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Eslam Nofal
  • Grote Gracht 86
    6211 SZ Maastricht
    The Netherlands
  • +32483320696
Each built heritage artifact possesses multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative and tacit qualities and values like the architectural symbolism of a monument. This paper investigates... more
Each built heritage artifact possesses multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative and tacit qualities and values like the architectural symbolism of a monument. This paper investigates how tangible interaction can enable the communication of qualitative information of built heritage to lay visitors. Through a comparative, field study in a real-world museum context, we examined how the tangible characteristics of an interactive prototype museum installation influence how visitors perceive a particular story. The communicated story relates a historical journey in ancient Egypt to the physical and architectural characteristics of the entrance colonnade at the Djoser Complex in Saqqara. The first preliminary findings indicate how tangible interaction is able to engage museum visitors more to accomplish additional efforts, facilitating a vivid understanding of cultural values and architectural qualities of built heritage.
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning on heritage artifacts, where visitors get engaged in learning due to an intrinsic motivation. Sharing the museum space among visitors allows for collective learning... more
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning on heritage artifacts, where visitors get engaged in learning due to an intrinsic motivation. Sharing the museum space among visitors allows for collective learning experiences and socializing with each other. Museums aim to design and deploy Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) in order to embrace the physical materialities of artifacts in the visiting experience. TUIs are believed to be more collaborative, attract more visitors, and persuade them to explore further. Cultural learning on heritage artifacts is particularly meaningful from the early age when opinions and attitudes are shaped. Museums accordingly follow a gamification approach (i.e., using game elements in a non-game context) to provide a collaborative and entertaining learning experience to young visitors. In this study, we investigate the implications of merging these two approaches in order to take advantage of the qualities of both TUIs and gamification ...
Context is crucial for understanding meanings and values of heritage. Several heritage artifacts from recently destroyed monuments are exhibited in different museums around the world. As such contextualizing those isolated heritage... more
Context is crucial for understanding meanings and values of heritage. Several heritage artifacts from recently destroyed monuments are exhibited in different museums around the world. As such contextualizing those isolated heritage artifacts enables museums to communicate architectural and spatial qualities of the original context to their visitors. With the rapid evolution of digital technologies, museums started to incorporate Augmented Reality (AR) to present and interpret their collections in more appealing and exciting ways. AR allows both an enrichment of heritage communication, and also encouragement of interactivity in museums. Through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how AR enhances the communication of the original context of an isolated artifact from the Nimrud palace in Iraq. We deployed a mixed-method evaluation methodology that led to an effective and engaging communication of the architectural context of that artifact, particularly per...
Meanings and values of built heritage vary from factual and explicit meanings which are relatively easy to present, to more tacit knowledge, which is typically more challenging to communicate due to its implicit and often abstract... more
Meanings and values of built heritage vary from factual and explicit meanings which are relatively easy to present, to more tacit knowledge, which is typically more challenging to communicate due to its implicit and often abstract character. In this paper, we investigate how tangible interaction influences the communication of this tacit knowledge of built heritage, and howit affects the experience of visitors. Through a between-group comparative study in a real-world museum context, we examined howthe tangible characteristics of an interactive prototypemuseuminstallation influence how visitors perceive a particular story containing tacit heritage knowledge. The communicated story relates a historical journey in ancient Egypt to the physical and architectural characteristics of the entrance colonnade at the Djoser Complex in Saqqara. Our experimental conditions consisted of an interactive navigation (input) and a passive representation (output) components, ranging from traditional d...
Physical heritage objects and assets are related to a vast amount of digital information of different kinds, which are challenging to be communicated to visitors in understandable and engaging ways. Yet recent technological advances... more
Physical heritage objects and assets are related to a vast amount of digital information of different kinds, which are challenging to be communicated to visitors in understandable and engaging ways. Yet recent technological advances promise new opportunities to more tightly merge the digital with the physical world. This paper therefore introduces the concept of “phygital heritage”, the integration of digital technology ‘into’ physical reality, as a potential medium for more enriched and playful communication of heritage values and qualities. We propose that phygital heritage should enable the exploitation of typical advantages of both digital and physical reality, and that distinct categories of phygital can be recognized based on: 1) the level of physical affordance; and 2) in how far the technology is integrated into the physical reality. The paper also opens the discussion about the potential challenges and concerns which future explorations, scientific research and real-world a...
This article aims to investigate how participatory design influences interdisciplinary relationships in digital heritage projects. In particular, the article reflects on opportunities and challenges of interdisciplinary encounters in... more
This article aims to investigate how participatory design influences interdisciplinary relationships in digital heritage projects. In particular, the article reflects on opportunities and challenges of interdisciplinary encounters in participatory design, with the cross-border project “Terra Mosana” as a case study, which aims to investigate, digitalize, and communicate the shared heritage of the Meuse–Rhine Euregion (EMR). Terra Mosana is a collaboration between multiple partners from municipalities, museums, cultural heritage sites, and universities in different EMR cities. Partners of the project have different backgrounds that vary from archaeologists, historians, and heritage professionals to computer scientists, developers, and communication specialists. My role in this project focused on designing and organizing several participatory design workshops with citizens of the EMR, aiming to empower and enable them to share their views about their shared history, and what they want...
It is believed that social media applications have already being accepted by young generations as a platform to socialize, collaborate and learn in an informal and flexible manner. Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook have... more
It is believed that social media applications have already being accepted by young generations as a platform to socialize, collaborate and learn in an informal and flexible manner. Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook have become extremely popular recently. The number of Facebook users in the Saudi Arabia has approximately quadrupled in the last three years (early 2010 – early 2013), increasing from 1.39 million users to 5.85 million users. Youth (between the ages of 15 and 29) continue to make up around 60% of Facebook users in the kingdom. They prefer SNSs to access information as it reduces physical strain, speak freely and improve self-confidence and character-building. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Saudi Arabia are becoming a serious public health problem, especially among teenagers and youth. Human factors are responsible for about 85 percent of all car accidents in the kingdom. Education and awareness are playing a promising role in traffic safety. Types of awar...
Research Interests:
The term ‘cultural landscape’ is examined from the perspective of its generally accepted use in various parts of the world. Contrasts exist due to the different cultural histories, academic affiliations and to the practitioners of the... more
The term ‘cultural landscape’ is examined from the perspective of its generally accepted use in various parts of the world. Contrasts exist due to the different cultural histories, academic affiliations and to the practitioners of the concept. Presently the term appears to have greater currency and relevance to landscape planning in Europe. Cultural landscapes include homesteads and farmlands, as well as remnant native vegetation, Aboriginal sites and places, wetlands, early settlements, disused cemeteries, defunct industrial complexes and so on. These cultural landscapes preserve cultural values and ecological diversity, while offering economic gain through continued agriculture and tourism and considerable scenic and amenity value to local areas and daily life. The concept of Cultural Heritage Landscapes is perhaps the most profound in the field of heritage preservation. It has long been intuitively understood that certain places have a special, distinguishable character based on ...
Research Interests:
Augmented reality (AR) has been touted as the bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, as new technologies add information to real-world environments. This paper examines how an augmented reality guide can enrich museum visits by... more
Augmented reality (AR) has been touted as the bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, as new technologies add information to real-world environments. This paper examines how an augmented reality guide can enrich museum visits by facilitating interaction and navigation. It seems that AR is an interesting tool for helping the visitor to do an active visual survey and to identify relevant facts, as well as looking at the artworks in a new insight. The study argues that the superimposing function of AR encourages the visitor to learn more about the context of cultural objects. This include: (a) comparing the distinctive aspects of an object or an artwork with other works; (b) exploring the creation process of objects by indicating the relevant or hidden details; and (c) supplying visitors with information that are usually accessible only to museum professionals. The aforementioned situations prompt the visitors to discover cultural objects, sculptures or any artwork in a playful...
Research Interests:
Problem statement: The problem can be summarized in the absence of clear vision for management and preservation of Egyptian cultural heritage sites, which means the lack of information and also the lack of coordination between the... more
Problem statement: The problem can be summarized in the absence of clear vision for management and preservation of Egyptian cultural heritage sites, which means the lack of information and also the lack of coordination between the governmental bodies, other organs which are concerned with the culture heritage sites in Egypt, researchers, and the public for management the cultural heritage sites and their preservation. Approach: The paper has tried to put some of pivotal research questions: Who are responsible organs for management and conservation plans for cultural heritage sites in Egypt? Is it possible to reach a common framework means the management and preservation of cultural heritage sites in Egyptian cities which will be identical for local conditions and international standards? Could the application of this common framework on one of the local cultural heritage sites help to develop and upgrade this framework? Results: The possibility of reaching a framework for the formul...
Research Interests:
History of Architecture is the discipline that records, studies and interprets heritage architecture. It studies its forms, purposes, and most importantly its evolution. Studying the History of Architecture is extremely important because... more
History of Architecture is the discipline that records, studies and interprets heritage architecture. It studies its forms, purposes, and most importantly its evolution. Studying the History of Architecture is extremely important because it enables architecture students to understand the society and culture of the past they represent which is very useful when working as a contemporary architect. This paper proposes a means whereby the students can be integrated with, and part of, this past. Virtual reality is a technology with important applications in the teaching world. In a discipline like History, and more specifically History of Architecture, thanks to virtual reality, students can understand the architecture of a heritage building and the elements that comprise it in a more natural and intuitive way, using all the senses as if on a real visit. Students can freely move around historical spaces and scenes virtually reconstructed by computer. They can even enter the building on t...
Research Interests:
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning on heritage artifacts, where visitors get engaged in learning due to an intrinsic motivation. Sharing the museum space among visitors allows for collective learning... more
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning on heritage artifacts, where visitors get engaged in learning due to an intrinsic motivation. Sharing the museum space among visitors allows for collective learning experiences and socializing with each other. Museums aim to design and deploy Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) in order to embrace the physical materialities of artifacts in the visiting experience. TUIs are believed to be more collaborative, attract more visitors, and persuade them to explore further. Cultural learning on heritage artifacts is particularly meaningful from the early age when opinions and attitudes are shaped. Museums accordingly follow a gamification approach (i.e., using game elements in a non-game context) to provide a collaborative and entertaining learning experience to young visitors. In this study, we investigate the implications of merging these two approaches in order to take advantage of the qualities of both TUIs and gamification in an educational museum context. Accordingly, we present TouchTomb and its evaluation in a real-world museum environment. TouchTomb is a situated tangible gamification installation that aims to enhance informal cultural learning for young visitors and to foster engagement and collaboration among them. The basis of the installation is a shared progress bar and three games with different spatial configurations, embedded into a custom fabricated replica of an original ancient Egyptian tomb-chapel wall on a 1:1 scale. Our field study involved 14 school visits with a total number of 190 school pupils (from 10 to 14 years old). We deployed a mixed-method evaluation to investigate how such a tangible gamification approach entertains and educates 15 pupils collectively for a maximum of 15 minutes, including the evaluation procedures. We particularly investigated how the different spatial configurations of the game setups influenced the stages of pupils' cultural learning, and the levels of engagement Eslam Nofal gratefully acknowledges the PhD scholarship funded by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education. 3:2 • E. Nofal et al. and collaboration among them. We conclude the article by discussing the qualities of tangible gamification and its role in facilitating cultural learning. For instance, cultural learning is enhanced by situating heritage artifacts in the experience, and embedding learning in the reward system. Engagement and collaboration among visitors are fostered by creating a sense of ownership and designing a diversity of goals.
Accessibility plays a main role among the aspects that contribute to the conservation of Cultural Heritage sites. Seismic stability, fragility of the artefacts, conflicts, deterioration, natural disasters, climate change and visitors'... more
Accessibility plays a main role among the aspects that contribute to the conservation of Cultural Heritage sites. Seismic stability, fragility of the artefacts, conflicts, deterioration, natural disasters, climate change and visitors' impact are only some of the possible causes that might lead to the inaccessibility of a heritage site for both researchers and visitors. The increasing potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the conservation field has resulted in the development of Augmented and Virtual reality (AR and VR) experiences. These ones can be very effective for what concerns the description of the visual experience, but also improve the understanding of a site and even became analytic research tools. This paper presents an inaccessible Buddhist temple in the Myanmar city of Bagan as a case study for the realization of a VR experience that aims at providing accessibility to knowledge and therefore a better understanding of the cultural value. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the VR for this purpose, a user study has been conducted and its results are reported.
Meanings and values of built heritage vary from factual and explicit meanings which are relatively easy to present, to more tacit knowledge, which is typically more challenging to communicate due to its implicit and often abstract... more
Meanings and values of built heritage vary from factual and explicit meanings which are relatively easy to present, to more tacit knowledge, which is typically more challenging to communicate due to its implicit and often abstract character. In this paper, we investigate how tangible interaction influences the communication of this tacit knowledge of built heritage, and how it affects the experience of visitors. Through a between-group comparative study in a real-world museum context, we examined how the tangible characteristics of an interactive prototype museum installation influence how visitors perceive a particular story containing tacit heritage knowledge. The communicated story relates a historical journey in ancient Egypt to the physical and architectural characteristics of the entrance colonnade at the Djoser Complex in Saqqara. Our experimental conditions consisted of an interactive navigation (input) and a passive representation (output) components, ranging from traditional digital displays to fully tangible means of interaction. We report on our findings, which showed various differences and commonalities between our three experimental conditions. We conclude with a number of discussion points and design recommendations: (a) to strive for balance between navigation and representation modalities in terms of affordance and the required cognitive effort; (b) to take advantage of physical representation and grasping, such as conveying particular physical details and characteristics; and (c) to consider design aspects of embodiment, physical abstraction and materiality for future research or potential further development of communicating the meanings and values of heritage.
Understanding the spatial transformation of architectural heritage over time is crucial for documentation and conservation purposes, but also for communicating the salient architectural features of the buildings’ evolution to the public... more
Understanding the spatial transformation of architectural heritage over time is crucial for documentation and conservation purposes, but also for communicating the salient architectural features of the buildings’ evolution to the public at large. With the rapid evolution of physical computing technologies such as electronics, sensors and digital projections, we believe that the technique of projection mapping offers great potential in communicating heritage in-situ because its graphical depiction on the heritage itself can more directly relate to the real context in more experiential ways. Furthermore, digital projections can include various interactive functionalities that together with its architectural size provide an immersive experience that is dynamic and adaptable to the interests of the visitors. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate the deployment of an interactive projection mapping installation in-situ which can be steered by a tangible user interface (TUI). Through an in-the-wild study, we deployed a mixed-method evaluation to investigate how such an interactive projection mapping enhances the communication of the spatiotemporal transformation of a medieval chapel that occurred during the last 850 years. Our findings show how the in-situ projection positively affects visitors’ understanding and memorability of the aesthetic features, and how its combination with a tangible interface enhances the communication of the spatial features of the chapel over time, and allows for more social interaction among them. The paper concludes with several discussion points and recommendations for applying interactive projection mapping and TUIs in the context of architectural heritage.
Context is crucial for understanding meanings and values of heritage. Heritage artifacts from recently destroyed monuments are exhibited in various museums around the world; contextualizing those isolated heritage artifacts enables... more
Context is crucial for understanding meanings and values of heritage. Heritage artifacts from recently destroyed monuments are exhibited in various museums around the world; contextualizing those isolated heritage artifacts enables museums to communicate the architectural and spatial qualities of the original context to their visitors. With the rapid evolution of digital technologies, museums started to incorporate Augmented Reality (AR), to present and interpret their collections in more appealing and exciting ways. AR not only enriches heritage communication, but also encourages interactivity for visitors in museums. Through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how AR enhances the communication of the original context of an isolated artifact from the Nimrud palace in Iraq. We deployed a mixed-methods evaluation methodology that led to an effective and engaging communication of the architectural context of that artifact, particularly perceiving and recalling architectural features and spatial dimensions. We conclude the paper with a set of discussion points about how AR positively affects visitors' memorability of architectural qualities, and how it provokes their curiosity to explore more information. We highlight some considerations about AR visualization, such as how levels of embellishment direct the user's focus of attention, and which aspects should be considered when using AR abstract visualization to communicate heritage. We outline several design recommendations to overcome current AR usability issues in museums concerning intuition, freedom of movement, and age-related differences.
Research Interests:
Designing, implementing and evaluating interactive design that is validated in a European context, may deliver different results when being studied in an Arab context, especially when evaluated in-the-wild. In this position paper, we... more
Designing, implementing and evaluating interactive design that is validated in a European context, may deliver different results when being studied in an Arab context, especially when evaluated in-the-wild. In this position paper, we discuss our expectations of two studies that were already conducted in a European context, and will be repeated in an Egyptian context. We reflect on the potential impact of the findings on the design, evaluation methods and initial findings.
Research Interests:
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning, particularly for young visitors by allowing them to see the different museum collections and to hear their related stories. Gamification accordingly is an approach that... more
Museums offer an ideal environment for informal cultural learning, particularly for young visitors by allowing them to see the different museum collections and to hear their related stories. Gamification accordingly is an approach that museums follow in order to provide edutainment experience and to attract children. However, most of gamification techniques used in museums offer individual experiences (e.g. small touch screens or personalized applications). Nevertheless, museums recently began to design and deploy tangible user interfaces in order to physicalize the experience with museum objects, which is more collaborative, attract more visitors, and persuade them to explore further. This study aims to communicate tacit knowledge of Egyptian built heritage to young museum visitors by combining tangible interaction with gamification, making their experience more collaborative and engaging. Egyptian heritage is very rich in content, containing many aspects of tacit knowledge which is relatively challenging to communicate, such as architectural qualities, historical values and artistic features. We therefore introduce the approach of tangible gamification, we argue it has several objectives; (a) making museum experience more collaborative and enhances social interaction, (b) actively engaging young visitors by allowing them to physically explore museum collections, and (c) stimulating subtle learning experiences by communicating heritage information during interactions. We propose three different interaction setups for conducting our experimental study in a real museum environment on a scale 1:1 of an original ancient Egyptian tomb-chapel in order to investigate how this approach augments collaboration and social interaction among young visitors, and how this influences their cultural learning.
Research Interests:
Physical heritage objects and assets are related to a vast amount of digital information of different kinds, which are challenging to be communicated to visitors in understandable and engaging ways. Yet recent technological advances... more
Physical heritage objects and assets are related to a vast amount of digital information of different kinds, which are challenging to be communicated to visitors in understandable and engaging ways. Yet recent technological advances promise new opportunities to more tightly merge the digital with the physical world. This paper therefore introduces the concept of " phygital heritage " , the integration of digital technology 'into' physical reality, as a potential medium for more enriched and playful communication of heritage values and qualities. We propose that phygital heritage should enable the exploitation of typical advantages of both digital and physical reality, and that distinct categories of phygital can be recognized based on: 1) the level of physical affordance; and 2) in how far the technology is integrated into the physical reality. The paper also opens the discussion about the potential challenges and concerns which future explorations, scientific research and real-world applications of phygital heritage probably will encounter.
Each built heritage artifact possesses multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative and tacit qualities and values like the architectural symbolism of a monument. This paper investigates... more
Each built heritage artifact possesses multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative and tacit qualities and values like the architectural symbolism of a monument. This paper investigates how tangible interaction can enable the communication of qualitative information of built heritage to lay visitors. Through a comparative, field study in a real-world museum context, we examined how the tangible characteristics of an interactive prototype museum installation influence how visitors perceive a particular story. The communicated story relates a historical journey in ancient Egypt to the physical and architectural characteristics of the entrance colonnade at the Djoser Complex in Saqqara. The first preliminary findings indicate how tangible interaction is able to engage museum visitors more to accomplish additional efforts, facilitating a vivid understanding of cultural values and architectural qualities of built heritage.
Research Interests:
Built heritage objects possess multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative information and values, such as the architectural qualities, the construction techniques, or symbolic meanings... more
Built heritage objects possess multiple types of information, varying from simple, factual aspects to more complex qualitative information and values, such as the architectural qualities, the construction techniques, or symbolic meanings of monuments. This qualitative information is relatively difficult to communicate using the conventional ways like museum labels or audio guides. Nonetheless, tangible interaction is a promising paradigm for communicating tacit information, its qualities have been demonstrated in a wide range of applications in different realms. Therefore, this study investigates how tangible interaction can enable the communication of qualitative information of built heritage to lay visitors. The main objectives of this study are communicating tacit and architectural qualities of built heritage in a physical form, investigating the effect of tangible interaction on social interaction among heritage visitors, and enhancing visitors' in-situ experience of built heritage or 1:1 replicas. Our early findings indicate the capability of tangible interaction for engaging museum visitors to accomplish additional endeavors, and facilitating their understanding of cultural values and architectural qualities of built heritage.
The World Health Organization estimated in 2014 that 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired: 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. Islam is a universal religion; achieving equality is one of its most important... more
The World Health Organization estimated in 2014 that 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired: 39 million are blind and 246 million have low vision. Islam is a universal religion; achieving equality is one of its most important values. Islam is a faith community in which everybody interacts with everybody else. The Holy Quraan mentioned the disabled as part of our life, discussed their rights and urged to take care of them in more than one place. Therefore, everyone has a responsibility to contribute to the best of their ability. In order to achieve equality for blind people, a suitable environment should be offered to them to facilitate their mobility in public spaces and holy spaces like Mosques.
Mobility and orientation are very challenging for blind or visually impaired persons. Difficulties in wayfinding may cause stress and anxiety, which may discourage them to visit unknown places. Therefore, blind Muslims have the right to navigate inside mosques without any direct help, providing essential information for them, such as Qibla direction, ablution places and other facilities. Several mobile applications have been developed to help blind or visually impaired people to find their ways in large spatial environments, yet religious environments require such applications to help B/VI people navigate inside mosques without direct help. Most of these applications depend mainly on GPS. However, it is argued that GPS is inadequate for indoor localization due to the loss of GPS signal indoors. Accordingly, this paper introduces an indoor positioning system, relying on Bluetooth devices.
Thanks to the increasing number of portable devices, this study aims to utilize indoor
positioning system techniques to potentially facilitate the navigation and the perception of blind people in mosque indoor environments. The study offers a conceptual approach that investigates how Bluetooth localization can be used as a promising technique for that aim by distributing low energy beacons along the floor plan of the mosque which are uniquely identified by the user’s smart phone and can be accessed using voice recognition technique. Decisions are accordingly communicated to users via virtual verbal guidance. The paper also opens a discussion about the potential challenges and concerns which future explorations, scientific research and real-world applications of indoor positioning systems will encounter.
Research Interests:
تقف المدينة العربية اليوم لتشكل جزءا أساسيا من رسالة المخططين والمعماريين العرب على جميع المستويات، فالتفرد التى كانت تعتز به المدينة العربية يوما ما والذى انبثق من مجموعة عوامل متفردة قوامها الدين الإسلامى والعادات العربية الأصيلة، أصبح... more
تقف المدينة العربية اليوم لتشكل جزءا أساسيا من رسالة المخططين والمعماريين العرب على جميع المستويات، فالتفرد التى كانت تعتز به المدينة العربية يوما ما والذى انبثق من مجموعة عوامل متفردة قوامها الدين الإسلامى والعادات العربية الأصيلة، أصبح هذا التفرد اليوم مهددا بالذوبان فى بوتقة الحداثة والعولمة، وكادت المدينة العربية - رغم جذورها العريقة - أن تضيع فى ضى النسيان أمام الغزو العلمى والثقافى والأفكار المستوردة القادمة إلينا من الشرق والغرب والتى فصلت المسلمين عن أصولهم الحضارية وعن رصيدهم الثقافى؛ ولذا فإن هذه المدن فى حاجة إلى تأصيل القيم والمبادئ الإسلامية للعمران والتعمير بما يتوائم مع متغيرات الزمان والمكان. وحاولت الورقة البحثية أن تطرح فرضياتها فى صيغة أسئلة بحثية محورية: • هل الحركة التخطيطية والعمرانية التى تشهدها مدننا العربية راعت فى تصاميمها ظروف القيم الإنسانية والعقائدية والحضارية وظروف البيئة والمناخ؟ أم أننا اعتمدنا على موجات التغريب التى صدّرت لنا مهندسين ومخططين ذوى أفكار مستوردة فصلت العرب عن أصولهم الحضارية وعن رصيدهم الثقافى؟ • هل يمكن التوصل إلى أسس تخطيطية وتصميمية...
نظراً لتضخم المشكلة الإسكانية بمصر والعالم العربى، لذا ظهرت مبادرات من بعض أعضاء هيئة التدريس بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية باضافة مقررات لكل من طلاب البكالوريوس والدراسات العليا بحيث تهتم بمشكلة وسياسات وأنماط ومقترحات الحلول... more
نظراً لتضخم المشكلة الإسكانية بمصر والعالم العربى، لذا ظهرت مبادرات من بعض أعضاء هيئة التدريس بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية باضافة مقررات لكل من طلاب البكالوريوس والدراسات العليا بحيث تهتم بمشكلة وسياسات وأنماط ومقترحات الحلول للإسكان على كل من المستوى العالمى والقومى والمحلى. ونظرا لتشعب وكثرة الموضوعات التى تتضمنها دراسات الإسكان بل وارتباط قضايا التخطيط العمرانى والتنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والبيئية بها لذلك يثير هذا البحث تساؤلا هام حول نقاط الاختلاف والاتفاق بين المحتوى العلمى لمقرر الاسكان بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بجمهورية مصر العربية. وتحاول الورقة البحثية أن تطرح فرضياتها فى صيغة أسئلة بحثية محورية: هل يمكن التوصل إلى إطار فكرى مشترك يعنى بتدريس مقرر الإسكان بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية؟ وهل يمكن تطوير تدريس مقرر الإسكان والارتقاء بها من خلال تطبيق هذا الإطار المشترك؟ لذا، استعرض البحث المقارنات التى تمت بين العينة المختارة من هذه الأقسام من حيث أسلوب تدريس مقرر الإسكان ومحتوى المقرر والمخرجات التعليمية المستهدفة منه. تمت تلك المقارنات من خلال حوار...
History of Architecture is the discipline that records, studies and interprets heritage architecture. It studies its forms, purposes, and most importantly its evolution. Studying the History of Architecture is extremely important because... more
History of Architecture is the discipline that records, studies and interprets heritage architecture. It studies its forms, purposes, and most importantly its evolution. Studying the History of Architecture is extremely important because it enables architecture students to understand the society and culture of the past they represent which is very useful when working as a contemporary architect. This paper proposes a means whereby the students can be integrated with, and part of, this past.
Virtual reality is a technology with important applications in the teaching world. In a discipline like History, and more specifically History of Architecture, thanks to virtual reality, students can understand the architecture of a heritage building and the elements that comprise it in a more natural and intuitive way, using all the senses as if on a real visit. Students can freely move around historical spaces and scenes virtually reconstructed by computer. They can even enter the building on their own accord, make their own decisions regarding itinerary, the pace, the time they wish to devote to the visit, the aspects they want to pay attention to and the angle they wish to view from.
This paper argues that changing the educational tools of teaching the course of History of Architecture -at the Department of Architecture, Assiut University- increases the acquired knowledge about the architectural content and bridges the gap between past and present. If the students could become the actual designers of virtual architectural heritage buildings, this allows them to become the protagonists of what happening, and this will give them better degree of freedom and creativity. This can be happen by merging two courses; History of Architecture and Computer Application II in order to increase the motivation that arouses students, more motivation equals more learning. The degree of interest and satisfaction while carrying out the didactic activities, modeling heritage buildings, is considered essential and fundamental to positive learning. This potential idea may provide the Egyptian tourism market with a series of primitive 3D models of Egyptian heritage buildings to be evolved and then to be utilized in the domains of virtual heritage and digital tourism.
Augmented reality (AR) has been touted as the bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, as new technologies add information to real-world environments. This paper examines how an augmented reality guide can enrich museum visits by... more
Augmented reality (AR) has been touted as the bridge between the physical and virtual worlds, as new technologies add information to real-world environments. This paper examines how an augmented reality guide can enrich museum visits by facilitating interaction and navigation. It seems that AR is an interesting tool for helping the visitor to do an active visual survey and to identify relevant facts, as well as looking at the artworks in a new insight. The study argues that the superimposing function of AR encourages the visitor to learn more about the context of art production, this include: (a) comparing the distinctive aspects of an artwork with other works; (b) exploring the creation process of artworks by indicating the relevant or hidden details; and (c) supplying visitors with information that are usually accessible only to museum professionals. The aforementioned situations prompt the visitors to discover sculptures or any artwork in a playful, exciting and more memorable way. The paper has been concluded by proposing some implications about the future utilization of augmented reality in Arabian museum context. The paper also sheds light on the ways by which using AR guide systems can alter, transform or enhance the museum visiting experience and the relations of Arabian museums with their public.
It is believed that social media applications have already being accepted by young generations as a platform to socialize, collaborate and learn in an informal and flexible manner. Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook have... more
It is believed that social media applications have already being accepted by young generations as a platform to socialize, collaborate and learn in an informal and flexible manner. Social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook have become extremely popular recently. The number of Facebook users in the Saudi Arabia has approximately quadrupled in the last three years (early 2010 – early 2013), increasing from 1.39 million users to 5.85 million users. Youth (between the ages of 15 and 29) continue to make up around 60% of Facebook users in the kingdom. They prefer SNSs to access information as it reduces physical strain, speak freely and improve self-confidence and character-building.
Road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Saudi Arabia are becoming a serious public health problem, especially among teenagers and youth. Human factors are responsible for about 85 percent of all car accidents in the kingdom. Education and awareness are playing a promising role in traffic safety. Types of awareness concerning traffic safety varied widely. That is why the study aims to introduce the potential contribution of SNSs to raise the awareness of traffic safety among the Saudi youth, and to reduce the ratio of RTAs in the kingdom.
The paper emphasizes the effective role of social media; communication using social media is viewed to be personalized depending on the method of interaction with digital content (such as images, video, audio, and the written word). The paper introduced a potential utilization of SNSs as a one step forward towards achieving traffic awareness among Saudi youth to protect them from the potential damage caused by traffic accidents resulting of human factors.
Cultural heritage is neither static nor stable. There is a need to explore ways for effectively communicating with cultural heritage to tourists and society at large, in an age of immediacy, a time of multiple realities and to... more
Cultural heritage is neither static nor stable. There is a need to explore ways for effectively communicating with cultural heritage to tourists and society at large, in an age of immediacy, a time of multiple realities and to multi-cultural tourists. It is vital to consider cultural heritage as a creative and relational process where places and communities are constantly remade through creative performance. The paper introduces virtual technologies as an approach to attain effective communication with cultural heritage. This approach emphasizes the importance of “user, content and context” in guiding the production of virtual heritage, as opposed to technology being the sole motivator. It addresses how these three issues in virtual heritage need to be transformed from merely representing quantitative data towards cultural information using the proposed effective communication triangle through representing meaningful relationships between cultural heritage elements, users and context. The paper offers a focused articulation of a proposed computational platform of “interactive, personalized and contextual-based navigation” with Egyptian heritage monuments as a one step forward towards achieving effective communication with Egyptian cultural heritage.
"Indoor environment has a potential impact on health by influencing behaviors, actions, and interactions of patients and their families as well as the health providers. The motto of health professionals since Hippocrates “First, do no... more
"Indoor environment has a potential impact on health by influencing behaviors, actions, and interactions of patients and their families as well as the health providers. The motto of health professionals since Hippocrates “First, do no harm” seems to be not widely followed in recent times. Unhealthy buildings can cause a lot of illnesses to occupants. Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a poorly understood phenomenon where people have a range of symptoms related to a certain building and there is no specific identifiable cause. The effect of poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is not only on physical health of the building occupants, but also on their psychological health. Through extensive review, the paper addresses different factors, which affect both physical and psychological health of occupants in healing environments.
These factors are divided into two main categories; (a) spatial factors, which include the architecture design of the space, views of nature and nature images, indoor plants and landscaping, wayfinding and orientation of the space, pleasant color scheme, the presence of coordinated art objects, furniture layout, and video and virtual reality environments; and (b) environmental factors include air quality and freshness, availability of daylight, thermal comfort, and acoustic quality.
Since hospitals are profoundly different from other types of buildings, the study focused on integrating the aforementioned factors toward an optimal healing environment for children in a state pediatric hospital in Assiut city, which has potential impacts on occupant satisfaction and wellbeing. Based on a comprehensive literature review, the paper also summarizes both negative and positive factors, which provide a point of departure for further investigation and exploration within the field of IEQ in healing environments.
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Problem statement: The problem can be summarized in the absence of clear vision for management and preservation of Egyptian cultural heritage sites, which means the lack of information and also the lack of coordination between the... more
Problem statement: The problem can be summarized in the absence of clear vision for management and preservation of Egyptian cultural heritage sites, which means the lack of information and also the lack of coordination between the governmental bodies, other organs which are concerned with the culture heritage sites in Egypt, researchers, and the public for management the cultural heritage sites and their preservation. Approach: The paper has tried to put some of pivotal research questions: Who are responsible organs for management and conservation plans for cultural heritage sites in Egypt? Is it possible to reach a common framework means the management and preservation of cultural heritage sites in Egyptian cities which will be identical for local conditions and international standards? Could the application of this common framework on one of the local cultural heritage sites help to develop and upgrade this framework? Results: The possibility of reaching a framework for the formulation of management and preservation of cultural heritage sites in Egyptian cities which will be identical for local conditions and international standards. Also, the possibility of application this framework on “Al-Qesariya” in old Asyut city, which contains many of historical buildings, in which it is possible to feel the real spirit of old Islamic city during the Mamluk era. Conclusion: the paper tried to put a management plan to apply the framework on the selected case study, this plan consisted of three main axes: Political and administrative axis, Technical axis, and Executive axis.
The problem can be summarized in the lack of information, including the sequence steps for management and preservation of the cultural heritage landscape sites in Egypt. Also, the lack of coordination between the government, the... more
The problem can be summarized in the lack of information, including the sequence steps for management and preservation of the cultural heritage landscape sites in Egypt. Also, the lack of coordination between the government, the associations which are looking after with culture landscape, GIS designers, archaeologists and the public for management the cultural landscapes sites and their preservation.
So, the paper has tried to put some of central research questions:
Is it possible to reach a common framework means the management and preservation of cultural heritage landscape sites in Egypt, in order to make a valorization for such these sites?
Could the application of this common framework on “Siwa Oasis” help to develop and upgrade this framework?
The paper aims to find the possibility of reaching a common framework for the formulation of management and preservation of cultural heritage landscape sites in Egypt in order to make a valorization for such these sites.
After that, the paper made an application on a cultural heritage site “Siwa Oasis”, which aims to reach an urban upgrading, humanity upgrading and adaptation of the heritage places for the selected case study.
"نظراً لتضخم المشكلة الإسكانية بمصر والعالم العربى، لذا ظهرت مبادرات من بعض أعضاء هيئة التدريس بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية باضافة مقررات لكل من طلاب البكالوريوس والدراسات العليا بحيث تهتم بمشكلة وسياسات وأنماط ومقترحات... more
"نظراً لتضخم المشكلة الإسكانية بمصر والعالم العربى، لذا ظهرت مبادرات من بعض أعضاء هيئة التدريس بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية باضافة مقررات لكل من طلاب البكالوريوس والدراسات العليا بحيث تهتم بمشكلة وسياسات وأنماط ومقترحات الحلول للإسكان على كل من المستوى العالمى والقومى والمحلى.
ونظرا لتشعب وكثرة الموضوعات التى تتضمنها دراسات الإسكان بل وارتباط قضايا التخطيط العمرانى والتنمية الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والبيئية بها لذلك يثير هذا البحث تساؤلا هام حول نقاط الاختلاف والاتفاق بين المحتوى العلمى لمقرر الاسكان بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بجمهورية مصر العربية.
وتحاول الورقة البحثية أن تطرح فرضياتها فى صيغة أسئلة بحثية محورية:
هل يمكن التوصل إلى إطار فكرى مشترك يعنى بتدريس مقرر الإسكان بأقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات المصرية؟
وهل يمكن تطوير تدريس مقرر الإسكان والارتقاء بها من خلال تطبيق هذا الإطار المشترك؟
لذا، استعرض البحث المقارنات التى تمت بين العينة المختارة من هذه الأقسام من حيث أسلوب تدريس مقرر الإسكان ومحتوى المقرر والمخرجات التعليمية المستهدفة منه.
تمت تلك المقارنات من خلال حوارات مع القائمين على تدريس المقرر بالأقسام المختارة وتوصيف المقررات والمحاضرات وأدوات تقييم المقررات الدراسية طبقا لمعايير الجودة والاعتماد العالمية.
وتهدف الورقة البحثية إلى إمكانية التوصل إلى إطار فكرى مشترك لصياغة منهج مقرر الإسكان بشكل يستوعب أفضل ما فى الاجتهادات التى تمت فى أقسام العمارة والتخطيط بالجامعات الحكومية المصرية.
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"تقف المدينة العربية اليوم لتشكل جزءا أساسيا من رسالة المخططين والمعماريين العرب على جميع المستويات، فالتفرد التى كانت تعتز به المدينة العربية يوما ما والذى انبثق من مجموعة عوامل متفردة قوامها الدين الإسلامى والعادات العربية الأصيلة، أصبح... more
"تقف المدينة العربية اليوم لتشكل جزءا أساسيا من رسالة المخططين والمعماريين العرب على جميع المستويات، فالتفرد التى كانت تعتز به المدينة العربية يوما ما والذى انبثق من مجموعة عوامل متفردة قوامها الدين الإسلامى والعادات العربية الأصيلة، أصبح هذا التفرد اليوم مهددا بالذوبان فى بوتقة الحداثة والعولمة، وكادت المدينة العربية - رغم جذورها العريقة - أن تضيع فى ضى النسيان أمام الغزو العلمى والثقافى والأفكار المستوردة القادمة إلينا من الشرق والغرب والتى فصلت المسلمين عن أصولهم الحضارية وعن رصيدهم الثقافى؛ ولذا فإن هذه المدن فى حاجة إلى تأصيل القيم والمبادئ الإسلامية للعمران والتعمير بما يتوائم مع متغيرات الزمان والمكان.
وحاولت الورقة البحثية أن تطرح فرضياتها فى صيغة أسئلة بحثية محورية:
• هل الحركة التخطيطية والعمرانية التى تشهدها مدننا العربية راعت فى تصاميمها ظروف القيم الإنسانية والعقائدية والحضارية وظروف البيئة والمناخ؟ أم أننا اعتمدنا على موجات التغريب التى صدّرت لنا مهندسين ومخططين ذوى أفكار مستوردة فصلت العرب عن أصولهم الحضارية وعن رصيدهم الثقافى؟
• هل يمكن التوصل إلى أسس تخطيطية وتصميمية تعنى بالحفاظ على القيم والمبادئ الإسلامية لعمران المدينة بما يتوائم مع متغيرات الزمان والمكان؟
لذا، استعرض البحث القيم والمبادئ التى تحكم العمران بالمدينة الإسلامية، وتم تصنيف هذه القيم ما بين القيم الإسلامية فى عمران المدينة، والقيم الإسلامية فى تصميم المنشآت المعمارية.
وتهدف الورقة البحثية إلى تأصيل قيم العمران والتعمير من المنظور الإسلامى والمنبثق من التعاليم القرآنية السامية والسنة النبوية الشريفة وذلك بما يتوائم مع متغيرات الزمان والمكان.
ثم يخلص البحث بمجموعة من التوصيات، وينادى  للأخذ بها فى عمران وتعمير المدن الإسلامية.
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Built heritage forms a unique asset by expressing the richness and diversity of our history, possessing vast amounts of information that varies from factual and explicit, to more tacit and embedded. Tacit knowledge of built heritage is... more
Built heritage forms a unique asset by expressing the richness and diversity of our history, possessing vast amounts of information that varies from factual and explicit, to more tacit and embedded. Tacit knowledge of built heritage is typically more challenging to communicate to visitors in understandable and engaging ways due to its implicit and abstract character. Therefore, we investigate how built heritage information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means, and how this information can be communicated to visitors in more engaging, educational and meaningful ways. In this thesis we present the approach of “Phygital Heritage”, which entails how heritage information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means. We hypothesize that this approach forms a potential medium for more engaging and meaningful communication of heritage information to a broader public. It even enables heritage visitors to appreciate heritage in more experiential ways, and to raise community awareness about heritage assets.
Through a set of in-the-wild studies, in which interactive phygital prototypes were designed and deployed in real-world heritage and museum environments, we explore how the seamless integration of digital technology into physical reality facilitates the communication of built heritage information to museum visitors and how it affects user engagement. 
• In Saqqara Entrance Colonnade, through a between-group comparative study in a real-world museum context, we examined how the tangible characteristics of an interactive museum prototype influence how visitors understand tacit knowledge of built heritage;
• In Nimrud Relief, through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how an augmented reality experience impacts the architectural contextualization of an isolated artifact from the Nimrud palace in Iraq;
• In Graethem Chapel, through an in-the-wild study, we investigated how an in-situ interactive projection mapping enables the communication of the spatiotemporal transformation of a medieval chapel that occurred during the last 850 years; and
• In Neferirtenef Tomb-Chapel, through a field study in a real-world museum environment, we investigated how a tangible gamification installation supports informal cultural learning of young museum visitors and how it encourages collaboration among them.
In summary, this thesis contributes to the knowledge about the communication of built heritage information by demonstrating how this information can be disclosed via simultaneous and integrated physical and digital means, enabling the broader public to appreciate heritage in more experiential ways.