This session explores how adaptive reuse and cultural preservation can drive sustainable and resilient futures by balancing what must be preserved with what must evolve. By rooting design in the cultural and environmental uniqueness of place, architecture can mediate between memory and innovation. Case studies from diverse geographies illustrate how architecture can shift from a consumptive to a regenerative practice. Ultimately, design becomes not just the creation of objects, but the production of ecological and cultural symbols with lasting relevance.
Participating Expert
Farid Esmaeil
Farid Esmaeil founded X Architects in 2003 after graduating from the American University of Sharjah (AUS) with a degree in architecture. Farid is a recipient of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Wasit Wetland Centre, and his work has been exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, AIA Berlin, and Archiprix International.
