RIYADH: Kuwait University’s (KU) assistant professor at the Department of Architecture, Dr Yousef Al-Haroun, won the International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments’ (IASTE-Berkeley) prize on Monday at its event held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Speaking to KUNA, Dr Al-Haroun expressed joy over winning the prize at the IASTE 2024 Riyadh held on January 5–9 under the title “The Dynamism of Tradition.” The academic said that his research, which won the prize, focused on the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on architecture design, identity, and cultural making in Kuwait and the GCC region.

The research enables architects to use AI to maintain Gulf cultural identity while seeking improvements in design and construction. The International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments (IASTE) was established at the First International Symposium on Traditional Dwellings and Settlements held at Berkeley in April 1988. IASTE is keen on comparative, cross-cultural, and inter-disciplinary understanding of traditional dwellings and settlements as an expression of cultural conventions. — KUNA