AKPIA Alumni & Community News

Pictures of the AKPIA Virtual Reunions

Raya Ani, AKPIA SMArchS 1994 (December 21, January 22)
Forbes has named Raya Ani ’94, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala MCP PhD ’81, ’78, and former postdoc Shulamit Levenberg to their 50 Over 50 list, which highlights women from Europe, the Middle East and Asia who are leading the way, reports Maggie McGrath for Forbes. “Women around the world are proving that 50 and beyond is the new golden age,” writes McGrath.
MIT News link •  Forbes article
 •  Forbes MIddle East article highlighting the 4 Arab women who made it on the list.

In December 2021, Raya received the TAKREEM AWARD for Environmental Development and Sustainability.
Here is a clip of her acceptance speech in arabic.

 

Aslihan Demirtas, AKPIA SMArchS 2000 (October 21)
Aslihan Demirtaş presents her work Kaide [Plinth] on rammed soil that takes its cues and measures from the traditional growing beds modules still used at Istanbul’s Historical Yedikule Urban Vegetable Gardens. Published in Paperwork, part of the Pavilion of Turkey at the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale:
https://pavilionofturkey21.iksv.org/en/paperwork/kaide-plinth-or-what-does-075-m3-measure

Aslıhan Demirtaş was the guest of architect Nevzat Sayın's program MİM on Turkish National TV. Currently only in Turkish, you can watch the program focused on her work here: https://www.trtizle.com/programlar/mim/mim-51-bolum-6662066

 

Yasmine Abbas, AKPIA SMArchS 2001 (April 21)
Project title: AGBOGBLOSHIE MAKERSPACE PLATFORM (AMP) 
Project date: 2013-Present
Project team members: AMP Makerspace Collective
Co-Leads: DK Osseo-Asare & Yasmine Abbas
Project Description: African cities hold kernels of local knowledge and practices for global learning. Current UN projections suggest that 40% of planet Earth’s human population may be African by the end of the century. This demands rethinking not only models of urban innovation – to integrate more diversity and range of expertise – but also operations: How to embark everyone, democratically, in co-creation of their city?
African cities hold kernels of local knowledge and practices for global learning. Current UN projections suggest that 40% of planet Earth’s human population may be African by the end of the century. This demands rethinking not only models of urban innovation – to integrate more diversity and range of expertise – but also operations: How to embark everyone, democratically, in co-creation of their city? Continue reading ...

  Aslihan Demirtas, AKPIA SMArchS 2000 (July 20)
Issue of Arredamento Mimarlık (in Turkish) where they dedicated a profile section to Aslihan's practice. Here is one of many articles in the profile by alumni Nandini Bagchee in English.
(October 20)
At the 5th Istanbul Biennial themed "Empathy Revisited: Designs For More Than One" by curator Mariana Pestana.
Francesca Liuni, AKPIA SMArchS 2016 (June 20) 
Assistant professor of Interior Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. See about her previus exhibit here

Murat Germen, AKPIA SMArchS 1992 (May 20)
Website showing the artworks and museum / gallery exhibitions:
https://fass.sabanciuniv.edu/en/faculty-members/detail/559
Google scholar citations for published articles:
Azra Aksamija, AKPIA PhD 2011 (May & October 20)
Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization hosted an exhibition of Azra Aksamija and her Future Heritage Lab research about cultural resilience.http://act.mit.edu/news/2019/10/09/azra-aksamijas-t-serai-featured-sharjah-museum-islamic-civilization/
Designed the exhibition architecture for the exhibition “Sanctuary” at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, which explores the concept of the safe haven. https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/sanctuary
Book: Architecture of Coexistence: Building Pluralism investigates how architecture can shape an open-minded and inclusive society,
highlighting three internationally renowned European projects
Azra is now an Associate Professor with tenure in June 2019 in the MIT Department of Architecture, Program in Art, Culture and Technology.
Farrah Sabouni, AKPIA SMArchS 2014 (May 20)
Top 30 Influential Women of Houston. http://top30women.com/farrah-sabouni-oranje/
Michele Lamprakos, AKPIA PhD 2006 (May 20)
2019-2020  National Humanities Center Fellowship (includes a list of recent publications)
https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/fellow/michele-lamprakos-2019-2020/
2018:  Society of Architectural Historians:Spiro Kostof Book Award/Honorable Mention:

Jenine Kotob, AKPIA SMArchS 2013  (May 20)
Inaugural Citizen Architect, American Institute of Architects https://www.aia.org/showcases/6224047-jenine-kotob-assoc-aia  
2020 Associates Award, American Institute of Architects https://www.aia.org/showcases/6225603-jenine-kotob-assocaia

Villa Mesopotamia – 2002-2020, Poject by Jalal Algaood, AKPIA SMArchS 1990
This project is a personal investigation in architectural design: One that allows the outdoors to determine the indoors? How views, Sunlight, context, utility and zeitgeist can define the form of Architecture. Full description
Harvard Exhibit by Francesca Liuni, AKPIA SMArchS 2016: "Syntax of an Astrolabe" (June 2017)
Article by Nasser Rabbat: About the AKPIA Posters