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The professional website of Professor Ashraf M. Salama with links to collections of publications and downloadable materials
Ashraf M. Salama is an academic, scholar, and Chair in Architecture, currently serving as Professor of Architecture and Urbanism and Head of the School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Northumbria at Newcastle. He serves as Co-Director of the UNESCO-UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM), International Union of Architects, Paris.
Over the past 25 years, he has chaired and led four schools of architecture in Egypt, Qatar, and the United Kingdom, two of which he founded. He has held tenured and visiting academic positions in Egypt, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He holds B.Sc., M.Sc., and PhD degrees in architecture, completed at Al-Azhar University in Cairo and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Having secured more than £2.7 million in funded research over his career, he has published over 250 research outputs in the international refereed press, including authoring and editing 20 books and guidebooks. His recent books include: The Participatory Design Legacy of Henry Sanoff: Co-Creation and Community-Based Design Learning (Routledge, 2026); Algorithmic Colonialism in Architecture: Decolonising AI for Pedagogy, Research, and Practice (Amazon, 2026); 100+ Books That Shaped Our Understanding of People–Place Dialectics (ABC2 Publishing, 2025); The Routledge Companion to Architectural Pedagogies of the Global South (Routledge, 2023); Influence and Resistance in Post-Independence Egyptian Architecture (Routledge, 2022); Transformative Pedagogy in Architecture and Urbanism (Routledge Revivals, 2021); Architectural Excellence in Islamic Societies (Routledge, 2020); Building Migrant Cities in the Gulf (Bloomsbury, 2019); Spatial Design Education: New Directions for Pedagogy in Architecture and Beyond (Ashgate/Routledge, 2015/2016); Demystifying Doha: On Architecture and Urbanism in an Emerging City (Ashgate/Routledge, 2013/2016); Architecture Beyond Criticism: Expert Judgment and Performance Evaluation (Routledge, 2014).
He is the Chief Editor of the Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research; Co-Chief Editor of ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction and Cities; and Honorary Editor of Open House International. He is the UIA 2017 Recipient of Jean Tschumi Prize for Excellence in Architectural Education and Criticism. A licensed architect in Egypt since 1987, he practiced in Egypt (1987-92). He has been a consultant to the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism in Egypt (1996-2001), urban design consultant to a number of authorities and development agencies in the Middle East since 2004 and, from 2001 to 2004, the Director of Research and Consulting at Adams Group Architects, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States.
Research Expertise / Thematic Outlines
Research Expertise / Thematic Outlines
Salama's research interests and experience cross the boundaries of disciplines, centred on two key areas: Design Pedagogy with a focus on social and behavioural issues, and Human–Environment Interactions at both architectural and urban scales. These have translated into expertise across the following themes: theories and methodologies of design studio teaching in architecture and urban design; evidence-based design and user-centred assessment of built environments; knowledge economies and sustainable urban qualities; lifestyle trends and housing typologies; socio-spatial practices of migrant and multi-cultural communities; cultural identity, spectacle, and global city image; public realm, placemaking, and inclusive urban open spaces; quality of urban life; decolonising architectural knowledge and pedagogy; and architecture and urbanism in emerging cities of the Global South.
Keynote Contribution (representative)
Keynote Contribution (representative)
Invited Keynote, ARCHCAIRO 10 - Redefining Architecture for a Changing World, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, April 2026
ARCHCAIROX-ASHRAF SALAMA_Traditional & Algorithmic Colonialism_KEYNOTE APRIL 2026--.pdfAshraf M. Salama
Architecture bears deep imprints of traditional colonialism, through imposed spatial orders, extracted resources, erased indigenous practices, and knowledge systems hierarchically ranked by imperial centres. Contemporary decolonisation efforts challenge these legacies. Yet as artificial intelligence permeates architectural education, research, and practice, a new form of colonialism emerges. AI systems learn from colonial archives, Western disciplinary canons, and institutional hierarchies, amplifying inherited assumptions about quality, relevance, and excellence at unprecedented scale. This talk confronts both traditional and algorithmic colonialism, advancing the active project of decolonising architectural intelligence.
Keynote Contribution (representative)
Keynote Contribution (representative)
Sustainable Futures — Learning, (Un)learning, (Re)learning: The Way Forward for Responsive Architectural Pedagogy and Practice Salama, A. M. (2023). Invited Keynote, New European Bauhaus (NEB): UPSKILLING X (Education + Practice)
Salama, A. M. (2023). Invited Keynote, New European Bauhaus (NEB): UPSKILLING X (Education + Practice), jointly organised by the Architects Council of Europe and the European Association of Architectural Education (EAAE), ULB Faculty of Architecture La Cambre Horta, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 20 April 2023. Keynote begins at 49:10 and concludes at 1:25:46.
An invited keynote addressing the future of responsive architectural pedagogy and practice through the interconnected lenses of learning, unlearning, and relearning. The talk examined how architectural education must evolve to meet the social, environmental, and professional demands of the present, engaging with the New European Bauhaus agenda and its implications for upskilling across both education and practice. Delivered to an international audience of heads and deans of schools of architecture, key practitioners from across Europe, the keynote drew on extensive research and pedagogical scholarship to propose frameworks for a more responsive, socially engaged, and globally aware architectural profession.
Moderation Contribution (representative)
Moderation Contribution (representative)
International Union of Architects, Paris, France, March 2022
International Union of Architects, Paris, France, March 2022
The Great Green Wall Initiative Webinar - AFRICA
Salama, A. M. (2022). Moderator and Discussant, UIA Great Green Wall Initiative Webinar, International Union of Architects, Online, 26 March 2022.
This international webinar brought together leading architects, researchers, and educators from across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East to address the architectural and environmental dimensions of the Great Green Wall Initiative, one of the most ambitious ecological restoration programmes ever conceived, spanning 8,000 kilometres across the Sahel region of Africa.
Moderated by Ashraf Salama, the webinar The Great Green Wall Initiative Webinar - AFRICA, brought panellists inlcuding Cordelia Olatokunbo Osasona (Nigeria), David A. Garcia (Spain/Denmark), Hanaa Dahy (Egypt/Germany), Borong Lin (China), Nikolaos P. Tsinikas (Greece), and Anna Heringer (Germany) — whose TED Talk on mud architecture has reached audiences worldwide. The webinar explored how architecture, landscape design, and sustainable building practices can contribute to the ecological, social, and cultural dimensions of the initiative across the African continent (links are to presentations by the panelists).
Feature Contributions (representative)
Feature Contributions (representative)
Key presentation at the UIA EDUCOM Webinar 5 — Socially Engaged Pedagogies: The Architect as Listener, Mediator, Collaborator, Civic Agent, and Critical Practitioner, 5 March 2026 https://www.uia-architectes.org/en/news/uia-educom-webinar-socially-engaged-pedagogies/
Salama, A. M., Pasalar, C., & Toker, Z. (2026). Routledge, London, 2026, ISBN: 9781041133452.
Key presentation at the UIA EDUCOM Webinar 3 — Aligning Architectural Education Across Allied Built Environment Disciplines, 27 June 2025 https://www.uia-architectes.org/en/news/uia-educom-webinar-aligning-architectural-education-across-allied-built-environment-disciplines/
Patil, M. P., & Salama, A. M. (2026). Published on Amazon 24 March 2026, ISBN: 9798253475133.
Salama, A. M., Patil, M. P., & MacLean, L. (2025). @EDRA 56: Designing Communities for Climate Action and Resilience, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Insights from European Cities into Urban Resilience and Sustainability (Salama, Patil, Maclean)
Mobile Applications for Co-Assessing Diverse Place Typologies (Patil and Salama)
Salama, A. M., (Moderator)
Toker, Z., & Pasalar, C. (Organisers) (2026).
A Symposium @EDRA 57: Embracing Regional Sustainability — Networks for People and Places, University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States, 27–30 May 2026.
From Canonical Studios to Social Construction: (Salama)
Social Science Research Methods for Architects and Planners @IFoU Young Ambassador Webinar — Qualitative Social Research Challenges in the Field of the Built Environment, 8 November 2024 https://international-urbanism.de/news/3rd-ifou-young-ambassador-2024/
Key presentation at the UIA EDUCOM Webinar 2 — Emerging Global Trends in Architectural Education, 23 January 2025 https://www.uia-architectes.org/en/news/emerging-global-trends-in-architectural-education/
Co-hosted with Marilys R. Nepomechie as Co-Directors of the UIA Education Commission and Co-Reporters of the UNESCO-UIA Validation Council
Architectural Education for a Sustainable Future
Salama, A. M., & Nepomechie, M. R. (2023). Co-hosted open forum, 28th UIA World Congress of Architects: Sustainable Futures — Leave No One Behind, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2–6 July 2023.
The forum addressed architectural education for a sustainable future in two parts: the role of the UNESCO-UIA Charter and Validation System and the second on the integration of Sustainable Development Goals into architectural pedagogy, with key contributions from Jana Revedin, UNESCO Delegate, and Valerie Vaughan-Dick, CEO of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Participation as discussant in the Keynote Plenary Session delivered by Juan Du, The Shenzhen Experiment.
Salama, A. M. (2022). Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, 34(1), 50–51. Conference contribution, IASTE 2022: Rupture and Tradition — Disruption, Continuity, Repercussions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Dec 2022.
Two contributions to IASTE 2022 at the National University of Singapore:
Disruption and Continuity of Pedagogical Traditions in Architecture and Urbanism
Harriet Harriss, Ashraf M. Salama, and Ane Gonzalez Lara, Routledge, London, United Kingdom, Dec 2022/January 2023, ISBN: 9780367893705.
Marwa El-Ashmouni and Ashraf M. Salama, Routledge, London, United Kingdom, July 2022, ISBN: 9780367703622.
Panel organized by Epidemic Urbanism Initiative (EUI), Online, 7 May 2022.
Architectural Education and Design Pedagogies: Global Perspectives and Challenges of Inclusivity, Health, and Resilience, Ashraf M. Salama (moderation), with --Kivanç Kilinç; Hermie Delport; Lindy Osborne Burton; Alice Ismail; Christina Malathouni; Hassan Radoine; David Gloster; and Marilys Nepomitchie.
Ashraf M. Salama, Evolving Urbanity on the Arabian Peninsula: Questions on the Production of Diverse Hubs and the Emerging Place Typologies.
The Bibliotheca Orientalis Attilio Petruccioli, SECA Foundation, the Polo Museale of Trani. Trani, Italy, 23 April 2022.
Ashraf M. Salama, Invited Talk: Contemporary Perspectives on Decolonizing Architectural Knowledge: Implications for Education, Research, and Practice.
PhD Seminar, DIARC, Architecture,
University of Naples Federico II, Napoli Italy, 21 April 2022.
Ashraf M. Salama, Keynote Talk: Questions Persist: On the Future of Urban Environments Beyond the Pandemic.
1st International Conference on Pandemics and the Changing Built Environment: Learning from History - Planning for Tomorrow. Ozyegin University, Istanbul, Turkey/Online, 28-30 April 2022.
Ashraf M. Salama, Invited Keynote: Transdisciplinary for Future Post-Pandemic Built Environment.
International Symposium: Reimagining Public Spaces and Built Environments in the Post Pandemic World, ai4 Society, University of Alberta.
Edmonton, AB, Canada/Online, 9-12 December, 2021.
Ashraf M. Salama, Invited Workshop: Knowledge Dissemination in Architecture and Design Research.
Workshop for faculty and students of schools of architecture, College of Architecture, Texas Tech University.
Lubbock, Texas, USA, Online, 23 November 2021.
Visit workshop page
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Ashraf M. Salama, Invited Speaker: Transdisciplinary Research for Affordable and Sustainable Housing. Roundtable #1: As part of Lisbon Workshop Programme, RE DWELL MCSA-ITN 1st (Chair F. Samuel, with D. Clapham, G. Debizet, D. Petrescu, and A. Salama).
RE DWELL, Lisbon Portugal/Online, 23 Sept 2022.
Ashraf M. Salama, Invited Speaker: A Century of Evolution in Architecture and Urbanism in the Arabian Peninsula.
Lecture Series, Urban Design Group, with Husam AlWaer and Attilio Petruccioli.
UDG, London, UK, Online, 16 Sept 2022.
Ashraf M. Salama, The implications of covid-19 and lockdown measures for the future of the built environment.
Impact Engagement Webinar, Design & Placemaking in a Post-Covid World.
Online/Glasgow - UK, 13 January 2021.
Ashraf M. Salama, Reproducing architecture and urbanism in the midst of a pandemic condition.
International Conference on Architecture and urbanism in the Age of Planetary Crisis.
Ecodemia, Online/London - UK, 23 October 2020.
Ashraf M. Salama & Michael J. Crosbie, Educating Architects in a Post Pandemic World: What opportunities does the “loss of the stable state” offer the future of education?
Common\Edge, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 14 October 2020.
Architectural Education in the Post-COVID Era, Mohammad Gharipour and Caitlin DeClercq interview Ashraf Salama on Envisioning New Opportunities and Implications.
EPI, Epidemic Urbanism Initiative, 11 September 2020.
Ashraf M. Salama & Florian Wiedmann, the speakers for Podcast Series 2: Architecture+ City, episode 3.
Sharjah Architecture Triennial, 4 Sept 2020.
Bibliotheca Orientalis, Bari - Italy and Glasgow - UK, 28 August 2020.
Florian Wiedmann and Ashraf M. Salama, I.B. Tauris / Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom, July 2019, ISBN: 9781788310680
Ashraf M. Salama and Marwa El-Ashmouni, Routledge, London, United Kingdom, August 2020, ISBN: 9781138482555
Attilio Petruccioli Interviews Ashraf Salama on the Impact Coronavirus on Middle Eastern Cities.
Bibliotheca Orientalis, Bari - Italy and Glasgow - UK, 20 May 2020.
Common\Edge, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, 7 May 2020.
Gemma Hemming, Ashraf Salama, Tony Roche, How Emerald Open Research can help you rapidly share your research findings across the globe.
Emerald Publishing, Leeds, UK. 27 May 2020.
Salama, A. M. (2019), Methodological research in architecture and allied disciplines: Philosophical positions, frames of reference, and spheres of inquiry, Archnet-IJAR, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 8-24.
Salama A. M. (2020), Coronavirus questions that will not go away: interrogating urban and socio-spatial implications of COVID-19 measures.
Sustainable Cities Gateway, Emerald Open Research 2020, 2:14.
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