NAWIC SCHOLARSHIP WINNER ANNOUNCED
06 Mar 2013
Sydney-based architect Rana Abboud has been awarded the 2013 National Women in Construction (NAWIC) International Women’s Day Scholarship.
Sydney-based architect Rana Abboud has been awarded the 2013 National Women in Construction (NAWIC) International Women’s Day Scholarship.
The scholarship, sponsored by Corporate Culture and presented during NAWIC’s International Women’s Day breakfast in Sydney, offers a $10,000 opportunity for a woman in the construction industry to develop a research white paper.
The goal is for the research to be cutting-edge and to be a positive instrument for change in the construction sector.
This year, Rana Abboud’s research will investigate “Architecture in an Age of Augmented Reality: AR’s Affordances for Design Visualisation, Construction Supervision and Post-Completion Maintenance”.
The scholarship, now in its fifth year, was judged by NAWIC’s Chief Executive Officer, Sheryle Moon, Design Manager at Davenport Campbell, Lisa Dinham, and the 2012 scholarship winner, Laila Mehrpour.
"NAWIC was delighted with the calibre of the IWD Scholarship nominations,” says Sheryle Moon.
“NAWIC is committed to removing the barriers to women’s participation in the construction sector, and to supporting a world-class industry through the involvement of women. Rana Abboud’s contribution will help us to advance our mission,” Ms Moon explains.
“The judges agreed that Ms Abboud’s proposed research has the potential to benefit our entire industry and to introduce a wide range of new roles that currently do not exist, with more career opportunities arising for women in construction,” Ms Moon adds.
Ms Abboud’s research topic is centred on ‘mobile augmented reality’, a concept often labelled a ‘disruptive technology’ because its implementation could cause a step change in the building and construction sector in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and client service.
“Corporate Culture has been proud to support NAWIC’s International Women’s Day Scholarship for a number of years,” says Richard Munao, Corporate Culture’s founder and director.
“We have an enduring commitment to the local construction industry, which is reflected in our support of organisations such as NAWIC,” Mr Munao adds.
During the breakfast, the 2012 scholarship winner, Laila Mehrpour, shared findings from her white paper, “The Great Australian Dream: Density and Aspirations in Sydney”. Her research explores the impact of Sydneysiders’ housing aspirations on the city’s current urban form, with the aim to derive sustainable housing and growth management strategies for the Sydney metropolitan area.