Djenne: African City of Mud, RIBA Exhibition, March 3 - May 29 2010

The art of mud building reaches its zenith in Djenné, an island town in the heart of West Africa’s Inland Niger Delta. Djenné’s elegant merchant houses and world-renowned mosque bear testament to an ancient history of trade and Islamic scholarship. The bold compositions and molten contours of its monumental architecture have earned Djenné an esteemed position among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Creative mud building thrives where masons adapt traditional knowledge, building craft and magic to a modern, changing world. This exhibition explores the fascinating relationship between design and construction practices, architectural heritage and cultural identit

Action Learning in Postgraduate Research Training

This account of practice explores the benefits and challenges of using Action Learning (AL) with junior researchers. Findings are grounded in an AL set of six doctoral students, organised and convened by the author. The case study reveals the range of emotional and structural hurdles that PhD candidates typically face in completing their programme of study. AL’s streamlined process made space for set members to present themselves as whole persons and to thereby grapple with, and better manage, a wide range of real-life issues that were having direct impact on their academic performance. Set members expressed how participation reduced feelings of isolation and offered a valued space to reflect on their situation. They explored root causes of stress, anxiety, or dips in productivity; strategized plausible actions for overcoming problems; and identified opportunities. The evidence presented in this account strongly supports the proposal that AL be made a core component of research training programmes. In the conclusion, the author reasons that institutional investment would pay back with dividends: AL cultivates peer-support groups that consequently reduce dependence on academic supervisors, student counselling, and other costly and overburdened support services. Perhaps most crucially, AL incites individuals to take responsibility for their own development and learning: a ‘transferrable skill’ for achieving success in any endeavour

Yemen's Architectural Heritage Under Threat

This article is linked to the photographic exhibition at the SOAS Brunei Gallery, London, from 12 July until 23 September 2017. The exhibition was curated by the author and generously sponsored by the MBI Al Jaber Foundation with additional support from Gingko Library and the BritishYemeni Society. It is accompanied by Professor Marchand’s edited book, Architectural Heritage of Yemen: Buildings that Fill My Eye. Illustrated throughout with maps and colour photographs, the book’s 21 chapters explore the astonishing variety of building styles and traditions that have evolved over millennia in this country of diverse and extraordinary terrains. For every copy sold, £5 is being donated directly to the UNHCR Yemen Emergency Appeal