Omar Tahhan
About me
I am a stage-one creative-practice PhD researcher in Memories and Architecture with seven years of academic experience and four years in industrial practice. I hold a master's degree in Advanced Architectural Design (AAD) with Distinction, and a first-class honours bachelor’s degree in architecture with diverse academic and practical training from Newcastle University, University College of London, California Institute of the Arts, and Damascus University. As I believe in academia's crucial role in improving architectural discourse and practice, my academic journey in architecture has exposed me to critical theories delving into the profound consequences of losing a place's historical and cultural significance, eventually becoming a crore research interest for me. My interdisciplinary research interests lie in applying multimethodological approaches to complexities of identity, spatial analysis, social justice, and mnemonic palimpsest patterns.
Project Title
The Citified Body's Memory of Damascus
Project Description
This research explores how memory shapes and redefines the city’s identity and urban resilience in Damascus using the concept of "The Citified Body and Body’s Memory." This metaphor examines spatial memory through three intersecting lenses: Speculative Memory, Memories’ Spatial Politics, and Neuroarchitecture. Together, these lenses reveal how individual and collective memories are embedded within the city's past, present, and future urban fabric and can be an influential source during the post-war reconstruction and cultural preservation phases. The three lenses also examine the process of reinforcing or disrupting memory connections to the urban environment by capturing the complex dynamics between memory and urban spaces.
Supervisors
Qualifications
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MSc Advanced Architectural Design: Architecture & Cities - Newcastle University (Distinction)
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MSc Architectural Design (2 semesters) - Damascus University
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BSc Architecture - Damascus University (First-class Honours)
Research Group Memberships
Memory Studies Association (MSA)
Association of Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS)
Architectural Humanities Research Association (AHRA)
Syrian Engineers Association (SEA)
Contact