Wesam Al Asali

Founder and Partner

Wesam Al Asali is an architect, educator, researcher, and enthusiast for combining digital and manual fabrication technologies with local building crafts and natural materials. His work spans construction history, building technology, and craft studies to explore the role of culture and society in rethinking architectural practice in the context of climate challenges. His research received the RIBA President's Awards for Research in Architecture (2021) and the Salje Medal for Best Doctoral Research in Arts and Humanities at Clare Hall, Cambridge University (2022).

Wesam received his Ph.D. in 2021 from the University of Cambridge, where he worked on design strategies for thin-tile vaults for low-carbon ceiling systems. Following his Ph.D. completion, Wesam was the 2021-2022 Global Fung fellow at Princeton University before joining IE School of Architecture and Design. He received research funds and commissions from the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, Instituto de Tecnologнa Cerбmica, and Princeton University. His current projects include the use of natural materials in Spanish building crafts, scarcity-driven informal and vernacular architecture in the Middle East, and the relationship between domestic spaces and food production in Syria during the crisis.

Research Interests : Construction technology; Natural material | Vocational training | Craft and computation | Heritage | Migration and education.