Ahmad Sukkar
Dr Ahmad Sukkar is a well-established academic and intellectual. His work has received international awards, and it examines the interaction between architecture and urbanism, humanities, and culture in connection with design, heritage, and identity, focusing on the Middle East.
Before joining the University of Sharjah’s Department of Architectural Engineering as an assistant professor, Dr Ahmad Sukkar was an Aga Khan Fellow at MIT, an Imam Bukhari Fellow at the University of Oxford, a visiting Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, a Mellon Fellow at the American University of Beirut, a Fellow at the German Orient-Institut Beirut, an Overseas Research Fellow at Damascus University, and a Middle East Studies Association of North America’s Global Academy Scholar.
He completed a Ph.D. and a master’s of research (M.Res) in architectural humanities and cultural studies at the University of London with a doctoral dissertation shortlisted for the British Association for Islamic Studies’ De Gruyter Prize for the Study of Islam and the Muslim World. He also completed a master’s degree (M.Arch.) in architecture and urbanism at the Architectural Association. Attended by Zaha Hadid and leading architects, his master’s research project with his team received a distinction and the Far Eastern International Digital Architectural Design Award. He has worked at leading architectural offices in the Middle East and the UK, including Zaha Hadid Architects.
His publications appear in prestigious architectural and literary journals, including Buildings, Sustainability, Archives of Design Research, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Open House International, Mawlana Rumi Review (Brill), the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, and al-Adab.
He has acted as examiner of several doctoral and Master’s theses and graduation projects, as supervisor to several master’s dissertations, and as a reviewer to several Scopus-indexed journals such as Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research and the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development. He received funds for several architectural and educational projects from international organizations, including the University of Sharjah, the GIZ, and the EU.
He was shortlisted for the Tamayouz’s Mohamed Makiya Prize (Middle Eastern Architectural Personality of the Year 2020). Interviews with him appear on Jadaliyya and Round City.
Before joining the University of Sharjah’s Department of Architectural Engineering as an assistant professor, Dr Ahmad Sukkar was an Aga Khan Fellow at MIT, an Imam Bukhari Fellow at the University of Oxford, a visiting Lecturer at the University of Cambridge, a Mellon Fellow at the American University of Beirut, a Fellow at the German Orient-Institut Beirut, an Overseas Research Fellow at Damascus University, and a Middle East Studies Association of North America’s Global Academy Scholar.
He completed a Ph.D. and a master’s of research (M.Res) in architectural humanities and cultural studies at the University of London with a doctoral dissertation shortlisted for the British Association for Islamic Studies’ De Gruyter Prize for the Study of Islam and the Muslim World. He also completed a master’s degree (M.Arch.) in architecture and urbanism at the Architectural Association. Attended by Zaha Hadid and leading architects, his master’s research project with his team received a distinction and the Far Eastern International Digital Architectural Design Award. He has worked at leading architectural offices in the Middle East and the UK, including Zaha Hadid Architects.
His publications appear in prestigious architectural and literary journals, including Buildings, Sustainability, Archives of Design Research, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Open House International, Mawlana Rumi Review (Brill), the International Journal of Islamic Architecture, and al-Adab.
He has acted as examiner of several doctoral and Master’s theses and graduation projects, as supervisor to several master’s dissertations, and as a reviewer to several Scopus-indexed journals such as Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research and the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development. He received funds for several architectural and educational projects from international organizations, including the University of Sharjah, the GIZ, and the EU.
He was shortlisted for the Tamayouz’s Mohamed Makiya Prize (Middle Eastern Architectural Personality of the Year 2020). Interviews with him appear on Jadaliyya and Round City.
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Journal Articles by Ahmad Sukkar
Revisiting the long-debated question: “What is Islamic architecture?”, this research article aims to explore the identity of “Islamic architecture (IA)” in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the novel opportunities and cultural challenges associated with applying AI techniques, such as the machine learning of Midjourney in the context of IA. It investigates the impact factors of AI technologies on the understanding and interpretation of traditional Islamic architectural principles, especially architectural design processes. This article employs a quantitative research methodology, including the observation of works of artists and architectural designers appearing in the mass media in light of a literature review and critical analysis of scholarly debates on Islamic architecture, spanning from historical perspectives to contemporary discussions. The article argues for the emergence of a continuous paradigm shift from what is commonly known as “postmodern Islamic architecture” (PMIA) into “artificial intelligence Islamic architecture” (AIIA), as coined by the authors of this article. It identifies the following impact factors of AI on IA: (1) particular requirements and sensitivities, inaccuracies, and biases, (2) human touch, unique craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of cultural issues, (3) regional variation, (4) translation, (5) biases in sources, (6) previously used terms and expressions, and (7) intangible values. The significance of this research in digital heritage lies in the fact that there are no pre-existing theoretical publications on the topic of “Islamic architecture in the age of artificial intelligence”, although an extensive set of publications interpreting the question of the definition of Islamic architecture, in general, is found. This article is pivotal in analyzing this heritage-inspired design approach in light of former criticism of the definition of “Islamic architecture”, which could benefit both theorists and practitioners. This theoretical article is the first in a series of two sequential articles in the Buildings journal; the second (practical) article is an analytical evaluation of the Midjourney architectural virtual lab, defining major current limits in AI-generated representations of Islamic architectural heritage.
This study analyzes the effect of the techniques of active teaching and learning as a way of delivery on the outcomes of quality learning. Focusing on the courses of architectural science taught in a nontraditional method using various active learning strategies, the study takes the case study of the course Building Illumination and Acoustics (BIA) delivered in the academic year 2019–2020 at the University of Sharjah (UoS)'s Architectural Engineering Department (AED).
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the study applied a case study and survey as methods. A questionnaire was designed and performed to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the implemented active teaching method.
Findings
The vibrant learning setting made the students actively engaged and more motivated and enthusiastic. The active learning practices used, including employing senses as in sight and hearing, reasoning rationally and intuitively, reflecting and acting, working steadily and in fits and starts, creating mathematical models, visualizing and memorizing and drawing analogies, were efficient in boosting their ability to comprehend theoretical concepts more effectively. The delivery style effectively enhances quality learning when various active techniques are used pedagogically beyond being merely a utilitarian instrument to prepare novice students of architectural engineering to fulfill practical challenges.
Research limitations/implications
This article focuses specifically on a theoretical, scientific non-studio course in a particular program of architectural engineering in a particular semester before the dramatic changes in styles of teaching delivery that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research could further highlight its results by comparing them to statistical evidence of the development of the course, especially for the duration of online teaching during the pandemic and the hybrid teaching period after it.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the development of teaching and learning of architectural engineering in the local Emirati context by putting original theories of teaching into practice. This paper further contributes to the field of architectural pedagogy in terms of the effect of active learning in the architecture field in the non-studio courses in higher education in the United Arab Emirates.
Conference Papers by Ahmad Sukkar
Reviews by Ahmad Sukkar
Story by Ahmad Sukkar
Newspaper Article by Ahmad Sukkar
أحمد سكر، عماد مشتهى، عمران العويس، ورشا عبدو. "متنفس صحي للتعامل مع الأزمات: ’العمارة‘ تتصالح مع الطبيعة" دنيا الاتحاد، السنة 51، العدد 16614، 1-1-2021، ص. ص. 31، 33.
Interviews by Ahmad Sukkar
Doctoral Thesis by Ahmad Sukkar
Conferences by Ahmad Sukkar
Revisiting the long-debated question: “What is Islamic architecture?”, this research article aims to explore the identity of “Islamic architecture (IA)” in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the novel opportunities and cultural challenges associated with applying AI techniques, such as the machine learning of Midjourney in the context of IA. It investigates the impact factors of AI technologies on the understanding and interpretation of traditional Islamic architectural principles, especially architectural design processes. This article employs a quantitative research methodology, including the observation of works of artists and architectural designers appearing in the mass media in light of a literature review and critical analysis of scholarly debates on Islamic architecture, spanning from historical perspectives to contemporary discussions. The article argues for the emergence of a continuous paradigm shift from what is commonly known as “postmodern Islamic architecture” (PMIA) into “artificial intelligence Islamic architecture” (AIIA), as coined by the authors of this article. It identifies the following impact factors of AI on IA: (1) particular requirements and sensitivities, inaccuracies, and biases, (2) human touch, unique craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of cultural issues, (3) regional variation, (4) translation, (5) biases in sources, (6) previously used terms and expressions, and (7) intangible values. The significance of this research in digital heritage lies in the fact that there are no pre-existing theoretical publications on the topic of “Islamic architecture in the age of artificial intelligence”, although an extensive set of publications interpreting the question of the definition of Islamic architecture, in general, is found. This article is pivotal in analyzing this heritage-inspired design approach in light of former criticism of the definition of “Islamic architecture”, which could benefit both theorists and practitioners. This theoretical article is the first in a series of two sequential articles in the Buildings journal; the second (practical) article is an analytical evaluation of the Midjourney architectural virtual lab, defining major current limits in AI-generated representations of Islamic architectural heritage.
This study analyzes the effect of the techniques of active teaching and learning as a way of delivery on the outcomes of quality learning. Focusing on the courses of architectural science taught in a nontraditional method using various active learning strategies, the study takes the case study of the course Building Illumination and Acoustics (BIA) delivered in the academic year 2019–2020 at the University of Sharjah (UoS)'s Architectural Engineering Department (AED).
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the study applied a case study and survey as methods. A questionnaire was designed and performed to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the implemented active teaching method.
Findings
The vibrant learning setting made the students actively engaged and more motivated and enthusiastic. The active learning practices used, including employing senses as in sight and hearing, reasoning rationally and intuitively, reflecting and acting, working steadily and in fits and starts, creating mathematical models, visualizing and memorizing and drawing analogies, were efficient in boosting their ability to comprehend theoretical concepts more effectively. The delivery style effectively enhances quality learning when various active techniques are used pedagogically beyond being merely a utilitarian instrument to prepare novice students of architectural engineering to fulfill practical challenges.
Research limitations/implications
This article focuses specifically on a theoretical, scientific non-studio course in a particular program of architectural engineering in a particular semester before the dramatic changes in styles of teaching delivery that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research could further highlight its results by comparing them to statistical evidence of the development of the course, especially for the duration of online teaching during the pandemic and the hybrid teaching period after it.
Originality/value
This article contributes to the development of teaching and learning of architectural engineering in the local Emirati context by putting original theories of teaching into practice. This paper further contributes to the field of architectural pedagogy in terms of the effect of active learning in the architecture field in the non-studio courses in higher education in the United Arab Emirates.
أحمد سكر، عماد مشتهى، عمران العويس، ورشا عبدو. "متنفس صحي للتعامل مع الأزمات: ’العمارة‘ تتصالح مع الطبيعة" دنيا الاتحاد، السنة 51، العدد 16614، 1-1-2021، ص. ص. 31، 33.