Wesam Al Asali, professor of IE School of Architecture and Design, wins Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2024
Wesam Al Asali, architect and professor of IE School of Architecture and Design at IE University, has received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2024. Each year, this prestigious international prize under UNESCO’s patronage recognizes five architects who share the principles of sustainable development and a participatory architectural approach to the address societal needs in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
The theme of the award this year, in its 18th edition, was ‘Architecture is Education’ and the members of the Jury highlighted the finalists’ "different educational and innovative approaches, as well as a different philosophy and practice of architecture, while promoting an ethical and responsible understanding of the architectural profession among the new generations."
The jury recognized Al Asali’s work at the helm of the IWlab laboratory, which he founded with Iyas Shahin. The two architects combine education, practice, and research, "and have created an educational climate that transcends the traditional boundaries of architectural practice." IWlab experiments with local materials and explores the complex relationships between the built and natural environments of the Middle East, developing collaborative projects and training opportunities that prioritize the exchange of traditional knowledge at all levels.
Professor Wesam Al Asali is passionate about the integration of manual and digital fabrication technologies with natural materials and traditional construction methods. His research explores craft techniques, technology, and building history to examine the role of culture and society in creating new architectural practices influenced by climate challenges.
"I think the jury appreciated our innovative approach to observing cities; we use tools borrowed from other arts such as film, theater or literature to construct very personal narratives of our cities."
Wesam Al Asali, architect and professor of IE School of Architecture and Design
"We have applied this approach in Damascus and other cities in Syria and the Middle East," explainedAl Asali, who also emphasizes the importance of using sustainable and natural materials in local constructions.
At IE School of Architecture and Design, Al Asali has developed research on traditional Spanish crafts and building techniques, and has worked with local artisans, an experience that he describes as “the essence of architecture.” With specialists in different manual arts and with the support of the IE University students, Al Asali recently built a pavilion of vaulted ceilings in Segovia using Augmented Reality, developed Spanish basketry workshops for learning textile engineering and architecture, and brought his students closer to the techniques of Segovians’ graffito, an architectural ornamental technique traditionally used in the Castilian city for decoration in plastering and wall cladding, both on the exterior and interior of buildings.
Wesam Al Asali's latest project in Segovia is a 4-meter-high geometric dome using interlaced joinery techniques dating back to the 13th century, in collaboration with the Avila-born master carpenter Angel Maria Martin, winner of the Europa Nostra 2024 award. The construction is currently on display in the Renaissance courtyard of IE University’s Santa Cruz la Real campus.
The Global Award for Sustainable Architecture has already distinguished 85 winners from all over the world committed to sustainable architecture. This award was created by the architect and academic Jana Revedin in 2006. Among the first laureates are Pritzker Prize winners Francis Kéré, Alejandro Aravena, Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, among others.
Wesam Al Asali
Wesam Al Asali, professor of IE School of Architecture and Design at IE University, holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge where he studied design strategies for the construction of low-carbon roof systems based on the Catalan vault construction technique. After submitting his thesis, and before joining IE University, Wesam received a Fung Global Fellows Fellowship to work as a research fellow at Princeton University during the 2021-2022 academic year. His research has received the Royal Institute of British Architects Research Award in Architecture (2021) and the Salje Medal for Best Doctoral Research in the Arts and Humanities from Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (2022).
Al Asali has received commissions and research grants from institutions such as the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, the Institute of Ceramic Technology and Princeton University. His current projects include the study of the use of natural materials in Spanish artisanal building techniques, informal and indigenous architecture influenced by scarcity in the Middle East, and the relationship between domestic spaces and food production in Syria during the crisis. Wesam is director of design and innovation at IWlab, the architecture firm he co-founded, and is also founder of the Educational Center for the Regeneration of Craft Construction (CERCAA).