OTHER ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE SOCIETY LECTURES:

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• February 2014: Khor Dubai. This lecture was made possible by a collaboration between the English chapter of the UAE Architectural Heritage Society, Dubai Municipality, International Council of Monuments and Sites in UAE (ICOMOS-UAE) and International Council of Museums (ICOM UAE). The guest speaker was Architect Rashad Bukhash, Director of Dubai Municipality's Architectural Heritage Department and Chairman of the UAE Architectural Heritage Society. The lecture celebrated Khor Dubai (Dubai Creek) as a nominated world heritage site for UNESCO. It constitutes an outstanding and universally valuable site where natural, architectural and cultural components create a unique urban landscape where influences and human interactions from the entire Gulf region mingle into a coherent and alive ensemble preserving both tangible and intangible heritage values.

• February 2013: How Windtowers Work: A Study Of Their Effectiveness In Dubai’s Bastakiya. Lecture by Peter Jackson, founding chairman of the English Chapter of the UAE Architectural Heritage Society. A paper co-authored with Dr Anne Coles and Ian Jones & presented at the CIAV (International Committee of Vernacular Architecture) Conference at Al Ain, November 2012. The paper covered measurement of temperatures in restored Bastakiya windtowers, interviews with former residents as to how, when and by whom windtowers were used, wind tunnel testing of a scale model, and application of meteorological records, live readings and wind tunnel data for CFD studies to visualise airflow and speed.

• November 2012: Ummayad and Andalusian Heritage: Al Hambra and Qusayr Amra From Madinat al-Zahra to the Alhambra. An approach to Palatine Architecture in Al-Andalus through Virtual Reconstruction. Lecture by Dr. Ana Almagro Vidal, Project Manager at the Spanish Historic Heritage Conservation Department at the Caja Madrid Foundation in Madrid, Spain. The spatial evolution of Islamic Palatine Architecture developed in Spain and stressed the importance of facilitating perception of palaces’ original forms. Through virtual 3D and 4D applications it was possible to discover, understand and explore a large number of virtual architectural models, their cultural features and their guiding inspirations.

• November 2012: Qusayr 'Amra, Jordan: research, conservation, and site management planning activities in an Umayyad princely estate. Lecture by Dr. Gaetano Palumbo, Program Director for North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia at the World Monuments Fund. The Department of Antiquities of Jordan, Italian National Institute for Conservation and World Monuments Fund have partnered to conduct conservation, research, and site management planning activities at the World Heritage site of Qusayr 'Amra in the Jordanian badiya. Work at the site is providing new information on the site, from construction techniques to its history and position in the evolution of Early Islamic art.

• May 2011: Uzbekistan Series. Lectures by Dr. Samia Rab and Dariush Zandi. This series began with Peter Jackson's lecture The Holy City of Bukhara in November 2010. Dr. Samia Rab presented Astronomy, Geometry and Architecture, de-coding the spatial form of the Registan in Samarkand and Dariush Zandi presented Shahr-e Sabz: The Green City.

• November 2010: Architecture in The Holy City of Bukhara. Lecture by Peter Jackson. A small group from the UAE Architectural Heritage Society spent a week in Samarkand and Bukhara in September 2010. The illustrated lecture described the architecture and urban fabric of Bukhara, one of the key cities on the Central Asian Silk Road. Bukhara is becoming more accessible, and its exceptionally beautiful Islamic monuments now attract visitors from the East and the West.

• March 2009: Manah: A Gift from God. The Architecture of a Deserted Omani Settlement. Lecture by Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, Professor of Archtecture and Design at Nottingham Trent University. Harat al-Bilad, the key settlement in the Oasis of Manah has remained the focus of Professor Bandyopadhyay's study and has led to plans for the restoration of the town. The lecture and accompanying exhibition illustrated for future designers the historical importance of the context within which their designs may exist, flourish and perish. Today's architecture is tomorrow's heritage resource.

• February 2009: The Protection of Cultural Landscapes in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Lecture by Dr. Beech. Dr. Beech has been involved with archaeological excavations and survey in the Gulf Region for over 15 years, including being involved in the excavations of the Nestorian Church and monastery of 7th to 8th centuries AD from Sir Bani Yas Island. This talk gave an overview of these findings and highlights some of the ongoing strategies, methods and proposals being adopted by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage for the preservation of these important cultural landscapes in the emirate.

• April 2007: A journey into the Persian architecture and gardens. Lecture by Frank Farrokh Sabouri, AIA, LEED, AP, Archi-tect/planner consultant with the World Bank in Washington, D.C.

• March 2007: Architecture is for People. Lecture by Simon Fraser, B.Arch (Hons), Dip. Arch, M. Arch, RIBA, ARB. Managing Director of Hopkins Architects, Dubai. Simon talked about his philosophy and approach to designing architecture for people.

• November 2006: Beyond Architectural Photography. Lecture by Dariush Zandi.

• Symmetry and Beauty in Art and Nature and Beauty patterns from Egypt to the 20th Century. Challenges of the University in the 21st Century. Lecture by Professor Manuel J. Tello, Physics Professor in the Vasc Country University (Universidad del País Vasco- Bilbao) and Physics Professor in the University of Granada.