Dr. Nehal Almerbati

ABSTRACT The social and environmental role of closed oriental balconies (Mashrabiyas) remains a significant vernacular aspect of Middle Eastern architecture. However, changes in architectural style, social needs, and the high manufacturing cost of Mashrabiya materials and techniques, Bahraini houses lost their very distinctive window veils. The research aims to validate a new Mashrabiya product for 21 st century Bahraini houses using new manufacturing technologies. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is now at the heart of evolutionary technologies. Contextual information drawn from relevant theory, ethnography and practice is used to form a methodological framework for the new AM Mashrabiya. Additionally, interviews with architects, manufacturers and residents are the methods used to define a new AM Mashrabiya prototype that is then functionally and economically compared to other manufacturing techniques. Prototypes of new AM screens are developed. The main results set boundaries for the viability of AM to produce Mashrabiya and promote a sustainable way of reviving their use within Middle Eastern dwellings.

Exhibitions and exhibition reviews are known practices in several disciplines. Some of these disciplines have an artistic nature that allows critiques and face-to-face interaction to triangulate the exhibited work from practice, reflection, and future possibilities. The Covid-19 pandemics restricted face-toface exhibitions, which allowed other forms of virtual nature to develop. Online exhibitions are events that can be viewed on digital devices like computers and mobile phones using the internet anywhere, any time and any place. Nowadays, it is considered one of the best ways to disseminate digital artifacts information in any area, including Art, Heritage, Design, special Museum or temporary Exhibition collections. This research explores the validity and potential of virtual exhibitions using social media platforms to exhibit designed products. The research reflects on the process and collects qualitative data from 2020 and 2021 virtual exhibitions of design projects and products exhibited on the 'Instagram' social platform. The experience of 38 exhibitors and 15 jurors was recorded and analyzed to understand the potential of this learning experience. The results indicated the success of the experiment and allured the possibility of adopting this learning method in more disciplines where cost and complexity are replaced with efficiency and extreme interactivity. This sustainable academic practice may then be adopted as a regular one considering its relatively free cost and extremely high educational benefits.

Exhibitions and exhibition reviews are known practices in several disciplines. Some of these disciplines have an artistic nature that allows critiques and face-to-face interaction to triangulate the exhibited work from practice, reflection, and future possibilities. The Covid-19 pandemics restricted face-toface exhibitions, which allowed other forms of virtual nature to develop. Online exhibitions are events that can be viewed on digital devices like computers and mobile phones using the internet anywhere, any time and any place. Nowadays, it is considered one of the best ways to disseminate digital artifacts information in any area, including Art, Heritage, Design, special Museum or temporary Exhibition collections. This research explores the validity and potential of virtual exhibitions using social media platforms to exhibit designed products. The research reflects on the process and collects qualitative data from 2020 and 2021 virtual exhibitions of design projects and products exhibited on the 'Instagram' social platform. The experience of 38 exhibitors and 15 jurors was recorded and analyzed to understand the potential of this learning experience. The results indicated the success of the experiment and allured the possibility of adopting this learning method in more disciplines where cost and complexity are replaced with efficiency and extreme interactivity. This sustainable academic practice may then be adopted as a regular one considering its relatively free cost and extremely high educational benefits.

Itis a known fact that cultural heritage is the most important legacy of every nation. Schools are influential spaces where students' awareness is raised with respect to the importance of cultural heritage. Moreover, the interior design of the school environment can also allow students to learn about the significance of traditional culture and local educational systems, while creating their own social identity. This research investigates four case studies that document the different approaches of renovating heritage schools in Bahrain, the UAE and Turkey. The design methods found within these cases are analyzed and combined to develop a proposed model of new type of school system to renovate traditional schools of cultural values using advanced technological techniques and makes them livable cultural museums. The paper presents the results of comparative studies in the fields of identification, preservation, and presentation of cultural heritage. The research uses a qualitative approach to analyze the case studies and finds design guidelines that can be combined and simulated in a hybrid heritage school proposal in Bahrain. The purpose of this study is to understand the narrative of educational system development in Bahrain and how the information can be reinterpreted to preserve cultural heritage content using a sensorial experience within the simulated and modeled project. The research results a design guideline to establish a hybrid design approach that combines technologies and values of interior design to maintain schools of cultural values when a process of traditional school renovation is in action. The study contributes to the body of knowledge with a framework that can be used to renovate heritage schools not just locally but on international levels as well to achieve interactive sensorial experience.

Persona is a design methodology that exemplifies targets users as fictional, detailed archetypical characters that represent distinct groupings of behaviours, goals and motivations observed and identified by the designer during the research phase of a design project. The persona method has developed from being a user cantered design methodology for IT systems to be applied in many other contexts, including the development of products, marketing, communication strategy, and service design. The method is used to communicate targeted customers' needs, allow the designer to switch between the user's perspective and the designer role and orient design teams to user experience. Despite the importance of understanding users in the interior design field, minimal research about using persona for interior designers has been recorded. This research aims to present the value of using user persona maps in designing resilience interiors, looking at a co-working space as an example. The research methodology developed persona maps as a diagnostic tool for interior designers to help design resilience interiors by understanding space users. The paper goal will be achieved by investigating persona maps as a tool for interior designers to help them understand, analyse and communicate users' needs in designing interior spaces. The customised persona model is modified to include a narrative, picture, and name to provide interior designers with a vivid and detailed representation of the design target. The results of this research are based on three qualitative phases with the participation of 46 designers; through the continuous analysis of persona maps and design implementation, this research documents the benefits of incorporating personas into different design processes. Then elaborates on difficulties experienced within the suggested model and contribute to the body of knowledge by producing a practical model that can be the starting point of a successful project brief, client's ambitions and users' requirements realisation in a project space. The findings of persona usages in the interior design of the suggested co-working space showed how persona enriched various design process phases as interior designers continuously referred to persona analysis during the conceptualisation and schematic design phases. Additionally, persona helped designers design a resilient interior by demonstrating ways of understanding and interpreting user needs and helped filter user information to develop guidelines and design components that responded to users' hidden needs. Moreover, the user's persona helped the Interior Designers bridge the gap between a theoretical understanding of users in space and design for them. The findings revealed that persona could be in the aesthetical form of the resulting space design and the long-term value and functionality of space, making it a more resilient interior aid.

The industrial revolution and the technology race had engaged people in the development process of their own cities and spaces through makerspaces. Consequently, the maker movement in Bahrain started a decade ago but not yet empowered to take part in the economic development of Bahrain as a smart city due to several reasons discussed here. Interviews with `makers' and experts along with observation of makerspaces around Bahrain helped in concluding the reality of these spaces and their potentials. The paper proposes a development plan and framework to better empower makerspaces and utilise the innovative potentials of local communities in harmony with Bahrain's Economic vision 2030.

It is a known fact that cultural heritage is the most important legacy of every nation. Schools are influential spaces where students' awareness is raised with respect to the importance of cultural heritage. Moreover, the interior design of the school environment can also allow students to learn about the significance of traditional culture and local educational systems, while creating their own social identity. This research investigates four case studies that document the different approaches of renovating heritage schools in Bahrain, the UAE and Turkey. The design methods found within these cases are analyzed and combined to develop a proposed model of new type of school system to renovate traditional schools of cultural values using advanced technological techniques and makes them livable cultural museums. The paper presents the results of comparative studies in the fields of identification, preservation, and presentation of cultural heritage. The research uses a qualitative approach to analyze the case studies and finds design guidelines that can be combined and simulated in a hybrid heritage school proposal in Bahrain. The purpose of this study is to understand the narrative of educational system development in Bahrain and how the information can be reinterpreted to preserve cultural heritage content using a sensorial experience within the simulated and modeled project. The research results a design guideline to establish a hybrid design approach that combines technologies and values of interior design to maintain schools of cultural values when a process of traditional school renovation is in action. The study contributes to the body of knowledge with a framework that can be used to renovate heritage schools not just locally but on international levels as well to achieve interactive sensorial experience.

Persona is a design methodology that exemplifies targets users as fictional, detailed archetypical characters that represent distinct groupings of behaviours, goals and motivations observed and identified by the designer during the research phase of a design project. The persona method has developed from being a user cantered design methodology for IT systems to be applied in many other contexts, including the development of products, marketing, communication strategy, and service design. The method is used to communicate targeted customers' needs, allow the designer to switch between the user's perspective and the designer role and orient design teams to user experience. Despite the importance of understanding users in the interior design field, minimal research about using persona for interior designers has been recorded. This research aims to present the value of using user persona maps in designing resilience interiors, looking at a co-working space as an example. The research methodology developed persona maps as a diagnostic tool for interior designers to help design resilience interiors by understanding space users. The paper goal will be achieved by investigating persona maps as a tool for interior designers to help them understand, analyse and communicate users' needs in designing interior spaces. The customised persona model is modified to include a narrative, picture, and name to provide interior designers with a vivid and detailed representation of the design target. The results of this research are based on three qualitative phases with the participation of 46 designers; through the continuous analysis of persona maps and design implementation, this research documents the benefits of incorporating personas into different design processes. Then elaborates on difficulties experienced within the suggested model and contribute to the body of knowledge by producing a practical model that can be the starting point of a successful project brief, client's ambitions and users' requirements realisation in a project space. The findings of persona usages in the interior design of the suggested co-working space showed how persona enriched various design process phases as interior designers continuously referred to persona analysis during the conceptualisation and schematic design phases. Additionally, persona helped designers design a resilient interior by demonstrating ways of understanding and interpreting user needs and helped filter user information to develop guidelines and design components that responded to users' hidden needs. Moreover, the user's persona helped the Interior Designers bridge the gap between a theoretical understanding of users in space and design for them. The findings revealed that persona could be in the aesthetical form of the resulting space design and the long-term value and functionality of space, making it a more resilient interior aid.

The social and environmental role of closed oriental balconies (Mashrabiyas) remains a significant vernacular aspect of Middle Eastern architecture. However, changes in architectural style, social needs, and the high manufacturing cost of Mashrabiya materials and techniques, Bahraini houses lost their very distinctive window veils. The research aims to validate a new Mashrabiya product for 21st century Bahraini houses using new manufacturing technologies. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is now at the heart of evolutionary technologies. Contextual information drawn from relevant theory, ethnography and practice is used to form a methodological framework for the new AM Mashrabiya. Additionally, interviews with architects, manufacturers and residents are the methods used to define a new AM Mashrabiya prototype that is then functionally and economically compared to other manufacturing techniques. Prototypes of new AM screens are developed. The main results set boundaries for the viability o...

The social and environmental role of closed oriental balconies (Mashrabiyas) remains a significant vernacular aspect of Middle Eastern architecture. However, changes in architectural style, social needs, and the high manufacturing cost of Mashrabiya materials and techniques, Bahraini houses lost their very distinctive window veils. The research aims to validate a new Mashrabiya product for 21 century Bahraini houses using new manufacturing technologies. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is now at the heart of evolutionary technologies. Contextual information drawn from relevant theory, ethnography and practice is used to form a methodological framework for the new AM Mashrabiya. Additionally, interviews with architects, manufacturers and residents are the methods used to define a new AM Mashrabiya prototype that is then functionally and economically compared to other manufacturing techniques. Prototypes of new AM screens are developed. The main results set boundaries for the viability of ...

Digital fabrication has suggested the supplanting of labour via robotics since it affords substantial increases in speed and accuracy in the development of architectural components. This potentiality might offer solutions for architectures on the verge of extinction due to vanishing skilled labour. This research investigates the possibilities of using new manufacturing techniques to replace the historic artisans with digital master craftsmen, specifically re-developing the Mashrabiya. The work looks at several case studies in architecture and 3D printing; bridging the gap between historically relevant climactic design strategies and digital or parametric design and fabrication. This paper concludes with a summary of a parametrically developed Mashrabiya screen system developed by the authors that is programmable based on core criteria found in the archetype and is currently being explored for product development. The work contributes to the developing body of knowledge surrounding t...

The industrial revolution and the technology race had engaged people in the development process of their own cities and spaces through makerspaces. Consequently, the maker movement in Bahrain started a decade ago but not yet empowered to take part in the economic development of Bahrain as a smart city due to several reasons discussed here. Interviews with `makers' and experts along with observation of makerspaces around Bahrain helped in concluding the reality of these spaces and their potentials. The paper proposes a development plan and framework to better empower makerspaces and utilise the innovative potentials of local communities in harmony with Bahrain's Economic vision 2030.

Like the rest of the world, the landscape of architecture has changed in many of the Arabian Gulf cities with the introduction of new design technologies and parameterisation methods. Some of the contemporary designs of building facades comprise of perforated walls generated by computer software. Such perforations are similar in their shapes and nature to the Lotus Seed Pod. An image with specific spatial properties that have been found to negatively affect its viewers and cause a state of visual discomfort termed trypophobia. The new condition, recently studied by a limited number of researchers triggers physiological and psychological reactions that range from headaches, sickness to even vomiting in some extreme cases. Using on-site surveys as the primary method for investigation, this research measures the baseline of the trypophobic population in Bahrain to be between 26.50% and 39.32%, a number that is much larger than the UK's estimated baseline of 13–17%. The results also showed that reactions to natural stimuli are much more severe than manmade ones. Nevertheless, reactions to manmade stimuli are still significant. The study highlights the need to further investigate the effects of parameterisation methods on building designs in relation to visual discomfort.

In 2002 the first design related program patch started at the University of Bahrain with a group of 17
students enrolled in the BSc. of Interior Design Program. Since their graduation in 2007 many groups
followed. A decade after the first group graduation the design profession market has changed and so
did the education field linked to this profession. This research aims at reviewing the existing research on
education and academic career patterns for the majority of women enrolled in the interior design program
to enhance this profession and sustain women in this field. Moreover, the research paper gives an overview
of a qualitative study done by semi-structured interviews targeting 58 out of 275 female interior design
graduates from the year 2007- 2017. The study investigates the social, cultural and professional challenges
that faced 22 female graduates of The Interior Design Program and their current role in either the design or
the educational profession in the field. The results also shows a thematic graphical analysis of their current
profession trajectories. The primary research results are then compared to secondary data of two ad hoc
committee comments of students and professionals undertaken in 2017 along with an online survey result
answered by more than 69 graduates. This study is of high importance as it is pioneering in documenting
and predicting graduates’ competitiveness and sustainability in the design profession. This complies with
Bahrain economic vision of 2030, that requires investigations and investments in non-oil sectors, as design
might be the way forward.
Keywords: Women in Design, Interior Design, Challenges.

This paper explores the assessment and implementation of cutting edge technologies in the preservation of architectural heritage archetypes, specifically looking at the Mashrabiya. Culture, architecture and heritage are interwoven and shaped by local and nation history that is embedded in traditional building modes. As resources become constrained and globalization provokes more homogenous landscapes, emerging technologies – specifically parametric modeling, 3D printing and 3D scanning-suggest a vital solution in preserving and sustaining traditional cultural building constructs. Additionally, these technologies can not only be used to understand the complexities of the original design intentions but also suggest dimensions in which the heritage architypes can be evolved. The research implements both case study and focus group methods to validate the use of 3D printing in reproducing architectural Mashrabiya. Mashrabiya, the lattice wooden screen, is deeply rooted in the heritage and supernal culture of several GCC countries and other Islamic societies. Case studies of several historical preservation projects exploring the implementation of technology for heritage preservation are discussed. Subsequently, a comparative analysis is used to examine focus groups and market research data gathered to interrogate the benefits of new 3D printing technology for a parametric Mashrabiya model developed by the authors. The model presented revives old Mashrabiya screens maintaining its visual and thermal comfort performance criteria as well as the historical and social value in a contemporary style. The authors are interested in the implications of new digital craftsmen and fabricators, whose knowledge contributes new understandings of potential Mashrabiya manufacturing methods. The controlling and programming of relevant input data enables the generation of assemblies that not only support functional performance but also inform the cultural heritage trajectory. This research contributes to the growing body of work using advanced technology to sustain heritage elements in architecture. The outcome defines a valid framework for the use of 3D printing in reviving architectural screens that can be used by cultural and local municipalities in the Gulf countries, specifically in Bahrain. The results are part of an ongoing research project which aims to interconnect advanced technologies with economic and modern architecture needs. Both restoration and replication of heritage sites and major architecture landmarks can be aided through digital preservation and manufacturing. While presently impractical for economic reasons, market analysis projects a decrease in manufacturing costs for 3D printing enabling feasible applications of the new Mashrabiya for future housing. This prediction responds to section 3.5 of the Bahrain 2030 economic vision for future modern buildings, enabling us to retain our heritage influence and enjoy a sustainable and attractive living environment.

Digital fabrication has suggested the supplanting of labour via robotics since it affords
substantial increases in speed and accuracy in the development of architectural components. This
potentiality might offer solutions for architectures on the verge of extinction due to vanishing skilled
labour. This research investigates the possibilities of using new manufacturing techniques to replace the
historic artisans with digital master craftsmen, specifically re-developing the Mashrabiya. The work looks
at several case studies in architecture and 3D printing; bridging the gap between historically relevant
climactic design strategies and digital or parametric design and fabrication. This paper concludes with a
summary of a parametrically developed Mashrabiya screen system developed by the authors that is
programmable based on core criteria found in the archetype and is currently being explored for product
development. The work contributes to the developing body of knowledge surrounding the applications
and implications of technologies that enable mass customization.

Current debates on design and manufacturing support the claim that the ‘Third Industrial Revolution’ has already started due to Additive Manufacturing (AM) and 3D Printing. The process of solidifying liquid or powder using a binding agent or a melting laser can save time and transportation costs associated with importing primary material if locally sourced material is available. This research investigates a framework approach, titled SAFE, for discussing the functionality, economic viability, production feasibility, and aesthetic and cultural value lent by 3D printing on an architectural scale through a construction known as a Mashrabiya. This traditional window screen has distinguished aesthetic, cultural yet functional constraints, and there is a manufacturing gap in the market that makes it a viable product option to be 3D printed. The practical element and design process related to reviving this screen are examined, from complex geometry development to cost and fabrication estimations.
3D printing technologies potentially offer solutions to solve issues in construction and assembly times, reduce labour costs, and address the loss of hand craft making skills in a variety of cultures, typically Middle Eastern ones; this was a factor in the abandonment of old Mashrabiya in houses typified with Bahrain as a case. Presently, there is a growing wealth of literature that highlights not only the strength of Mashrabiya as a design concept but also as a possible 3D printed product.
Interviews with a total of 42 local Bahraini manufacturers, academics and architects as well as 4 case studies and 2 surveys and 11 focus groups are hybrid mixed methods used to define a new 3D printed Mashrabiya (3DPM) prototype. The future of the 3D Mashrabiya prototype is further supported by economic forecasts, market research, and interviews with global manufacturers and 3D printing designers’ insights into the subject in an accretive design process.
The research contributes to an understanding of the implications of technologies that enable mass customisation in the field of 3D-printed architecture in general and in the Bahraini market in particular. The process for developing a prototype screen and in determining its current economic value will prove significant in predicting the future benefits and obstacles of 3D-printed large scale architectural products in the coming five years as advised by industry experts. The main
outcomes relate to establishing boundaries determining the validity of using 3D printing and a SAFE framework to produce a parametric Mashrabiya and other similar heritage architectural archetypes. This can be used to enhance the globalism of the design of Middle Eastern dwellings and to revive social identity and cultural traditions through innovative and reasonable yet superior design solutions using a hybrid architectural design language.

Contemporary architecture has been generated for some time now using computer-aided modelling tools that facilitate the design of numerous
unordinary forms and spaces. Research in visual comfort argues that images with unordinary spatial properties can cause psychological and
physiological reactions in some people. One of those reactions is called trypophobia, an irrational fear of clusters of objects, mainly holes, with
roughly circular shapes. This study suggests that some of the contemporary architectural solutions deviate from the consistent spatial properties
that are comfortable for the visual system to process. The majority of the studies that examined trypophobia and its psychological reactions were
based on two-dimensional images. The effect of the third dimension was not investigated. This research focuses on trypophobia as a psychological
reaction towards three-dimensional stimuli, including textures and spaces, within the contemporary built environment. The research measures the
visual comfort of users in the presence of three-dimensional trypophobia-inducing building elements, and investigates the likelihood of hindering
the attractiveness of spaces where such stimuli exist. The project produces a set of architectural design parameters and guidelines that take into
account visual comfort in general and the comfort of the trypophobic population in particular.