The conclusion of the activities of the World Design Studio (WDS) at Ain Shams University

Last week, the activities of the International Design Studio for 2022 concluded, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for University Affairs, Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Dr. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Salwa Rashad, Dean of the College of Al-Alsun, Prof. Dr. Nagwa Badr, Dean of the College of Computers and Information, Prof. Dr. Shahira Samir, Executive Director of the International Relations Sector at Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Mostafa Refaat, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering for Education and Student Affairs, Mr. Yuan Chao: Third Secretary of the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, Ms. Cui Shigi, attached to the Education Department of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, and a group of professors from the Faculty of Engineering, at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Ain Shams University.

Prof. Dr. Ayman Ashour, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for University Affairs, explained that this project is the product of cooperation between Ain Shams University and Clemson University that lasted 16 years, during which students participated in many international and national projects, the most important of which are the development of Luxor City and the development of the Pyramids Plateau and the Maspero Triangle. As well as the problem of high water levels in Charleston, USA, and how to overcome it by reformulating urban planning and urban coordination in the city.

He added that this cooperation began with a cooperation with Clemson University in the United States and then with Huajong University of China. He stressed that students from the three universities cooperated to find good solutions for feasibility studies despite the difference in views, stressing the importance of the societal role of universities to serve the community.

In addition, Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, said that Ain Shams University has been a pioneer in the field of international cooperation for a long time, and this is what we see its fruits today on the ground. The officials in the three countries are taking advantage of the students' ideas and applying them on the ground. The problem this year was related to the United States of America. Students from the three countries participated in solving it, and this cooperation contributes to the exchange of cultures between students.

Prof. Dr. Omar Al-Husseini explained that the World design studio is distinguished in its combination of multicultural educational systems, as well as the studio’s promotion of digital transformation and student and cultural exchange at the international level along with the principles of sustainability. He indicated the College of Engineering’s intention to support the expansion of the International Design Studio as a pioneering example in developing education using digital technology and modern communication systems to achieve the development of the skills of participating students from different backgrounds.

Dr. Ayman Farid, director of the World design studio, praised the competitive level of the faculty and studio students from Ain Shams University and the participating foreign universities, in a way that enhances the sustainability and expansion of international cooperation as one of the pillars of the vision of developing Egyptian universities, allowing the participation of more interdisciplinary disciplines, as the international design studio currently includes the disciplines of architectural, urban and environmental design Urban planning and site coordination, in addition to the use of other disciplines according to the nature of the project in each course. He also pointed out the importance of integrating students internationally, which contributes to addressing various important architectural and environmental issues in order to enrich the educational experience.

On his part, Dr. Ahmed Khaled, coordinator of the World Design Studio, reviewed the national projects in which the studio’s students participated over 16 years of international cooperation, namely, the development projects of Luxor City, the Pyramids Plateau, Rashid City, Fustat area, and Maspero Triangle, in addition to developing the tourist walkway and the old port area in Hurghada and developing the city of Sharm El-Sheikh. He also stressed the important role of exchanging cultures, experiences and international architectural trends in refining students and providing them with a competitive level to keep pace with the global market and deal with all architectural and urban issues according to different social, economic and environmental conditions and other factors affecting the design.

This year, 40 students from the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, 30 from China's Huajong University, and 11 students from Clemson University in the United States participated in the project.

This year's project revolves around the smart and sustainable development of the American city of Greenville and to propose new designs for the new Clemson University campus (CU-ICAR), which is an extension of Clemson University in Greenville, to become a scientific and research complex for the manufacture of advanced vehicles and cars, and to be an advanced center that applies the standards of the fourth generation of Smart and sustainable universities, with the aim of creating updated generations of smarter and more advanced robotic vehicles through modern information technology, artificial intelligence applications, virtual reality and digitization, in a framework that serves the strategic plan for Greenville for the year 2040, where Ain Shams, Clemson, and Huajong Universities of China are presenting what has been reached His every team.

It is worth noting that the International Design Studio has achieved remarkable success for its achievements in 2019 represented in developing the city of Charleston and providing the latest flexible architectural and urban entrances and strategies that deal with climatic influences, the most important of which are the rising ocean water levels and the subsequent floods and storms that threaten the safety of facilities and residents throughout the year.

The International Design Studio is the first of its kind in the field of interdisciplinary engineering that combines the specialization of architecture and urban planning and links it with many other engineering disciplines.