DSN S 546 Preservation Morocco Field Trip

Diane Al Shihabi, Ph.D. (Interior Design) and Mikesch Muecke, Ph.D. (Architecture) were invited by the US Department of State Office of Overseas Building Operations (under the leadership of ISU alumnus Tobin Tracy) to document the American Legation in Tangiers, Morocco.

The American Legation, a complex of buildings straddling the Rue d’Amerique in the Medina (old city) of Tangiers, is the first and only United States National Historic Landmark abroad, and is the first property acquired by the United States in a foreign country.

As part of their interdisciplinary studio DSN S 546 Preservation and Cultural Heritage Tangier, Morocco: International Perspectives and Design Issues, Al Shihabi and Muecke led a field trip with 24 students, based in Tangiers, from 10-17 February 2019. Students conducted interviews with staff of the Legation, surveyed the buildings, courtyards, and roof terraces using the College of Design BLK 360 Leica lidar scanner and Panono 360° camera, and documented the extensive collections, including artwork donated by Americans to the Legation. As part of the field trip students visited other sites in Morocco, including Chefchaouen, Fes, Casablanca, and Marakesh.

The results of their studio work, which includes interactive websites and virtual-reality environments constructed by the students, will be shared with the public during an end-of-semester review and exhibition on Friday, 3 May 2019 in the College of Design at Iowa State University. For more information contact Diane Al Shihabi dshihabi@iastate.edu or Mikesch Muecke mikesch@iastate.edu