Invention / Transformation: Strategies for the Qattara / Jimi Oases in Al Ain

Jorge Silvetti & Felipe Correa

The work presented in this publication documents a one year investigation - through design studios at the Harvard University GSD - of the Qattara / Jimi Oases in Al Ain (United Arab Emirates). This research initiative, sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), explores the time-honored tradition of the oases as facilitators of settlement in the region, and examines their inherent potential to act as new forms of collective space for present day Al Ain.