Dr Yara Sharif

I am a member of the Design Practice Research Group, with a particular focus on Research-by-Design in Architecture. This approach focuses on generating new insights and forms of knowledge production through the design process itself. My work explores contested landscapes and uncertain geographies. It employs design, conceptual drawings, mapping, and making as powerful tools to document, narrate, and reimagine alternative realities that cultivate hope. Through these methods, I seek to challenge conventional narratives and propose new ways of understanding and engaging with complex spatial and social contexts. Running an architecture practice alongside academia, my work and research varies. It is participatory in nature. Working with local communities, NGOs, municipalities, UN-Habitat, and UNESCO, I have extensively addressed issues of fragmented geography, heritage, the local vernacular and reconstruction for disadvantaged communities. My research explores themes of home, memory, and the stitching of landscapes, contributing to a deeper understanding and rebirth of these contested spaces. Situated within a triangular relationship between my architecture practice, academic studio and research, my work blurs the boundaries between architecture, art, and spatial design. This results in a diverse range of outcomes including built and speculative projects. Buildings, design, drawing, fabrication, all are viewed as complementary parts of a cohesive whole contributing to a alternative exploration of architectural and spatial concepts. Recent and ongoing research activities Modernism as a Colonial Project This research unpacks a series of buildings in Jaffa, questioning the notion of local vernacular. the study delves into the complexities and implications of modernism as a colonial project. Funded and exhibited by the Qattan Foundation, this research critically explores how modernist architectural practices have impacted and transformed the local landscape and cultural identity. https://universes.art/en/specials/qattan-foundation/instant-modernism/artworks/nasser-golzari-yara-sharif The Garden as a Space of Production This ongoing project rethinks the ephemeral landscape and the notion of the garden as a space of power and production. By investigating gardens through the lenses of temporality, control, and productivity, the research seeks to uncover the multifaceted roles that gardens play beyond their aesthetic value. The Experimental Lab: A self-help typology: The Lab addresses the scarcity of resources by offering new "bone and skin" made of salvaged materials, responding to scarcity, emergency, and creative daily practices. This ongoing project spans the globe, accumulating an "Atlas of Materials.". As a testing ground for the Lab, different fragments and components have been developed, working with rammed earth, clay, reconstruction bars, and crushed concrete. The latest development is a mobile clinic, built in collaboration with the Mobile Surgical Team (MIST). This innovative project is funded by the Quintin Hogg Trust. Architecture of Hope An ongoing project to restitch the fragmented landscape through speculative and live projects. Open Gaza is one component In collaboration with the late Michael Sorkin and Terreform, and involving architects and urban planners from around the world, the work contributes to a broader discourse on reconstruction and regeneration in contested landscapes. Architects for Gaza (AFG): Architects for Gaza is a recent initiative co-founded by Nasser Golzari and Yara Sharif in November 2023. This platform brings together hundreds of architects, planners, and environmentalists, working collaboratively to advocate for the right to the city and the right to rebuild Gaza and its human resources. This initiative aims to address the pressing needs of Gaza's communities through sustainable and resilient design, fostering a sense of empowerment and agency among local residents. www.architectsforgaza.com Gaza Global University: A virtual and physical platform that brings together academics and practitioners from around the world to support Gazan students. This pedagogical project is rooted in hope and shared humanity.

Self-build reconstruction, participatory design, heritage led regeneration, Research by Design

Reconstruction and self -build, Contested landscape/geography, Architecture of Resistance, Research by Design, Community-driven approach, heritage in contested landscape, Post-war reconstruction