Critical "Brandscaping" of public space

- Date: Monday April 25th, 2016- Time: 6:00 – 8:30 pm- By: Mr. Wissam Melhem- Investment: 15,000 LL for students – 20,000 for non-students – Free for JCI Members- Seats: 40- Venue: Berytech, BDD
Through this training: - Mr. Melhem will show how largescale public art/design projects can be conceived as an alternative device for creating a commercial identity in emerging cities and, as a consequence,
- how they are redefining the concept of brandscaping. These interventions, because of their hybrid character, will also
- be shown to be in line with the new design parameters that are emerging through the conceptual field of Landscape Urbanism
Story behind the talk:With the emergence of late-capitalist, neo-liberal cities, the process of branding is being applied more and more at an urban scale and referred to as "branding private space."
Marketing of urban spaces can be noticed in the highly competitive developing markets where cities are under constant pressure to innovate in order to keep up. In order to create a commercial urban identity architecture became a major tool for branding.
Mr. Melhem proposes that the practice of Landscape Urbanism can contribute to the creation of a more sustainable identity for our neo-liberal cities.
Landscape Urbanism rejects the notion that a new emergent city should be the result of urban design as we commonly recognize it. Instead of relying only on traditional characteristics such as formal quality, function and consistency, Landscape Urbanism puts forth a new set of design parameters better suited to contemporary urban conditions by merging the realms of architecture, landscape, and public art in order to obtain an nondeterministic, process-based approach to the urban experience.

About the trainer:Mr. Wissam Melhem is an architect holding a Masters in Landscape Urbanism from Notre Dame University, working currently as a part time lecturer at the American University of Beirut.Throughout his teaching experience, Mr. Melhem has gained valuable experience leading undergraduate design students for both Architecture and Landscape majors. In addition to design studios, he has advised students on different research topics in their final year projects, assisted in juries and evaluated their work, as well as leading them into winning competitions, IBDAA 2013 and 2014 for the Arts and Humanities category, and Adlieh roundabout design competition sponsored by BLC Bank. His courses works covered a wide range of topics in the various design process. Mr. Melhem's professional experience and academic position provided him with the opportunity to draw connections between the different design studios and to communicate concepts clearly to students of all levels. He emphasizes critical thinking and the need to consider design within its larger social, cultural, and intellectual contexts.