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• Giancarlo IUS -June 19 1953-July 5 2008

Giancarlo Ius passed away suddenly in the early morning hours of Saturday July 2008. the tragedy took place in Turin, Italy, during the International Union of architect’s General assembly.

Vice President was the UIA Vice President for region I and directed the Union’s Development Commission. He was to pronounce his candidature speech for the UIA Presidency on the day of his passing. His wife Caterina, with courage and absolute dignity read to the delegates from all over the word the address that Giancarlo had prepared.

Following a vibrant homage by Gaetan Siew, the General Assembly adopted three resolutions dedicated to Giancarlo Ius:

1-the current presidency of the UIA, held by Gaetan Siew since his election in Istanbul in 2005, will be officially shared with Giancarlo Ius and will be recorded in the annals of the UIA as a joint mandate.

2-The 2008 World Day of Architecture on 6 October will be dedicated to Giancarlo Ius and the theme “Child Be the Architect” in honour of the song with the same title, for which he composed the lyrics.

3-The International Union of Architects will institute a new prize to be awarded every three years: the “Giancarlo Ius Prize for Architecture”, on the theme “Child Be the architect”. This prize will be given for the first time in Tokyo on the occasion of the 2011 UIA world Congress.

The Union of Mediterranean Architects knew Giancarlo. He had worked in collaboration with Michel Barmaki, UMAR’s Vice President on the UIA/UMAR agreement which has been signed in Turin during the Congress.

Giancarlo death is a terrible lost, lost of a wonderful man who worked all his life for architecture and architects, lost of a deep friend. We thinking of his family and of our Italians friends.

• Second edition of UMAR Prize "Living in the Mediterranean Bassin" The Theme of second edition "the square", traditionaly a place of conviviality and social and culturel exchanges withion the Mediterranean Bassin. The Prize Living in the Mediterranean Bassin is organised by the Conseil Régional des Architectes de la planification et de la Conservation du Paysage de Sicile and l’UMAR. It received the support of CNAPPC. It’s an international competition open to architectes who belong to one of UMAR members country. The registration is free and three prizes will be awarded, 2 prize of 1000 € and a prize of 500 €. The prizewinners will alose been invited at the extraordinary General Assembly of UMAR which will be held in Pescara, Italy in June 2009. To know more and for registration :http://www.abitareilmediterraneo.org

• International Architecture competition for the House of Arts and Culture of Lebanon The competition has been launched by Minister of Culture of Lebanon, Mr Tarek Mitri, at the General Assembly of the UIA on July 4 in Torino. This project conceived by GAIA-Heritage for the Ministry of Culture, is funded by a USD 20 million donation from the sultanate of Oman. For more information: http://www.darbayrut.org

• Seminar "Urban rehabilitation and revitalization" From 19 to 21 October 2008 this international seminar will take place in Oran, Algeria.It is organized by the Collegi d’Aparelladors i Arquitectes Tècnics de barcelona, l’agence espagnole de coopération internationale pour le développement and the Office national de Gestion et d’Exploitation des biens culturels protégés. The seminar will discuss themes of rehabilitation on an international level as well as Algerian level and more specifically within the Sidi El Houari area in Oran. Dowload the Program.

• Fondouks, Khans & Caravanserais revisited by UMAR Created by UMAR, the exhibition "Foudouks, Khans & Caravanserais", inaugurated in Montpellier, is presented in Turin at the Palazzo Cisterna from July 11 untill July 11 in the context of the XXIII IUA Congress. To learn more about the typical mediterranean construction, click on the title.

• UMAR 14th General Assembly in Sliema, Malta Following the invitation of the Kamra tal-Perit (maltese Ordre of Architects) the 14th general assembly of UMAR has been held in Malta. on April 5 and 5 2008. At this occasion an international seminar entitled 3Architecture & Politics - Partnering for sustainable development in the Mediterranea. Prime Minister of Malta Dr. Lawrence Gonzi delivered a keynote address. Other speakers included H.E the Ambassador of France, Jean Marc Rives, Patrice Genet, UMAR President, Prof. Lino Briguglio, chairperson of the National Commitee for Sustainable Development and david Felice, KTP President.

• Creation of a Mediterranean School of Architecture in Tangier At its 40th meeting held in Marrakech on the 22nd October 2007, the Executive Bureau of UMAR has decided to support the proposal by the National Order of Architects of Morocco(ONAM) and the Superior Council of architects’Colleges of Spain (CSCAE), both of which are co-responsible for the UMAR “North-South” Commission, for the creation of a Mediterranean School of Architecture in Tangier (MSAT). The project for its creation will be finalized after ratification by the UMAR General Assembly which will take place in Beirut in January 2008. It is aimed at highlighting present cultural challenges to the teaching and practice of architecture resulting from globalization. It will be a high-level international school conforming to the UNESCO-UIA Charter standards in its formation, and instilling Mediterranean cultural values in architectural and urban creativity. The majority of tutors and students will be coming from Mediterranean countries, but it will be open to all those from outside the Mediterranean basin who share the same cultural and architectural concerns. By its very nature the school will contribute to the spreading of Mediterranean culture in the world, and also to the ‘rapprochement’ of neighboring countries in the “Mare Nostrum”. Tangiers’s character, at times Mediterranean but also international and mythical has laid claim to be chosen to host the school. Furthermore, the city of Detroit was chosen for its existing urban, economic and cultural dynamism, resulting from the attention that it has received from the highest authorities of Morocco (new Tangier-Med port, candidature for the 2012 international exposition).

• A partnership agreement beetween UMAR & SD -MED A partnership agreement between UMAR and SD MED (association for co-operation in sustainable construction and development in the Mediterranean Basin) has been signed. By joining the skills, strengths and means of both partner, the agreement intends to promote sustainable architecture and architecturale and environmental quality at all spacial scales (building, neighbourhood, city, region), in the Mediterranean Basin. A methodology study has been written by specialized experts as a tool for a preliminary thinking for the elaboration of a sustainable strategy. You can dowload this document on our website section Work Groups-Sustainable development. SD - MED web site :http://www.sd-med.org/