Conference

Nasser Golzari is a senior partner at GOLZARI –NG-Architects where he has produced a number of projects in UK and internationally in Europe and Iran. He is a Senior Lecturer, Masters Design leader at University of Westminster as well as architecture Pathway Leader at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and, has been teaching and practicing for many years in London and abroad.
He has completed and published a number of buildings and written and presented a number of papers on City, periphery, cultural identity and sustainability.
His interest has been the broader aspect of architecture exploring social interaction and events as tools of formal creations. His main research area is Architecture, Event & Cultural Identity, Sustainable Technology and its relationship to the every day habits 1930-1950 European Modernism

General Secretary

Statement
The dramatic change of the role of the Persian Gulf region,-from being one of the main provider of fuel and energy to one of the major consumers of energy and emission of carbon in the world- has taken place with little critical debate.
The Persian Gulf region, possessing 50% of the world's total oil reserves, has over the century been the centre of attention and conflict. Most of these events, from the 1820s conflicts between British and the Arab sheikhdoms to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990s and 2003 US/British invasion of Iraq, have had tremendous environmental impact in the region.
The extensive architectural activities have equally been dramatic in its environmental and cultural impact in the region. The nature of domination of activities seems to have been shifted from supply of fuel, to massive building construction and brutal development. The culture of “Dubaization” of the whole region in the past ten years, is just rising the alarm bell within the different professions. The ‘free for all’ approach to the architectural development, has created surreal cities which denies belonging to any specific place, climate, identity and culture. The organizers of this conference, would like to open up the debate, critically exploring the contemporary and historical works and the development of its architecture and urban settlements and its relevance to sustainability and specificity of the PLACE.