The third edition of the International Conference on “Parallelism in Architecture, Engineering & Computing Techniques” and the second edition of the International Conference on “Urban Regeneration and Sustainability” were held together in collaboration with the University of East London in the United Kingdom, and took place virtually from the 7th to the 9th of October 2020, due to the travel restrictions caused by the pandemic.

The conferences addressed all the aspects of the urban environment. Urban regeneration was discussed thoroughly in the conference by rendering it as a process and a strategy that aims at transforming and renovating areas in the hope of upgrading public housing, public and private buildings, infrastructure, and services.

It could also be considered a highly effective way to improve urban performance by targeting countless areas and taking their economic levels and developments into consideration which could affect society either negatively or positively.

IEREK organized this conference to help establish better and more efficient solutions and plans to help solve such rapidly-growing challenges within a countless number of cities around the world by viewing different aspects and solutions offered and discussed throughout the conference.

Among the main topics discussed in the conference:

1-     Aspects and Principles of Urban Regeneration

2-     Designing and Development of Urban Regeneration

3-     Strategies to Improve Urban Performance

4-     Overview of Urban Transformation

5-     Challenges of Urban Regeneration

Day 1:

Welcoming Session:

The Opening Ceremony started with the online registration and welcoming speeches from the conference Chair and co-chair.

Short welcoming speeches were given by the conference chair Professor Hassan Abdalla, Dean of School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, UK, and the conference co-chair, Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Zaha Hadid Architects Associate, UK.

Following the welcoming speeches, Toka Amer, IEREK representative and Operations Manager at IEREK, Egypt, conducted a presentation about IEREK introducing the company and its activities to the audience.

Plenary session:

A plenary session followed introducing the first keynote speaker, Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Zaha Hadid Architecture Associate, UK, whose speech was entitled: “The Impact of Modularity in Future Construction.”

After the keynote speech was the First Session of the conference entitled “Parallels in Construction: Materiality and Context.” The session was moderated by Britta Knobel Gupta, Founding partner, Studio Symbiosis Architects, Stuttgart, Germany, and Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Partner at Wirz Architects, UK. The session had four presentations before a short break.

Following the short break was the second Keynote Speaker Amit Gupta, Founding partner, Studio Symbiosis Architects & Former Zaha Hadid Associate, UK. whose speech was entitled: “Diagram: Design Processing Tool.”

The Second Session entitled “Design-Led Urban Regeneration and Management” started afterwards and was moderated by Dr. Elisa Magnini, Foresight and innovation specialist at Arup, UK. Ten presentations were discussed during the second session and concluded the first day of the conference.

Day 2:

The second day of the conference started with the speech of the keynote speaker, Dr. Eduardo Mayoral Gonzalez, CTO Senior in City Thinking, Spain, with a speech entitled: “Designing Resilient Cities through an Ecosystemic Approach & Parametric Design.”

After the keynote speech, the Third Session started entitled: “Parallels in Urbanism: Parametric Design, Theory, and Urbanism,” which was moderated by Professor Hassan Abdalla, Dean of School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, UK, and Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Partner at Wirz Architects, UK. The third session discussed two presentations.

Next was the Fourth Session of the conference entitled: “Strategies to Improve Urban Performance” and was moderated by Professor Hassan Abdalla, Dean of School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, University of East London, UK, and Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Partner at Wirz Architects, UK. Fourteen presentations were discussed during the second session and concluded the second day of the conference.

Day 3:

The third day of the conference started with the Fifth Session entitled “Challenges of Urban Regeneration,” which was moderated by Professor Hasim Altan, Director and Professor in Research Centre and Faculty of Design, ARUCAD, Kyrenia, Cyprus and, Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Partner at Wirz Architects, UK. The Fifth Session discussed eight presentations.

Following the Fifth Session was the third Keynote Speaker Dr. Vincenzo Reale, chartered structural engineer (ICE) and architect (ARB), senior structural engineer in the Specialist Technology + Research group in Arup, London, UK, whose speech was entitled: “Digital Strategies and Technologies for Contemporary Architecture & Engineering” before a short break.

After the short break, the Sixth Session entitled “Parallels in Big Data: Digital Theory and New Sciences” and the Seventh Session entitled “Parallels in Access: Gamification, Open-Source and Virtual Reality,” which are moderated by Amit Gupta, Founding partner, Studio Symbiosis Architects, Delhi, India, and Dr. Fulvio Wirz, UEL School of Architecture, and Partner at Wirz Architects, UK took place. The Seventh and last session of the conference discussed the remaining three presentations.

A discussion and a Questions and Answers session followed, and the conference was concluded by a Panel session where final remarks and feedback were discussed.