Egyptian architect Dalia El-Kerdany and Jordanian architect Basma Abdallah Uraiqat have been nominated for the 2016 Arc Vision Prize, a leading international competition for women in architecture.
The two Arab women are now in competition with 18 other female architects from around the world for the internationally recognized award. The winner will be announced April 7 at the Triennale di Milano Museum in Milan.
The Arc Vision Prize recognizes women in architecture whose work "displays significant qualitative excellence and attention to the core issues of construction: Technology, sustainability, social and cultural implications," according to the Italy-based competition's official website .
The competition, which is judged by an all women's jury, specifically aims to honor the women in architecture who work "in particularly difficult conditions, both in terms of the specific location and context of the work and the wider conditions affecting the area."
Fittingly, El-Kerdany has dedicated much of her work to the conservation of heritage. She headed the Heritage Conservation Committee in Port Said and is an active member of the Historic Areas Committee in the Egyptian National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH).
The Egyptian architect's projects include the rehabilitation of the Damahur town hall by transforming it into a creative center for the city, designing the New Luxor Culture Palace and restoring Islamic Cairo's historic public bath Hammam Al-Tambali.
"In these drastically different situations, Elkerdany works with the same meticulous attention to recreating a harmonious relationship between the need for the past and a desire for the future," El-Kerdany's Arc Vision nominee profile says.
Uraiqat on the other hand, is being recognized for her work with futuristic architectural styles and her ability to combine it with traditional cultural elements. She co-founded and is the design manager of the architecture studio Uraiqat Architects and the experimental design studio Atelier Uraiqat .
"Modernity and tradition: The idea of architect Basma Abdallah Uraiqat in the race for the Arc Vision Prize."
The Jordanian architect's projects in Amman include the architectural and interior design of Al-Radwa Mosque and Al-Rumman Residence, which is the first building of its kind in Jordan as it was completely constructed in fair-faced concrete, inside and out.
"The language of the architecture developed by Basma Abdallah Uraiqat takes form at the intersection between the design codes inherited from modern thought and the expressive forms of traditional construction," Uraiqat's Arc Vision nominee profile says.