Based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Lisbon School of Architecture (FAUL) at the Universidad de Lisboa (UL), Lisbon, Portugal, in 2018, a mobility event was held with the participation of four Faculty members from the Notre Dame University-Louaize (NDU) Ramez G. Chagoury Faculty of Architecture, Arts & Design (FAAD): Associate Professors Dr. Karen Boujaoude and Dr. Christine Mady, Associate Professor Dr. Nadine Hindi, and Senior Lecturer Mr. Elie Hawi.
Over the course of one week, the mobility organized activities such as attending design studios, providing feedback to students, and presentations about the FAAD and its corresponding Design Studio course (ARP556). Faculty additionally engaged in productive discussions pertaining to the research topics of urban planning, public spaces, and waterfronts.
The NDU representatives, furthermore, met with members of the FAUL to incentivize research collaborations between the institutions, planning for such a project to begin as soon as Summer 2022, with the organization and assistance from the forthcoming City Street⁵ Conference in Lisbon. A noteworthy element is the City Street⁶ Conference being hosted by one NDU partner university in 2024, providing NDU with the opportunity to host the following Conference in 2026 under better national circumstances.
Lebanon’s ongoing crises have notably led to economic turmoil, often overshadowing the similar downfall of technological and cultural innovation. NDU as a Liberal Arts university advocates for the role that aesthetics lend to the wider society, a call to a higher beauty that elevates the cultural landscape. We look forward to what such a sustained and enriching collaboration between the FAAD and FAUL will yield as they realize their joint vision.