Arch. Ing. Bassma AbouelFadl Baldi

Studio professionale : Lucca - Italy

As an architect-engineer with a specialism in the management and development of cultural heritage, research interests in community development, and urban design, I am very interested to be member of STUDIO UTC + 1. I am Bassma Baldi Architect engineer, achieved my doctorate of philosophy in Analysis and Management of Cultural Heritage. I live in Italy in Lucca and I am oriented towards management and development projects, particularly in the field of urban design, and cultural Heritage.

I moved to Italy after I had my bachelor degree in Architecture engineering and my pre-master degree in Urban Design and Community Development, and I got some academic and field work experiences in Cairo. I have gained a solid base upon which I planned to build my career. In 2009 I had my International Masters in Economics and Administration of Cultural Heritage in Università degli Studi di Catania, with an internship at the Italian National Commission for UNESCO Rome. Through these experiences I have learnt and developed an array of research skills, built upon my enthusiasm for fully exploring a problem, my openness to new ideas, and, as expected from someone with my broad education, a multidisciplinary approach to every activity.

Through this track, in 2010 I began my career as architect and cultural Heritage Management Specialist back in Cairo under supervision of Architect Serge Santelli for rehabilitation of a historical district in Islamic Cairo “World heritage site”, trying to distinguish all potentials of the place to satisfy elite cultural tourism in addition to preserving for the region a unique cultural heritage asset. The work tackled two phases; part in Egypt and other one in Paris office with the same team that composed of four different nationalities. My missions were subdivided into two qualifications, first, technical work: preparing and coordinating the presentation with the chief architect: detail design and project implementation including historic monuments with concern to cultural landscapes; creating 3D models for the newly proposed buildings and how they would integrate within the existing historical urban fabric; and planning for project implementation. This drew upon onsite investigations (inspecting and surveying historic sites and buildings, cultural, economic and social aspects). My second task was managerial (and research based) and involved compiling historical and cultural data through IFAO (French Archeological Institute), the American University in Cairo's Rare Books Department, and from the archives of "The Citadel", the Ministry of Culture, the Egyptian General Survey Authority, and other key stakeholders. In sum, we successfully identified tangible and intangible cultural assets and measures of 'heritage value', providing us with new research tools useful and compatible with any cultural heritage project in the Arabic world.

To further my career as a researcher in cultural heritage, I lived in Italy for my PhD studies in Management and Development of Cultural Heritage based at IMT Institute for Advanced Studies in Lucca (IMT Lucca). During my time at IMT Lucca I have been exposed to different research approaches and methodologies related to cultural heritage, Art and culture. They include, but are not limited to: landscape planning; museology; legislation on cultural heritage; sociology of culture; urban design; management of cultural heritage; technologies applied to the experience cultural heritage. Having been taught be experts in the field, I have passed examinations in all of these courses during an intensive eighteen month training programme at IMT Lucca. Of particular note must be the modules taught by McKinsey & Co (over 120 hours of contact) under the titles of "Management of Complex Projects", "Management of Complex Systems", and "Methods and Approaches to Problem Solving".

Most recently, I have held a visiting fellowship researcher at Queen's University Belfast based at the School of Planning, Architecture and Civil Engineering. From August 2012 to July 2013, I integrated my doctoral research with their AHRC-funded project, “Spaces of Liberation”. As a consequence, I developed three phases of my thesis: created a "Scoping Research Framework"; second, compiled data sets through site surveys and face-to-face interviews; and third, analyzed and modelled the data. I completed my thesis by the end of 2014, writing the supporting text to my scheme, models, and analysis, and dissemination of findings.  Thesis title: A Performative Space: Socio-Spatial Practices in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian Revolution.

I would like to continue my strong track-record and previous successes in urban sector consultancy and research. Using my recent academic achievements and international research background, my previous experience and enthusiasm for the sector, linguistic abilities in Arabic, English, and Italian.

Contatti : bassma.abouelfadl@alumni.imtlucca.it