"Adaptation Systems in Activating Architectural Production"
On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the PhD dissertation of Amer Hussein Alwan, titled "Adaptation Systems in Activating Architectural Production," was discussed.
The dissertation focused on adaptation systems as mechanisms capable of revitalizing architectural outputs that fail to keep pace with their time due to future changes, rendering them inactive. It highlighted how buildings may remain ineffective—whether in terms of their elements or relationships—failing to serve their intended purpose. Due to this inactivity, buildings require adaptation to prevent deterioration and obsolescence.
The study aimed to identify the variables within adaptation systems that contribute to the activation of architectural production, ensuring the development of buildings that fulfill human needs and desires while also responding to environmental requirements. Additionally, it sought to provide a future vision for buildings with special values amid physical and intellectual transformations, aiming to achieve a balance in adapting to spatiotemporal changes.
The dissertation concentrated on key themes to derive the nature of knowledge concerning adaptation and systems, including:
- Theories related to adaptation
- Factors enabling adaptation
- Levels of adaptation (physical – intellectual)
- Formal and functional systems
- Methods of adaptation (transformation – renewal – expansion – flexibility as an attribute)
- Intermediate transformation as a transitional phase
- The equation of (constant – variable) and (authenticity – modernity)
- Existential potential and dynamic change
Through practical application, the dissertation proposed a forward-looking perspective on local buildings with historical and cultural significance. It tested the theoretical framework related to the adaptation of formal and functional systems, reinforcing conceptual aspects to enhance public engagement. The study ultimately aimed to strike a balance between preserving the original essence of buildings and adapting to spatiotemporal transformations.
The Discussion Committee
The dissertation was examined by a distinguished panel of professors:
- Prof. Dr. Abdullah Saadoun Salman – (Chair)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Areej Kareem Al-Sadkhan – (Member)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zainab Hussein Raouf – (Member)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Enas Salem Abdul-Ahad – (Member)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ashwaq Fadel Mukhayber – (Member)
- Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Jawad Kazem – (Supervisor & Member)
- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Younis Mahmoud Mohammed Salim – (Supervisor & Member)
