WiEconnect Podcast Series - Interview with Maath Al-Alousi
- wiedesignservices5
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
Welcome to WiEconnect, a podcast series brought to you by WiEdesign!
In this series, we dive deep into the world of design, and we connect you with industry experts, innovative designers, and thought leaders to discuss design philosophies, challenges, the latest trends, and creative solutions in architecture and interior design.
Whether you're looking for fresh inspiration, insights into the design field, career tips, or cutting-edge design technology, WiEconnect has it all.
In this episode of WiEconnect Podcast, we host Iraqi architect, artist, and author Maath Al-Alousi, the founder of Alousi Associates and receiver of the Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture in recognition of his contribution to architecture and architectural discourse in Iraq and the Middle East region.
Maath Al-Alousi’s work transcends conventional practice to examine architecture as a moral and intellectual pursuit. From reflections on Baghdad’s memory to the ethical foundations of the city, Alousi’s ideas challenge us to see architecture not merely as space but as a carrier of human dignity and spirit.
If you’re passionate about architecture as a human-centered philosophy — anchoring history, identity, and conviction — this conversation will deeply resonate with you.
Architect Maath Al-Alousi, founder of Alousi Associates and receiver of the Tamayouz Lifetime Achievement Award for Architecture
Memory, Place, and the Architect’s Spirit
For Alousi, architecture and memory are inseparable. Designing is an act of carrying place within ourselves, especially when the physical city has been fractured or lost. To Alousi, the architect’s task is not only to shape structures but to sustain memory — the collective and personal stories that imbue place with meaning.
Without spirit, buildings are shells. With it, they become living memory — vessels capable of carrying joy, dignity, and identity forward.
Creation, Invention, and the Human Center
Alousi draws a meaningful distinction between creation and invention. Creation arises from nothing; invention shapes what already exists. Between the two lies the human being — “the most creative of all creations.” Here, the human presence becomes architecture’s anchor and purpose.
This perspective positions architecture not as a technical discipline but as a humanistic one — where memory, consciousness, and intention are fundamental to design.
Sacred Geometry as Architectural Language: Point, Circle, and Proportion
For Alousi, sacred geometry is not an abstract theory but the foundational language of architecture, rooted in the disciplined use of the point, the circle, and the compass.
The point marks the origin of all design, while the circle embodies perfection, generating arches, domes, and spatial rhythm through precise geometric order. From this controlled geometry emerges a spiritual structure, one historically embedded in the circular plan of Baghdad and the proportional logic of Abbasid mosques, palaces, and madrasas.
Alousi situates this tradition within a continuous mathematical lineage, referencing scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi and Al-Biruni and the visual codifications of Al-Wasiti, to demonstrate that ratios associated with harmony and balance—later articulated in the west as the golden ratio (φ, 22/7)—were already integral to Baghdad’s architectural intelligence centuries earlier.
Spirit of Place: Beyond Technology جني المكان
Alousi speaks passionately about the spirit of place — how every city, street, and family carries its own history and living presence. Baghdad is not just a location; it is an embodiment of multiple spirits, each anchored in human experience.
He draws a clear line between two kinds of architecture:
One that loses identity and becomes mere technology
One that recognizes spirit and demands courage — almost a form of chivalry — to protect it.
This ethos underpins his book Nostos: A Tale of a Street in Baghdad, which he describes as a call to preserve the beauty of place. When Alousi closed the book with the question “Where to?”, his answer was rooted not in form but in values:
He recalls his early activism at age 28, publishing a journal protesting the demolition of a heritage building in Basra — an act that reflects his lifelong commitment to defending place and dignity.
What I want to keep is joy — because I enjoy every single moment. And I still say what I said twenty years ago: I am an architect of conviction.
This episode of WiEconnect Podcast Series invites us to rethink architecture not as static objects, but as a way of thinking — rooted in people, ethics, and a commitment to memory.
Whether you are a student, practitioner, or lover of architectural thought, this conversation with Maath Al-Alousi offers a profound reflection on what it means to build — not only spaces — but meaning itself.
Watch the full episode on WiEconnect.
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