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Building Intercontinental Bridges:Architecture Lecturer Leads University’s Participation in International Project

Academics and students from Robert Gordon University recently took part in an international architectural project to propose 10 new cities that would be situated on the Mediterranean sea, linking Europe to Africa.

‘The Bellum Bridge City Project’ was initiated this summer by the Architectural & Urban Forum (AUFO) in Milan to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification. Student and academic teams from architecture schools in cities across Europe and Africa took part in the project including Alexandria, Milan, Palermo, Madrid, Mansoura and Aberdeen.

Each project team was tasked with designing visions for possible future cities that would be positioned along the 100 kilometre stretch of sea between Sicily and Tunisia. Each cityscape, which would be linked by the bridge, was to have a particular focus on its infrastructure and relation to the sea. It is hoped that the project will spark a conversation at a governmental level to link the landmasses in reality.

The Aberdeen group from RGU’s Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment (SSS), comprising students and academics, was led by Dr Amar Bennadji who is responsible for the School’s EU and international engagement.

The group took part in a brainstorming session to generate ideas and sketches of a city of 7.5km radius, expected to host one million inhabitants and situated on the sea. Debate arose from this process, particularly regarding the unsustainable character of the project and how to overcome this difficulty. Of the 10 city sites, the team decided to work on the one closest to the African continent. Cultural integration, therefore, was a significant focal point of discussion for the group.

As part of the project, Dr Amar Bennadji was invited by AUFO to embark on a journey from Genoa to Palermo by ferry, followed by a bus trip to Salame and finally to Marsala. Once there, he signed the local authorities’ official inauguration document and together with representatives from the other teams laid the first stone announcing the official start of the project.

The SSS has a long history of international collaboration and Amar’s work continues this tradition. He said: “International projects such as these are vital for the School, both for enriching staff development and the student experience. As such, I am proud that we are playing a formative role in the establishment and strengthening of connections within the wider architectural community.”

Amar, who was born in Europe but is of North African origin, received his PhD from Marseille School of Architecture in collaboration with Aix-en-Provence's department of Human Geography and North South Relations.

He said: "I felt that this project reflected my multicultural identity and therefore considered it my mission to accept the invitation to join it. Being dual national myself, I was delighted to take part in a materialised project to link Africa to Europe. This is also due to the fact that the project links closely to my own research interests of social sustainability and cultural interaction in urban and architectural design.”

Amar intends to continue the School’s involvement in The Bellum Bridge Project and will lead the second step that will see academics and students produce drawings of their initial concepts. The drawings will be collated on A0 sheets which will then be sent to Milan where all the participating groups’ work will be displayed on 15 November. It is anticipated that the exhibition will travel to all universities that took part in the mega project.

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