VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY
Abstract
Architecture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has long been criticized for its superficiality, shaped by client-driven trends and repetitive typologies rather than meaningful engagement with local identity and environmentally sensitive building practices (Benkari, 2014). This paper positions fabrication-led, experiential design-build pedagogy as a critical framework for addressing these challenges. Using a collaborative research project developed through material experimentation with recycled plastics and seashells by students and faculty at the American University of Sharjah as a case study, the paper examines how participatory learning can shift architectural education beyond representational studio work toward locally grounded, materially driven design approaches. The UAE generates approximately 1.5 million metric tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only 4% recycled (UAE Plastic Recycling Market and Analysis Report 2025–2032, 2025). As a country that ranks among the highest globally in per-capita plastic consumption and waste, plastic pollution remains a major contributor to environmental degradation. Developing new architectural materials that incorporate recycled plastics therefore presents an opportunity to reduce waste while generating environmental and economic value within the construction sector. Fabricated from recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and crushed seashells collected from UAE beaches, waste-based sheets are shaped into an adaptable modular installation that explores the material properties, geometry, and environmental logic of mollusk shells to create a permeable, climate-responsive building envelope. Through physical prototyping and locally specific material research, students cultivate the capacity to engage material variability, fabrication constraints, structural performance, and climatic conditions, proposing an expanded model of architectural education that aligns design with ecological responsibility and regional context.
Tania Ursomarzo is an architect, material fabrication specialist, and design educator. She is Assistant Professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the American University of Sharjah. Previously, she taught in the School of Constructed Environments, School of Design Strategies, and School of Fashion at Parsons School of Design, The New School. Her research explores the capacity for hybridized fabrication processes to advance design and forge new models of creative practice. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto (BArch) and Cranbrook Academy of Art (MArch).
Lamya Ahmed is a recent graduate of the American University of Sharjah’s Bachelor of Architecture Program. Her work explores the expressive potential of materials, with a focus on metal, wood, and recycled plastics. Beyond materiality, she researches architectural regionalism, examining how design can respond to cultural identity and environmental context, especially in postcolonial regions.
Lina Awad, a recent Architecture graduate from the American University of Sharjah, explores how design reflects society and cultural identity. Her work focuses on reviving local traditions and examining how architecture shapes daily life. Through material experimentation and fabrication, she seeks to create architecture inspired by local contexts yet responsive to future needs, looking to the past as a guide to tomorrow’s challenges.
Aishah Tariq is a recent graduate of the American University of Sharjah’s Bachelor of Architecture program. Her research studies how the inherent behaviours of materials can shape both the structure and character of architectural form. This material curiosity often translates into a focus on architectural details, where joinery, connections, and surface treatments become opportunities for design exploration.