The 2024 Jamal Abed Design Week and Award Ceremony Theme: VIBRANT VERTICAL LIVING - Venus Towers Resurgence

From March 1st to 9th, 2024, the Jamal Abed Faculty of Architecture at Azm University hosted its annual workshop and competition, the Jamal Abed Design Week and Awards. This event, graciously supported and sponsored by the 'Friends of Jamal Abed', honored the legacy of our late faculty dean and engaged 56 architecture design students from first to fifth year. Each participant immersed themselves in this unique educational and experimental workshop, emphasizing the importance of design thinking, teamwork, and innovation in architectural education.

This year's challenge, themed "VIBRANT VERTICAL LIVING: Venus Towers Resurgence," tasked students with the adaptive reconfiguration and evolution of the Venus Towers, a prominent high-rise residential complex in Beirut Central District (BCD). Originally envisioned by renowned architect Rafael Moneo and currently overseen by Nabil Gholam,.

For five consecutive days, our faculty members were actively engaged in interactive design reviews with the students in the design studio. The team of instructors included Mohamad Nasri, Hana Othman, Hala Abi Haydar, Elie Khoury, Sandy Sabsaby, Mohamad Negro, and Mustafa Nachar.

Eleven student teams presented their projects to a panel of esteemed architects and educators, including Abdulhalim Jabr, Bassim Halaby, Elie Khoury, Hala Abi Haydar, Hana Othman, May Sadek, Mohamad Nasri, Randa Jamali, Sandy Sabsabi, and Tarek Kazzaz.

Dean Nasri commenced the closing session with a moment of silence in honor of the late Dean Abed, followed by remarks from Mr. Bassim Halaby, CEO of Benchmark Development, Beirut, representing the Friends of Jamal Abed. Trophies were then awarded to the Friends of Jamal Abed, followed by the distribution of certificates to all participating students.

The highlight of the event was the announcement of the top three winning teams and the presentation of cash rewards totaling $2,250.

The festivities concluded with a communal lunch in the ground-floor lobby, bringing together JAFA students, instructors, and esteemed jury members in celebration of another successful Jamal Abed Design Week.