Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Award for camps designer
INTERNATIONAL research led by Dundee University into the design and use of space in refugee camps is to be awarded a medal of excellence from a leading engineering body.
The research, led by Professor Husam Alwaer, chairman of urban design at the university’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), is set to receive the George Stephenson Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers.
The medal will be presented at a ceremony in London in October for Professor Alwaer’s paper Design and Use of Space in Refugee Camps: A Case Study of a Contested Terrain, published in the Urban Design and Planning Journal by Emerald Publishing.
It is the fourth award Professor Alwaer has received from the Institution of Civil Engineers over an eightyear period for his research in urban design and planning, recognising his position as a leading authority in the field.
He said: “I am thrilled to win this prestigious award and proud to be recognised for making a contribution to the urban design and planning community.
“Winning awards is really inspiring and encourages me to push the boundaries further with more intensive and innovative research efforts.”
The work focused on changes made by refugees at Al Za’atari, the largest refugee camp in the world.
Professor Alwaer visited the site in Jordan and found refugees had made several adaptions to create a more positive living space.
This included joining and repositioning them to establish more complex housing clusters with private courtyard areas.
This allowed “high streets” to emerge with businesses, shops and community centres, supporting around 82,000 people situated there who have fled the war in Syria.