PROCOL Lebanon research partner Joana Dabaj shortlisted for the WAwards 2024 Moira Gemmill Prize

Joana Dabaj

28 February 2024

We are very honoured that the work of Catalytic Action charity got recognised internationally with Co-founder and Director of Programmes Joana Dabaj shortlisted for this year’s WAwards 2024: Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture.

The WAwards celebrates exemplary work by women and non-binary people, from lifetimes of achievement to the work of those with bright futures ahead, from the design of the world’s most significant new buildings to contributions to wider architectural culture. The Moira Gemmill Prize recognises a bright future for designers under the age of 45 who are leading their own practices. This year’s shortlist includes architects from Lebanon, France, Vietnam and Brazil seeking original and tactical ways to navigate the contexts they work in to create spaces for the local community.

“As a Lebanese woman co-founder of CatalyticAction charity, this award means so much to me as it motivates us to continue in generating a positive impact in the lives of the communities we work with.” Joana Dabaj

CatalyticAction is a charity that uses design and architecture to empower vulnerable children, youth and their communities. We achieve this through built and research projects, delivered using a participatory approach that engages local communities. It was co-founded in 2015 by the UCL Bartlett DPU alumna Joana Dabaj and Riccardo Conti. Over the past 9 years we have successfully implemented over 70 research and built projects, engaging directly 2,400 children and youth, and over 13,000 professionals and students.

Since 2018 we have had the great opportunity to partner with the IGP on their valuable work in Lebanon, leading on various research projects that translate into impact on the ground. Throughout our collaboration we embedded participatory research methodologies, with a specific focus on citizen science, ensuring that the research projects have a lasting impact on the local communities. We worked across different areas of Lebanon: Bar Elias in the Bekaa valley, El Mina in Tripoli, North Lebanon, and the neighborhoods of Karantina, Mar Mikhael and Hamra in Beirut. Working with PROCOL Lebanon (previously the RELIEF centre), we recruited and worked closely with 40 citizen scientists to research, analyze data, exchange knowledge, publish and disseminate findings, and implement spatial interventions.

Among those successful projects are: Bar Elias Participatory Spatial Intervention (2019) and its Monitoring two years after (2021), the Prosperity Index of El Mina (2020-2022) and MAUJ intervention (2022), Assessing Vulnerabilities in Beirut Post-explosion (2022), and the Hamra EcoPlay (2023). We are looking forward to the next steps with PROCOL Lebanon, building on our previous successes. We are also very excited about the amazing achievement of the IGP with the UCL Citizen Science Academy Certificate that recognises the research and team-working competencies citizen scientists acquire. This presents a one of a kind opportunity to citizen scientists in Lebanon that come from a variety of backgrounds representing Lebanon’s diverse populations.

We are also working with the IGP to further the practical exchange with its MSc students. Last summer two IGP MSc students joined us in Lebanon for our summer Design workshop. Sam Tamayo shares reflections from her experience here. Additionally this year, Dabaj is on the IGP dissertation supervisory team.