Nassim studied at the University of Strathclyde and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) completing his Honours degree with first class and Master’s degree in Architecture with distinction. The work exhibited is an overview of his master’s thesis project from his final year at Strathclyde, which received commendations for the RIAS Andy MacMillan Drawing Award and the Glasgow City Council Eimear Kelt Medal. The project titled From Shadow to Light was guided by the assistance of studio tutors Gordon Murray and Dr Piotr Lesniak.
The project is located in Constantine, which is facing similar urgencies to many Northern cities in Algeria. Being the gateway into Africa, Algerian cities can be characterised by their traces of overlapping colonial eras from the Romans, Phoenicians, Ottomans, and French. In the time of globalisation and continual standardisation, the richness and quality of old towns are being threatened at an alarming pace. The city of Constantine, specifically the old town of Souika is suffering from neglect.
From Shadow to Light takes a sensitive approach, designing within the cracks of the existing fabric in a parasitic nature that utilises an incremental process which forms through time. This will shift from a basis of core improvements to structures to more consolidated intricate buildings and pathways with higher density. Along this evolving process, there will be a series of chronological key moments in time that will affect how the strategy will unravel. These interventions will be based on four enhancements varying from large-scale changes such as reconnecting the area back to the rest of the city, to smaller adjustments and spaces that give the community its voice back.
This gradual process will help counter the deterioration of the city, with the overarching theme of reviving the shadows that once were the soul of old town and its memory of place, to preserve and adapt it for future generations.
