Nour Rouhana, AUD alumna, class of 2020 won the Architecture Category Judges’ Vote in the i-D and ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduate Show 2020 for her project Coalescence: Past And Future Coming Together. Nour describes Coalescence as a ‘recreational cultural hub’ that aims to strengthen the existence of heritage in the UAE by highlighting the historic fortifications at the top of the Dhayah mountain. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, the site is exposed to four different landscapes: gulf, mangroves, mountain range, and desert, all of which influence the architecture.”



Christine Rizk, also an alumnus AUD class of 2020, won the Architecture Public Vote in the Global Design Graduate Show promoted by ARTSTHREAD in collaboration with i-D/Vice Media & Gucci for her project “XYZ.Connect.” Explaining the thought process behind her project, Christine said, “XYZ.Connect aims to redesign nursing and retirement homes, to turn the usually dull spaces into hubs for social enrichment. Connectivity is the primary solution to reverse the social deterioration experienced daily by the older generation. Nursing homes and retirement houses are often clinical and dull spaces where the ageing population is sent to wither away. Architecture can play a significant role in slowing that decline."



Commenting on the double success of SAAD students in this competition, Dr. Nabyl Chenaf, Dean of the School said, “Students from the School of Architecture, Art & Design at the American University in Dubai (AUD) shine again by winning the Architecture category judges vote in the i-D and ARTSTHREAD Global Design Graduate Show 2020. Nour Rouhana and Christine Rizk carry both Dubai and AUD’s core values, for they are worldly and cosmopolitan, yet well-rooted, daring and confident, down-to-earth free-thinkers who consistently push the boundaries of creativity and excellence.”