits through collaboration with likeminded outside organisations.  In 2016 – for example - we promoted the 20th Century Society’s lecture series on Overseas Architects Working in Britain (see HERE) and we have also joined with INTBAU (see HERE) for their World Congress event.  

We welcome your introduction to other organisations that might be of interest to our membership.  Please contact us on secretary@aiauk.org with your suggestions.  

Written by: Lorraine King, AIA

Photo images curtesy of World Monument Fund and Article25.