-
Shaikha Nahla Ahmed Humaid Alqassimi
- Associate Professor, Dean of Student Services
- Ext: 5110
Dr. Nahla Alqassimi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the College of Art & Design, Ajman University. She holds a Ph.D. in Architectural Engineering from Cairo University, as well as a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering from Cairo University and UAE University, respectively. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Alqassimi has taken on several leadership positions, including serving as the Dean of Students at Ajman University and Chair of the Women Empowerment Council at the same institution. She is also the Vice President of the Board of Governance for the UAE Society of Engineers and the Chair of the Women Engineers Committee within the Society. Dr. Alqassimi is an active member of the Board of Governance for the Rashid Bin Humaid Award for Culture and Science. With a strong commitment to both academia and community service, Dr. Alqassimi plays a pivotal role in advancing the fields of architecture and engineering, particularly in empowering women and fostering leadership in the industry.
Teaching Area
- Housing
- Urban Design
Housing
Urban Design
Publications
-
Analyzing the Users' Satisfaction Levels and Perceptions of the Dubai Water Canal for Future Waterfront Development in UAE
-
The Analysis of Multi-sensory Environments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in United Arab Emirates
-
The Analysis of the Media Façade in Dubai for Community Invigoration
-
The Analysis of the Common Denominators of Tadao Ando’s Museum Architecture
-
The Evolution of Dynamicity in Architecture of Frank Gehry
-
The Typology of Water Composition in Tadao Ando’s Architecture
-
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ARCHITECTURE ECOLOGY, URBAN ENVIRONMENT, EXPEROENCE
Analyzing the Users' Satisfaction Levels and Perceptions of the Dubai Water Canal for Future Waterfront Development in UAE
Dubai was developed from Khor Dubai and the city always focuses on the development of waterfront as a public space. The urban waterfront in Dubai is a highly visible public space for recreational activities but also as an urban landscape for placemaking, environmental pollution reduction, and transportation. The objective of this study is to explore the direction of future development of the Dubai Water Canal. By analyzing the characteristics and behavioural patterns of canal users using a post-occupancy evaluation survey, the study presents the management plan necessary to improve the facility. As a methodology, Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) with two-step cluster analysis was used with SPSS Statistics version 20.0. Dubai Water Canal users were classified into friend-based, family-based, and individual-based clusters to investigate the differences in satisfaction levels and perception between clusters. The survey included questions on accessibility, convenience of use, facility management status, safety, and landscape management. The result had shown that family-only parking, convenient pedestrian walkway, signage/distance marker, and pocket parks as green buffer zones are needed to increase the level of satisfaction. Factors to enhance users’ satisfaction comprised 1) efficient road system for light exercise, 2) efficient information signage, 3) convenient pedestrian roads with nighttime lighting system, 4) strict separation of pedestrians and cyclists, and 5) nature-friendly landscape and landscape improvement. This study intended to extract elements for future design and management of urban open space projects, similar to the Dubai Water Canal.
About the journal
The Analysis of Multi-sensory Environments for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in United Arab Emirates
Recent statistics indicates that one in 146 children had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United Arab Emirates and the number is increasing. Even though there is no cure for ASD, the multi-sensory environment (MSE) is widely accepted in the world. The objective of this paper was to explore the effects of the multi-sensory environment on children with ASD, who have visual and auditory hyposensitivity, with the help of cutting-edge technologies to monitor their heart rate. As a methodology, Single-Subject Experimental Design (SSED) was used for the study and MSE interventions was design with visual stimulation, auditory stimulation, and integration of visual and auditory stimulation. The result had shown that experience in a multi-sensory environment is effective in reducing negative repetitive behaviors in daily life of children with ASD. Visual/auditory integrated environmental intervention had a very positive effect on the target behavior of children with visual and auditory hyposensitivity. It was statistically proven that there are obvious differences in heart rate of children with autism spectrum disorder according to the three types of multi-sensory environment interventions. The change in heart rate in a multi-sensory environment, however, could not be concluded with the same effect as the reduction in target behavior. This study will serve as a basic data that one of the important aspects of multi-sensory environment therapy is the flexibility of spatial design that can provide customized environments according to each child with ASD's sensory needs.
About the journal
The Analysis of the Media Façade in Dubai for Community Invigoration
In Dubai, the media façade as promotional tool is not unprecedented. Government and developers in Dubai, however, start regarding media façades as communication tools instead of advertising tool. This study focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the elements of the media facade in six media facades projects in Dubai to analyse the publicness of the media facade for community invigoration for users via 300 participants POE (Post Occupancy Evaluation). As a result of satisfaction analysis of six targeted sites, the viewing factor was the highest, followed by hardware, technology, and content factors. As a result of the comparative analysis, the content factor was shown to be the lowest in the satisfaction level, and it is judged that the publicness for community invigoration of the media facade can be maximized by improving the level of the contents factor and the variables. The digitization of Dubai in the 21st century is accelerating, and digital infrastructure is needed for physical spaces. The media facade plays a central role, suggesting a new paradigm for improving the function and quality of urban context and public spaces. It is necessary, therefore, to discuss the social interests, not just the technical part of the media facade. As part of its social interests, this paper had explored the publicness for community invigoration.
About the journal
The Analysis of the Common Denominators of Tadao Ando’s Museum Architecture
This paper aims to extract the common denominator of the architectural characteristics in Tadao Ando’s museums to derive his background philosophy. Despite different places, sizes, and programs, the common denominator of architectural characteristics can be summarized as follows: First, the access to the museum is accompanied by water and is intended to climb along a deliberately detoured approach. Visitors take a slow walk on the ascending path and get out of their daily routine. Second, the path that descends immediately after entering the museum prepares the mindset necessary for appreciating the exhibits after taking a walk outside. This ascending, descending, and detouring means that his museums are far from convenience ideology pursuing the shortest path. Third, to harmoniously distinguish between nature and humans, his museum, composed of simple geometry, transcended the obsession with the main façade, but the orientation toward the main entrance is clear. Fourth, the entrance hall of his museum acts as a boundary point between the interior and exterior. Functional space and emotional space are combined for the exhibition where the determined space and the undetermined space intersect and exposed concrete gives consistency to the continuous space.
About the journal
The Evolution of Dynamicity in Architecture of Frank Gehry
Innovative architect Frank O. Gehry had changed the practices of architecture with his avant-garde designs actualized with high-tech software. He has created extremely dramatic, unconventional, and twisted forms with very unorthodox materials. The objective of this paper is to extract the common denominator or vocabulary of the ‘sculpturesque’ dynamicity of Frank Gehry’s architecture through times. To provide an overview of Frank Gehry’s philosophy and design concept, the key aspect was extended to reality with the interaction during pop artist era in the early and mid-period alongside the advantage of design computation in later years. The expression of dynamicity was also evolved from tension and movement as the expression in fine art with respect to the combination of non-linearity, fractal, folding, and dynamic of colors combined with the technique of design computation, which includes reverse engineering and building information modelling. To extract these elements, the exploratory technique of research is applied. Establishing the desirability of the research, the literature and writings on Frank Gehry were analyzed based on longitudinal study with reference to his previous works and the verbal connotation of his reaction during the interview concerning his works. The result of the analysis is equated with his original way of design, observing his cutting-edge application through latest computation simultaneously. He had read the zeitgeist well and pushed the limit of his understanding of tectonics by using proper material for his projects such as platinum plate with high flexibility for economic feasibility to achieve the expression of next level dynamicity. Finally, Frank Gehry’s architecture, therefore, can be understood as the pioneer of new dynamicity in architecture without interpreting his works with deconstructionism philosophy.
About the journal
The Typology of Water Composition in Tadao Ando’s Architecture
Water is an indispensable element for Tadao Ando’s architecture. The exploration of the role of water in his projects is an essential process to comprehend his philosophy. In this study, the composition type of water used in the architecture of Tadao Ando was analyzed. Based on the concept of ma and shintai, the three types of water were categorized as architectural elements, reflecting water basin, continuous cascade, and waterfall. The relationship between entry and water was compared and classified into three types: water presence before entry, water presence before and after entry, and water presence after entry. The Japanese ma, which understands time and space as a unified concept, is embodied through water that reveals the nature of time and forms a perfect gap between the building and its surroundings. Water is used as an architectural device that allows shintai to fully recognize and accept space as a medium that allows people to perceive the world through the combination of body and mind, reinforcing architectural experiences through perception.
About the journal
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN ARCHITECTURE ECOLOGY, URBAN ENVIRONMENT, EXPEROENCE
Contemporary Issues in Architecture Ecology, Urban Environment, and Experience is an edited (multi-authored) book focusing on the new trends and frontiers in architecture. Architecture renews itself in terms of structural, aesthetical, and functional aspects that correspond to the needs of every age. Unlike artistic creativity, innovation in an architectural sense has to be evaluated differently as an object of use in social life. The innovation might include technical, design, manufacturing, management, and commercial aspects related to presenting a new (or improved) product. In other words, innovation, as a novel idea bringing an added-value, is an enterprise tool, in which change is used as an opportunity. Originality, on the other hand, the quality of being special and not the same as anything else, opens up a a discussion of how an original architectural move relates to the context, history, and cultural background. Original and/or innovative, new social demands and new technological apparatus challenges architecture every moment by calling out the creativity of the designer. Within that scope, the concepts of innovation, originality, and creativity had been brought into focus.