Habitat by Design

Birds, People, and Place

Edited by Vicky Richardson Contributions by Farrokh Derakhshani Contributions by Azza Aboualam Contributions by Farah Al Qasimi Contributions by Fatin Samara Contributions by Gareth Doherty By (author) Vicky Richardson Contributions by Lucas Morin Contributions by James L. Wescoat Jr. Contributions by Catherine du Toit Contributions by Kevin Mitchell Contributions by Lulu Almana Contributions by Andrew Farnsworth Contributions by Ahmed bin Shabib Contributions by Rashid bin Shabib Contributions by X Architects

Book cover: Habitat by Design

Extent: 228, 228 pages

Publisher: ArchiTangle GmbH

Subjects: Architecture

Language: English

Hardback (Forthcoming)

(September 2026)

ISBN: 9783966800518

6.69 x 9.65 inches

Price: $55.00

Out of stock

Habitat by Design: Birds, People, and Place, edited by Vicky Richardson, brings together leading voices from architecture, ecology, art, history, and science to explore the ever-changing relationship between people, birds, and the landscapes they share. Through essays, interviews, and visual narratives, the book expands on the themes of architecture and ecology, environmental thinking, and the coexistence of human and non-human species, while asking how design can restore and sustain habitats amidst rapid urbanisation.

The starting point for these reflections is the Wasit Wetland Centre in Sharjah by X Architects, the first project in the United Arab Emirates to receive the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Built on the site of a former landfill, Wasit has transformed a degraded landscape into a thriving wetland for resident and migratory birds while creating a place where people can reconnect with nature. Building on this transformation, the volume explores how nature and the human-made, often regarded as opposing realms, can be closely intertwined.

Habitat by Design offers a multidisciplinary perspective on the role of design in shaping more resilient environments and a more thoughtful relationship between birds, people, and place.

Foreword: Nature Matters
Farrokh Derakhshani

Introduction
Vicky Richardson

I. SETTING THE SCENE

Cycles of Wetland, Waste, and Renewal
Azza Aboualam

Wetlands as Living Infrastructure: Water, Biodiversity, and Environmental Change in Sharjah
Fatin Samara

II. CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CONTEXT

Vicky Richardson in Conversation with Ahmed Al Ali and Farid Esmaeil, X Architects

Indigenous Ideas: X Architects in Context
Kevin Mitchell

Architecture as Migration
Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib

III. BIRDWATCHERS PLAY THEIR PART

Why the Connection of People, Data, and Place Is at the Heart of Bird Conservation
Andrew Farnsworth

Reflections of Birdwatchers

IV. AVIAN ARCHITECTURE

A Forest Bird Never Wants a Cage: Architecture for Other Species
Catherine du Toit

Architectural Camouflage at the Wasit Wetland Centre
Vicky Richardson

V. ANIMALS IN A HUMAN WORLD

Power and Vulnerability
Farah Al Qasimi

“But cats kill birds!”: The Politics of Coexistence in Cities
Lucas Morin

Islamic Ecological Design: An Important Response to the Tenth-Century Allegory of Animals versus Humans by the Ikhwan al Safa
James L. Wescoat Jr.

VI. RETHINKING LANDSCAPE ON THE ARABIAN PENINSULA

Between Oasis and Wetland: Landscapes of Rupture and Care in the Gulf
Lulu Almana

Al-Lāndiskīb: Limits and Possibilities
Gareth Doherty

  • Edited by Vicky Richardson
  • Contributions by Farrokh Derakhshani
  • Contributions by Azza Aboualam
  • Contributions by Farah Al Qasimi
  • Contributions by Fatin Samara
  • Contributions by Gareth Doherty
  • By (author) Vicky Richardson
  • Contributions by Lucas Morin
  • Contributions by James L. Wescoat Jr.
  • Contributions by Catherine du Toit
  • Contributions by Kevin Mitchell
  • Contributions by Lulu Almana
  • Contributions by Andrew Farnsworth
  • Contributions by Ahmed bin Shabib
  • Contributions by Rashid bin Shabib
  • Contributions by X Architects

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