Nature Based Generations | Panel Discussions
SOS is knowledge partner of the III Edition of UAE Modern events, “Nature Based Generations” at the Dubai Design Week 2019. The Panel Discussions organized will see prominent figures on the international scene discuss the fundamental issues for the construction of a more sustainable future for all: the three panels will be animated by the interventions of intellectuals and professionals who face the questions posed daily in their work. The SOS director, Massimo Imparato, will moderate the discussions.
Panel 1: Materials and System
Kevin Badni, Dean of the College of Arts and Creative Enterprises, Zayed University
Anna Barbara, Associate Professor of Interior and Spatial Design, Politecnico di Milano
Gionata Gatto, Assistant Professor, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation
Ingrid Paoletti, Associate Professor of Architectural Technology, Politecnico di Milano
The 17 SDGS (Sustainable Development Goals) that were set within the framework of the 2030 agenda called nations, institutions, communities, industries and financial players for unprecedented actions at all levels. Innovation in materials, production processes and systems, seen as a path towards circular economy, can be highly influential for their achievement: they can contribute to create new businesses and job opportunities, to empower communities, to improve the quality of interior and outdoor spaces, give access to healthier and more affordable nutrition, and to the overall target of de-carbonization. The panel, triggered by short videos offering to the audience a panoramic view on the topic, potential research directions and case studies, will revolve on the perspective of a new bond between technology and natural processes for the achievement of a new setting where humans redraw their relationship with all other living species.
Panel 2: Cities and Communities
Anna Cornaro, Chair of the Department of Architecture, American University of Dubai
Rafael Pizarro, Associate Professor of Architecture, American University of Sharjah
Ahmad N. Sadek, Urban and regional strategist, APAZAO for Planning & Design, UAE
The global growth of population – estimated to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 – in search of better living conditions will rise the already existing unbalance between urban and rural settlements: by 2050 7/10 of the world population will live in urban areas, a ratio that will reach the 9/10 by the end of the century. This unprecedented condition, an effect of emerging global issues such as rising of temperatures and sea levels, inequality, famine and political instability, will put cities under new threats and challenges that, if unattended or not planned in advance, could bring them and their communities to collapse. The panel, triggered by short videos offering to the audience a panoramic view on the topic, and potential research directions, will revolve on the active role that architecture, urban design and planning can play in addressing the issue of humans in their transition to becoming a full urban specie.
Panel 3: Energy and Nutrition
Ryan Ingram, Founding Partner, TerraLoop, Dubai
Linda Merieau, Managing Director, Water Alliance Association, Dubai
Ulysses Papadopoulos, CEO GreenEmirates, UAE
The emerging possibilities that new technologies offer for the production of bio-fuel from PPOs emphasizes on the interconnection between two domains that have been always intertwined, and on the impact that any massive, unplanned use of nutrients from natural resources for other purposes can undermine its primary mission of fighting poverty and inequality by making access to food broader and widespread. Fresh water is a quintessential example of the problem due to its endemic lack in some regions, obsolete or missing distribution network, and global withdrawal lead by agriculture (67%), followed by power production (16%), industrial purposes (7%) leaving only 10% for municipal uses – of which less than 1% is used for drinking purposes. A better and more efficient use and distribution of energy from renewable sources and its mutual relationships with nutrition policies will be pivotal in the future challenges for sustainable development. The panel, triggered by short videos offering to theaudience a panoramic view on the topic, and potential research directions, will revolve on the interdependence between energy and nutrition in addressing the 17 SDGs.
As the curators affirm, UAE Modern and SOS reconfirm the decision to continue in their role as a nexus of research and development of best practices for scholars, researchers, practitioners, private and public institutions and the industry, for making the UAE a benchmark of sustainable development.
