Stories have the power to change the world. The Circle offers a platform for inspiring speakers to share their unique experiences, showcasing how individuals can create tangible social impact through dedicated effort.
This experience broadens perspectives and strengthens belief in one’s potential by highlighting stories of conviction and the achievements that follow.
In The Circle’s sesond session, Architect Abdel Wahed El-Wakil will share his experience on how architecture can contribute to the connection between a human and his natural environment.
Abdel Wahed El-Wakil is fast emerging as one of the original voices in contemporary Islamic architecture. Born in Cairo in 1943, he received his degree in architecture from Ain Shams University, although he feels his true education came from his in-depth research into Islamic form and structure and particularly from the five years he spent with the internationally known advocate of indigenous architecture, Hassan Fathy. Since 1971, he has been in private practice, and his works – private residences, mosques and public buildings – are found throughout the Middle East. In 1980, he won the ‘Aga Khan Award for Contemporary Use of Traditional Language’ for the Halawa House in Agamy, Egypt, completed in 1975.
El Wakil’s deeply internationalised knowledge of Islamic architecture has enabled him to utilise its concepts with unerring sureness and virtuosity, producing an architecture, which is both familiar and startlingly fresh. Moreover, his use of indigenous elements, materials, and building techniques comes at a time of increasing questioning concerning the relevance of the ‘International Style’ in architecture to the Middle East and elsewhere. Traditionally, architecture was shaped by the people and the local environment. It expressed national character and identity and provided a sense of continuity that enables people to build a stable future. El Wakil’s buildings respond to this essential need. At the same time, they are noteworthy for their efficiency, both climatically and in terms of design fitness to function.
In The Circle’s opening session, Eduardo will share his experience in creating a different narrative about inequality to showcase the power of individuals in fighting social injustice.
Eduardo is recognised as one of Brazil’s leading academics and economists who has taken his life mission from the classroom to the front lines of marginalised and indigenous communities in Brazil. His story highlights how individual efforts can drive lasting change.
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