Tribute to Ahmed Shamia, Palestinian architect and PAUSE laureate

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Ahmed Shamia, Palestinian architect and artist, laureate of the PAUSE programme. Ahmed succumbed to his injuries this Tuesday, May 13th, after being critically wounded in an Israeli strike on Gaza the previous week. He was 42 years old.

In a territory where, according to the United Nations, two-thirds of residential buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, Ahmed described himself as an "architect in a country where architecture no longer exists." He dreamed of building sustainable, supportive, and resilient cities, where each building would be a response to ecological and human emergencies. His talent, his vision, his commitment to an architecture serving life were brutally interrupted.

Ahmed had been a laureate of the PAUSE programme since last March and was to be hosted by the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val-de-Seine and Paris-Est to continue his work as an architect. As a reminder, in December 2023, in response to the escalation of violence in Gaza, and in collaboration with the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem, the PAUSE programme was able to put in place emergency procedures to respond to this tragedy.

Currently, twelve researchers and artists from Gaza, expected by the PAUSE programme, are still trapped in the enclave with their families, under the threat of bombing and famine.

To his family, his loved ones, and all those who uphold the ideas he defended, we extend our deepest condolences.

Saving a life, saving ideas. A hope. A commitment. We must remain mobilized to uphold it.