Wesam Al Asali

Roles:
Author

Affiliation:

• • School of Architecture and Design
  • IE University View ROR record for IE University. (opens in new tab)

Biography

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Wesam Al Asali is an Assistant Professor and the Director of Materials and Methods at IE School of Architecture and Design. His work bridges heritage knowledge with contemporary environmental design, focusing on the integration of fabrication technologies with local building crafts and natural materials. Wesam holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 2021, where he researched design strategies for thin-tile vaults in low-carbon floor systems. He was also a 2021-2022 Global Fung Fellow at Princeton University before joining IE School of Architecture and Design.

In 2010, Wesam co-founded IWlab, a research hub dedicated to cities, building cultures, and crafts in Syria and the Middle East. In 2020, he co-founded CERCAA, a social enterprise based in Valencia, Spain, that focuses on teaching masonry vault design and construction to architects and builders. His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) President’s Medal for Research and the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians’ Founders’ Award. In 2024, Wesam received the DigitalFutures International Arabic Awards, and IWlab received the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

 

Publications

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