Omar Yousef explains the design context of “Al-Qattan Center for the Child” in Gaza and calls for re-interpretation and innovation more than mere imitation in dealing with challenges of heritage and social conventions. With his concept “Bazar of Knowledge and FUN-tazy”, he hopes to encourage young people to think freely, explore creatively and trust themselves, so that, they can enrich their societies and contribute to collective progress.

. A Palestinian architect from Jerusalem teaches at Al-Quds University, and holds a PhD from the university of California.
He worked in architect and was active in advocacy planning; taught at different universities and in summer 2015, he was at Cornell, USA. His work shows interest in design innovations, sustainability, green architecture and the politics of urban space amidst conflict.
In his teaching, he encourages questioning, reinterpretation, and critical thinking as a university teacher. He works on cultural and musical projects, and he is a frequent speaker in conferences, seminars and workshops.
He worn many architectural competitions, and in 2016 he was award-winner the Palestinian Prize for Architectural Distinction for the year 2016. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx