Bridging Design and Practice: CUE Architecture Students Visit Akkad Sport Center
Erbil, Kurdistan Region — On September 29, 2025, the Department of Architecture at the Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) organized a field visit for students of Architectural Design III to the Akkad Sport Center in Ankawa, Erbil. The visit provided students with valuable practical insight into the design and functional requirements of complex recreational facilities — linking theoretical knowledge with real-world application.
CUE Architecture students during their visit to Akkad Sport Center, Ankawa
Supervised by Assistant Professor Hamid Turki and Assistant Lecturer Hardi Wahab, the visit formed an integral part of this semester’s design studio, where students are developing proposals for a Sport Center Complex. The Akkad Sport Center served as a living case study, enabling students to observe spatial organization, structural elements, circulation patterns, and the integration of user needs within a large-scale public facility.
“Understanding how design translates into a functioning space is crucial for architectural education,” said Assistant Professor Hamid Turki. “Field visits like this help students move from concept to context — seeing how design decisions impact experience, accessibility, and functionality.”
Assistant Professor Hamid Turki
Throughout the visit, students engaged in direct observation and documentation, studying how the building’s layout accommodates diverse activities and user groups. The exercise encouraged critical analysis of the relationship between form, structure, and environment, while reinforcing lessons learned in the classroom about sustainability, spatial planning, and human-centered design.
Students and faculty discussing spatial layout and design concepts during the site tour
Assistant Lecturer Hardi Wahab emphasized the value of connecting academic projects with professional examples.
“By visiting active architectural sites, students gain a clearer understanding of standards, codes, and design constraints,” he noted. “This prepares them to think as future professionals who can bridge creativity with practicality.”
Assistant Lecturer Hardi Wahab
The Architectural Design III course is one of the department’s core studio modules, focusing on mid-scale public buildings and multi-functional facilities. This semester’s project challenges students to conceptualize designs that respond to community needs while demonstrating technical and aesthetic coherence.
CUE’s Architecture Department continues to integrate experiential learning into its curriculum, ensuring that students graduate with both creative vision and professional competence. The Akkad Sport Center visit exemplifies CUE’s commitment to learning by doing, fostering architects who design not only for form and function — but for people and purpose.
“Every visit, every sketch, and every discussion helps our students see architecture not just as design, but as service to the community,”
said a faculty representative.