Journal Articles by Irene Pasina
Preserving culture, fostering community engagement and sustaining the heritage ecosystem: a case study of Al Jazeera Al Hamra heritage village
Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 2026
Abstract
Purpose – This article examines how the heritage ecosystem approach can inform adaptive ... more Abstract
Purpose – This article examines how the heritage ecosystem approach can inform adaptive reuse, cultural preservation and community engagement in the Al Jazeera Al Hamra (AJAH) Heritage Village in Ras Al Khaimah, in the framework of the recent Gunma Declaration on Heritage Ecosystem (2025). The article evaluates AJAH’s conservation and activation strategies, community engagement and economic dimensions,
identifies challenges and proposes recommendations to sustain the site as a living cultural, social and environmental asset.
Design/methodology/approach – The article proposes a qualitative analysis of a case study using multiple, triangulated data sources: repeated site visits and observations (2018–2025), analysis of policy and planning documents and visitor/management materials, and stakeholder evidence drawn from interviews and informal discussions. The study situates empirical findings within international frameworks to evaluate adaptive-reuse programming and community-centred management.
Findings – AJAH shows that performative activation can help conserve physical fabric, while community engagement fosters education, participation and local pride. Programmatic activation shifted the site from
“museumification” to a living cultural venue. Still, challenges persist: limited seasonal use, predominantly top-down community engagement and rising economic pressures with risk of commodification and gentrification related to nearby luxury developments.
Originality/value – The article applies the emergent heritage ecosystem lens to a Gulf pearling village that predates the Gunma Declaration yet implicitly embodies many of its principles. It advances the concept of
adaptive authenticity as an analytical lens to reconcile conservation, performative reuse and community values in rapidly transforming contexts. The findings offer guidance for similar heritage settings in the UAE and globally.
Empowering the next generation of women in interior design in the United Arab Emirates through competitive education: a curriculum review
Archnet-IJAR, 2024
Purpose
This paper explores the impact of interior design education and its effectiveness in the ... more Purpose
This paper explores the impact of interior design education and its effectiveness in the work environment for women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as they are the primary recipients of interior design programs. The analysis focuses on the role of women in interior design in the Gulf countries and the update of an interior design program curriculum as part of the continuous development program requested by the UAE Commission of Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the national Ministry of Education (MoE).
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts different methodologies: an academic annual effectiveness report (AER), requirements of relevant international and regional accreditation bodies and a double round of surveys and interviews with female students, alumni, instructors and professionals.
Findings
The article collects and compares data from different perspectives, from the academic to the professional point of view, discussing challenges and opportunities for female students in contemporary interior design in the UAE. After collecting the necessary feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the bachelor’s program, a set of informed recommendations has been developed, approved and introduced during the academic year 2022/2023. At the end of the year, a second feedback from faculty and external reviewers was gathered and analyzed, providing preliminary insights into the effectiveness of the curricular revisions and highlighting the significant benefits for the female students.
Originality/value
The paper discusses the comprehensive and up-to-date combination of traditional elements, innovative approaches and sustainable practices, alongside the strategic planning of the United Arab Emirates, proposed to enhance female learning experiences while reinforcing their skills and competencies for their future careers.
AMPS PROCEEDINGS SERIES 27 Sustainable Architecture(s) – Humane Cities, 2022
MethodsX 6, 2019
This method article aims to use group technology to classify engineering students at classroom le... more This method article aims to use group technology to classify engineering students at classroom level into clusters according to their learning style preferences. The Felder and Silverman's Index Learning Style (ILS) was used to evaluate students' learning style preferences. Students were then grouped into clusters based on the similarities of their learning styles preferences by using clustering algorithms, such as complete clustering. Prior research on Learning Styles preferences in engineering education is limited in Saudi Arabia. Students' learning style preferences allows instructors to adopt suitable teaching approach. Students having same learning styles can work together in group assignments. Grouping students into clusters, we find that outlier students who having different learning styles than the rest may allow instructors to deal with them accordingly.
Learning Style Preferences of Architecture and Interior Design Students in Saudi Arabia: A survey
MethodsX, 2019
This method article examines the Felder and Soloman’s (1999) Index of Learning Styles (ILS) quest... more This method article examines the Felder and Soloman’s (1999) Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire in the context of Saudi Arabian higher education. Specifically, it aims at exploring the learning styles preferences among the students in Interior Design and Architecture program. Clustering approach is used by grouping students based on the similarities measure of their learning style. The findings reveal that students in both programs share learning style of Reflective, Intuitive, Verbal and Global at 57% or higher.
•Little research has focused on the Learning Styles preferences in higher education.
•There is no significant difference of learning style preferences between Interior Design and Architecture students.
•Reflecting learning style in university is reinforced by local elementary and high schools
•The data can be used by the scientific community to explore differences in learning style preferences (e.g. students of different genders).
Reflections on the sidelines of a shipwreck
Nav 2012 17th International Conference on Ships and Shipping Research, Dec 9, 2012
Luce a Bordo: effetti luminosi
Interni, 2009
Interni OnBoard (3) – Interni, n. 593, July-August 2009, pp. 62-67.
Conferences by Irene Pasina
Case study presentation at the 10th Anniversary International Symposium of Tomioka Silk Mill and ... more Case study presentation at the 10th Anniversary International Symposium of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites. Gunma, Japan. 10-11 January 2025.
2022 International Symposium on Reputation and Cultural Value in Design Soft Power , 2022
Shandong University of art and Design with Cumulus Association
2022 International Symposium on Re... more Shandong University of art and Design with Cumulus Association
2022 International Symposium on Reputation and Cultural Value in Design Soft Power
28 and 29 October 2022
https://www.sdada.edu.cn/dsrc/info/1107/1616.htm
Since the year of its foundation in 1971, the UAE has affirmed its role as one of the leading countries in the Gulf region and internationally. In 2021, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched UAE Centennial Plan 2071, a long-term, full-vision plan that extends for five decades, which forms a clear map for the government work, to fortify the country's reputation and its soft power by investing in future generations and innovative ideas. The ultimate goal is to establish the government of the UAE as the best government in the world, with a long-term vision and inspirational leadership that anticipates and prepares for the future.
The expression of this futuristic vision is The Museum Of The Future (MOTF), presented in 2015 and open to the public in 2022, which was conceived to be "a destination for the best and brightest inventors and entrepreneurs", offering an "integrated environment empowering creative minds to test, fund and market ideas for futuristic prototypes and services". The building has an innovative and symbolic shape that combines the most advanced technologies while ‘speaking Arabic’ on its facade, preserving the traditional cultural values of the country projecting them into the future vision. The MOTF is conceived as an immersive experience for the visitors, who learn how the UAE promotes the most advanced technologies by experiencing them. It is the tangible expression of the UAE's future vision and its soft powers. Its design encourages people to be optimistic toward the future and inspires them to be an active part of the country’s growth. As Sheikh Mohammed said, “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create.”
In the early Seventies, after the establishment of the United Arab Emirates as a State, the gover... more In the early Seventies, after the establishment of the United Arab Emirates as a State, the government set welfare programs for its new citizens – at that time mostly Bedouins – to make the population sedentary and establish the new modern State. People’s needs had to adapt to a new lifestyle and the result of the urbanization plan had various turns; among them the creation or idealization of a new identity. Foreigner experts set rules and gave shape to the Emirati Sha‘bī houses, a modern yet somehow traditional housing model, that were built on the government’s expense and were given to the population. Since then, the Country has seen enormous changes, with a constant increase of expats workers that completely transformed demographics. The fast-growing economy rushed construction development, resulting in tall buildings and neutral spaces, based on the assumption that these solutions would ideally accommodate people flooding to the country, no matter their culture and background, nor the local identity. But the pandemic caused by Covid-19 increased the discrepancy between people’s needs and the actual available space. A survey about the perception of the house space during the pandemic was used to collect feedback and experiences from a large group of people of diverse nationalities, and interviews with professionals were conducted. Similarities and differences were highlighted and results offered interesting findings, especially about how houses that were built with the traditional house space as a reference were more effective than the modern kind of apartments. This essay proposes an analysis of housing typologies, from the traditional Sha‘bī houses until the contemporary living units, identifying the characteristics of each model and reflecting on their performances in the Covid-19 pandemic period, while pondering on the implications for people’s identities, their mental and physical wellbeing, and the country’s development.
Interior Stories, Interior Voices. Donne e progetto di Interni in Medio Oriente tra tradizione e ... more Interior Stories, Interior Voices. Donne e progetto di Interni in Medio Oriente tra tradizione e innovazione.
with Marcella Camponogara (PSU - Riyadh)
La narrazione è - come dice Maura Striano - il primo dispositivo interpretativo e conoscitivo di ... more La narrazione è - come dice Maura Striano - il primo dispositivo interpretativo e conoscitivo di cui l’uomo - in quanto soggetto socio-culturalmente situato - fa uso nella sua esperienza di vita (Bruner, 1988, 1992). Attraverso la narrazione l’uomo conferisce senso e significato al proprio esperire e delinea coordinate interpretative e prefigurative di eventi, azioni, situazioni e su queste basi costruisce forme di conoscenza che lo orientano nel suo agire. Posto che “ciò che vedo, nella percezione, è innanzitutto che le cose mi si presentano e che io sono presente nelle cose, in una mutua implicazione, attraverso quella giuntura con l'essere che è il mio corpo” (Merlau-Ponty, 2004), allora, muoversi nello spazio, sostare, attraversare, percorrere – in definitiva l'azione dinamica – sono l'essenza stessa dell'azione percettiva. L’abitare è l’essenza stessa dell’esistenza, è un atto primordiale che lega l’uomo al suo spazio, habito ergo sum, ed è legato non solo ad una dimensione spaziale ma anche temporale “che consente la sedimentazione delle esperienze, il lento assorbimento della memoria nelle cose, il paziente processo di adesione del corpo agli oggetti e alla loro posizione” (Vitta, 2008).
Il confronto con la contemporaneità, con le tecniche di rappresentazione e narrazione attuali, dalla fotografia al cinema, apre un nuovo sguardo critico nella lettura del progetto architettonico.
Book Chapters by Irene Pasina
Interior Design Education in Saudi Arabia: Local and International Influences
Theorising Interior Architecture and Design, 2025
Pasina and Bayram discuss interior design education in Saudi Arabia and, particularly, the role o... more Pasina and Bayram discuss interior design education in Saudi Arabia and, particularly, the role of women educators in the field. This chapter explores the specific context, both socially and economically, of interior design in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in relation to the government scheme Saudi Vision 2030, aiming to raise women’s participation in the workforce, predominantly through education. With interiors being taught separately at male (interior architecture) and female (interior design) campuses, interior design is of particular interest for this development. Addressing the conditions of and perspectives on Saudi interior education – between Anglophone interior discourse and the local cultural and educational context, this close analysis provides insights into the situated disposition of interior design and interior education in the KSA and beyond.
Interni: Nuove geografie della ricerca, 2021
Light on board
Designing Designers 2009: Where Does Light Move To, 2009
co-authored with Francesca Lanz and Silvia Piardi, published in "Designing Designers: Where does ... more co-authored with Francesca Lanz and Silvia Piardi, published in "Designing Designers: Where does light move to? Lighting design innovation Scenarios", Maggioli Editore 2009.
La biblioteca: spazio aperto alla città.
La biblioteca contemporanea non è più soltanto un luogo di archivio, di consultazione e di studio... more La biblioteca contemporanea non è più soltanto un luogo di archivio, di consultazione e di studio, ma è spazio di incontro, sede di programmazione di eventi e attività. La biblioteca è oggi centro culturale con un ruolo importante nella diffusione della cultura.
Il libro si colloca come primo documento della vasta operazione di revisione di alcune fondamentali tipologie storiche, che l'attuale cultura del progetto di Interni sta affrontando. Sono proprio gli spazi di produzione e di consumo della cultura che oggi registrano il più evidente ritardo, rispetto alle logiche generali con cui la cultura del XXI secolo si sta sviluppando.
Le sale concerto di nuova concezione non sembrano avere ancora stabilito un confronto positivo con la nuova musica e con il suo espandersi dentro lo spazio costruito, oltre i confini blindati delle sale intese ancora come impenetrabili scatole acustiche; nell'epoca in cui per la prima volta la produzione e il consumo di massa (e di concerti negli stadi) hanno trasformato la musica in una sorta di semiosfera sonora che invade la città contemporanea. La nuova danza e la drammaturgia contemporanea cercano nuovi assetti spaziali che superino i limiti tipologici del teatro frontale, che separa ancora pubblico, attori e ballerini nell'epoca dei rave e della società dello spettacolo.
Nei musei di arte contemporanea si cerca ancora di creare sistemi di ordinamento per una cultura creativa che tende invece ad espandersi in modo labirintico, superando i limiti del percorso per creare uno spazio esplorativo e caotico come riferimento della propria logica espansiva; logica che sembra oggi coincidere più con i confini aperti di un Parco Tematico, che non con una tradizionale tipologia museale.
Questo libro raccoglie dunque i primi documenti relativi a questa vasta riflessione teorica e gli esempi di progetti che cominciano a muoversi per sperimentare nuovi dispositivi di funzionamento interno delle tipologie destinate alla produzione e al consumo della cultura contemporanea. Si tratta dunque di una indagine relativa alla progettazione degli spazi interni, una realtà che si confronta con le tendenze emergenti nella cultura contemporanea e con le nuove dimensioni della produzione sociale della cultura e dell'innovazione come parti significative della nuova economia sociale.
The scenario High space, low cost, encloses a concept which is far more articulated than the simp... more The scenario High space, low cost, encloses a concept which is far more articulated than the simple idea of designing large surfaces homes.
High space, low cost aims at the quality of life.
This subject focalises the attention on man and on his needs, to develop projects capable of guaranteeing a space that goes beyond the limits of the strictly necessary, and at the same time aims at modifying and developing a new concept of the habitat, awakening, first of all, the future inhabitants.
High space, low cost emphasizes a type of consideration and design which offers the inhabitant the possibility of living in large, economically accessible spaces, that are, above all, designed to be lived in and used according to his ever changing needs.
Books by Irene Pasina
Reviews by Irene Pasina
Op. Cit. Selezione della critica d'arte contemporanea, n. 163, pp. 78-81., 2018
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Journal Articles by Irene Pasina
Purpose – This article examines how the heritage ecosystem approach can inform adaptive reuse, cultural preservation and community engagement in the Al Jazeera Al Hamra (AJAH) Heritage Village in Ras Al Khaimah, in the framework of the recent Gunma Declaration on Heritage Ecosystem (2025). The article evaluates AJAH’s conservation and activation strategies, community engagement and economic dimensions,
identifies challenges and proposes recommendations to sustain the site as a living cultural, social and environmental asset.
Design/methodology/approach – The article proposes a qualitative analysis of a case study using multiple, triangulated data sources: repeated site visits and observations (2018–2025), analysis of policy and planning documents and visitor/management materials, and stakeholder evidence drawn from interviews and informal discussions. The study situates empirical findings within international frameworks to evaluate adaptive-reuse programming and community-centred management.
Findings – AJAH shows that performative activation can help conserve physical fabric, while community engagement fosters education, participation and local pride. Programmatic activation shifted the site from
“museumification” to a living cultural venue. Still, challenges persist: limited seasonal use, predominantly top-down community engagement and rising economic pressures with risk of commodification and gentrification related to nearby luxury developments.
Originality/value – The article applies the emergent heritage ecosystem lens to a Gulf pearling village that predates the Gunma Declaration yet implicitly embodies many of its principles. It advances the concept of
adaptive authenticity as an analytical lens to reconcile conservation, performative reuse and community values in rapidly transforming contexts. The findings offer guidance for similar heritage settings in the UAE and globally.
This paper explores the impact of interior design education and its effectiveness in the work environment for women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as they are the primary recipients of interior design programs. The analysis focuses on the role of women in interior design in the Gulf countries and the update of an interior design program curriculum as part of the continuous development program requested by the UAE Commission of Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the national Ministry of Education (MoE).
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts different methodologies: an academic annual effectiveness report (AER), requirements of relevant international and regional accreditation bodies and a double round of surveys and interviews with female students, alumni, instructors and professionals.
Findings
The article collects and compares data from different perspectives, from the academic to the professional point of view, discussing challenges and opportunities for female students in contemporary interior design in the UAE. After collecting the necessary feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the bachelor’s program, a set of informed recommendations has been developed, approved and introduced during the academic year 2022/2023. At the end of the year, a second feedback from faculty and external reviewers was gathered and analyzed, providing preliminary insights into the effectiveness of the curricular revisions and highlighting the significant benefits for the female students.
Originality/value
The paper discusses the comprehensive and up-to-date combination of traditional elements, innovative approaches and sustainable practices, alongside the strategic planning of the United Arab Emirates, proposed to enhance female learning experiences while reinforcing their skills and competencies for their future careers.
•Little research has focused on the Learning Styles preferences in higher education.
•There is no significant difference of learning style preferences between Interior Design and Architecture students.
•Reflecting learning style in university is reinforced by local elementary and high schools
•The data can be used by the scientific community to explore differences in learning style preferences (e.g. students of different genders).
Conferences by Irene Pasina
2022 International Symposium on Reputation and Cultural Value in Design Soft Power
28 and 29 October 2022
https://www.sdada.edu.cn/dsrc/info/1107/1616.htm
Since the year of its foundation in 1971, the UAE has affirmed its role as one of the leading countries in the Gulf region and internationally. In 2021, H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched UAE Centennial Plan 2071, a long-term, full-vision plan that extends for five decades, which forms a clear map for the government work, to fortify the country's reputation and its soft power by investing in future generations and innovative ideas. The ultimate goal is to establish the government of the UAE as the best government in the world, with a long-term vision and inspirational leadership that anticipates and prepares for the future.
The expression of this futuristic vision is The Museum Of The Future (MOTF), presented in 2015 and open to the public in 2022, which was conceived to be "a destination for the best and brightest inventors and entrepreneurs", offering an "integrated environment empowering creative minds to test, fund and market ideas for futuristic prototypes and services". The building has an innovative and symbolic shape that combines the most advanced technologies while ‘speaking Arabic’ on its facade, preserving the traditional cultural values of the country projecting them into the future vision. The MOTF is conceived as an immersive experience for the visitors, who learn how the UAE promotes the most advanced technologies by experiencing them. It is the tangible expression of the UAE's future vision and its soft powers. Its design encourages people to be optimistic toward the future and inspires them to be an active part of the country’s growth. As Sheikh Mohammed said, “The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it, and execute it. It isn’t something you await, but rather create.”
with Marcella Camponogara (PSU - Riyadh)
Il confronto con la contemporaneità, con le tecniche di rappresentazione e narrazione attuali, dalla fotografia al cinema, apre un nuovo sguardo critico nella lettura del progetto architettonico.
Book Chapters by Irene Pasina
Il libro si colloca come primo documento della vasta operazione di revisione di alcune fondamentali tipologie storiche, che l'attuale cultura del progetto di Interni sta affrontando. Sono proprio gli spazi di produzione e di consumo della cultura che oggi registrano il più evidente ritardo, rispetto alle logiche generali con cui la cultura del XXI secolo si sta sviluppando.
Le sale concerto di nuova concezione non sembrano avere ancora stabilito un confronto positivo con la nuova musica e con il suo espandersi dentro lo spazio costruito, oltre i confini blindati delle sale intese ancora come impenetrabili scatole acustiche; nell'epoca in cui per la prima volta la produzione e il consumo di massa (e di concerti negli stadi) hanno trasformato la musica in una sorta di semiosfera sonora che invade la città contemporanea. La nuova danza e la drammaturgia contemporanea cercano nuovi assetti spaziali che superino i limiti tipologici del teatro frontale, che separa ancora pubblico, attori e ballerini nell'epoca dei rave e della società dello spettacolo.
Nei musei di arte contemporanea si cerca ancora di creare sistemi di ordinamento per una cultura creativa che tende invece ad espandersi in modo labirintico, superando i limiti del percorso per creare uno spazio esplorativo e caotico come riferimento della propria logica espansiva; logica che sembra oggi coincidere più con i confini aperti di un Parco Tematico, che non con una tradizionale tipologia museale.
Questo libro raccoglie dunque i primi documenti relativi a questa vasta riflessione teorica e gli esempi di progetti che cominciano a muoversi per sperimentare nuovi dispositivi di funzionamento interno delle tipologie destinate alla produzione e al consumo della cultura contemporanea. Si tratta dunque di una indagine relativa alla progettazione degli spazi interni, una realtà che si confronta con le tendenze emergenti nella cultura contemporanea e con le nuove dimensioni della produzione sociale della cultura e dell'innovazione come parti significative della nuova economia sociale.
High space, low cost aims at the quality of life.
This subject focalises the attention on man and on his needs, to develop projects capable of guaranteeing a space that goes beyond the limits of the strictly necessary, and at the same time aims at modifying and developing a new concept of the habitat, awakening, first of all, the future inhabitants.
High space, low cost emphasizes a type of consideration and design which offers the inhabitant the possibility of living in large, economically accessible spaces, that are, above all, designed to be lived in and used according to his ever changing needs.
Books by Irene Pasina
Reviews by Irene Pasina