USU Welcomes International Architect for Communitas Lecture Series

Ala Hason, principal and office director of HKS Dubai and Riyadh, will speak from 5-6 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Eccles Conference Center Auditorium on the Utah State University Logan campus.

The Interior Architecture and Design program within the Department of Art + Design at USU is hosting this lecture. It is free to all, and everyone is welcome to attend.

“The Communitas Lecture Series introduces students to different aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Holly Murdock, USU Interior Architecture and Design assistant professor, “so Ala is coming; he is an architect who works in different global markets.”

Hason currently works for HKS, an international architecture firm located in Dubai. He is coming to Logan directly from Dubai, just for this event.

According to Murdock, Hason has extensive experience working in international markets. His lecture will provide students an opportunity to learn about architecture in a global market, as well as network with a reputable architect.

Murdock said she is most looking forward to the opportunity for students to be exposed to design in a global context, opposed to local design happening in Utah.

“This is going to be a completely different perspective,” she said.

Throughout the semester, USU interior architecture and design students have been working with Hason on a real project his office is involved in.

“They are designing an office space in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the focus of the project is to introduce them to a new culture,” Murdock said, “So they have done in-depth research into Saudi Arabian culture, and they have used that research in order to inform a design solution.”

Murdock said her students are very excited for this rare opportunity.

For more information regarding the Communitas Lecture with Ala Hason, check out this site.