Huda Abifares speaks about the relevance of type design research for creating culturally relevant communication, sustaining heritage and urban environments, and developing culturally-sensitive products. She discusses projects by The Khatt Foundation that focus on open-platform, exchange and collaboration, and education as case studies for a potential model of operation.

The talk will discuss an ongoing agenda, “Almost Natural”, through situating it as a critique towards ongoing green building practices and how a blurring between the natural and synthetic offers an alternative attitude towards building and construction in the Anthropocene.

How can the act of making help promote economic growth, bring communities closer together, and overcome a variety of social issues? In this panel discussion, chaired by the editor of Crafts magazine, Grant Gibson, speakers from Disarming Design from Palestine, The Jordan River Foundation, the Princess Taghrid Foundation explain how craft is capable of making a difference, highlighting the power of collaboration and sustainable programs in craft.

Designer May Khoury gives a talk about Badr Adduja’s concept and upcycling vision. Join May Khoury to learn the story behind each piece of design, a process in which she modernizes and changes the purpose of old traditional heritage pieces, while preserving their authenticity.

Kais Al Rawi shares insights into articulated geometries and computational design processes within three contexts: practice, academia and research. From a professional-practice perspective, architect-engineer collaborations will be showcased on a series of projects which bridge scales from complex art-forms to NFL stadia and airports. From academia, Kais shares design outcomes from London’s AA course in Jordan, featuring designs inspired by Jordan’s unique ecology – and beyond, designing habitats on Mars, a landscape often likened to Wadi Rum.

The concept of sustainability is taking greater significance in today's society. Consumers are increasingly responsible, laws are getting stricter, and resources are becoming rarer and more expensive. Without a doubt, there is a lot to be done and said regarding sustainability in the fashion world, which affects every stage of the product's life cycle; from design, material sourcing, and production, to logistics, use, and end of life. A holistic view on sustainability is key to understanding the future of fashion, and to thus be able to produce fashion with a future.

This talk gives participants an introduction to energy efficiency, the challenges associated with it, and an overview of energy efficient products.​

A talk that explores the role of architects and architecture in the development of video games. By the end of the talk, both architects and video developers will be presented with enhanced design tools and techniques better oriented towards user experience in both fields.

Design thinking is the process in which an idea becomes a reality. The talk by the founder of Jobedu, Tamer AlMasri, will discuss the design process adopted by Jobedu, and the different variables taken into consideration while developing design direction.

This talk breaks the boundaries between disciplines by showcasing examples of not only the value of research-based design, but also how different disciplines can work together through a supra-disciplinary approach on architecture, urban and other design issues.