Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Creativity, adaptability, and tradition-driven innovation under international sanctions in Baghdad. During periods of material scarcity, a prototype affordable housing emerged as a crisis response, yet became obsolete once economic conditions shifted.

Paper long abstract

The research examines the foundations, processes, and limitations of crisis-driven architectural innovation in Baghdad during the international sanctions (1990-2003). It focuses on a prototype housing project constructed without steel reinforcement, developed in response to restricted access to imported construction materials. Faced with severe material scarcity, architects and engineers organized seminars and professional discussions to develop housing solutions based on locally available materials and traditional construction techniques. One such prototype house remains standing in Baghdad today. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and archival research, the study investigates whether this project can be understood as exhibiting antifragile characteristics—benefiting from crisis conditions rather than merely surviving them. While the prototype demonstrates durability, adaptability, and continued performance at the local scale, it was neither replicated nor institutionalized. Moreover, the professional knowledge that informed its development was never formally documented or integrated into broader housing practice. This case reveals a form of localized architectural antifragility that emerges under crisis conditions but fails to translate into systemic or disciplinary change. By foregrounding this disconnect, the study contributes to broader discussions on crisis-driven innovation, architectural knowledge loss, and the limits of antifragility in the built environment.