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Hiba Abdulbaqi
(she/her)
Teams and roles for Hiba Abdulbaqi
Research student
Overview
Hiba Abdulbaqi is a PhD student in the Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) at Cardiff University. I completed a Master’s degree in Interior Design at the School of Design + Art (SoDA), Marymount University in Virginia - College of BILT – Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology. Funded by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program. Hiba has focused her research on sustainable practices, heritage conservation, and human-centered design. Committed to advancing sustainable interior design and architecture education, fostering the application of green building practices in learning environments. In contrast, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and its impact on educational spaces and student performance.
Hiba is currently focused on air and thermal comfort and the environmental performance of educational facilities, a critical determinant of student health, cognitive performance, and overall academic achievement.
Research
Research Interests
My research sits at the intersection of indoor environmental quality, sustainable building practices, and cultural heritage. I'm particularly interested in how traditional, locally sourced building materials and construction techniques, many of which have been used in Saudi Arabia for generations, can be reintroduced or adapted to solve contemporary environmental health problems, rather than being displaced entirely by modern, often imported, materials and systems.
What I'm Working On
My PhD investigates how indoor air quality in Saudi public schools can be improved through sustainable practices that draw on local, heritage-based materials. Public schools across Saudi Arabia often rely on modern construction materials and mechanical ventilation systems that can contribute to poor indoor air quality, affecting the health, comfort, and learning outcomes of students and staff. My research explores whether traditional Saudi building materials and passive design strategies rooted in the region's architectural heritage and adapted to its climate over centuries can offer effective, low-cost, and culturally grounded alternatives. This involves assessing current air quality conditions in schools, evaluating the properties of local materials, and developing practical recommendations that could inform future school design and retrofitting.
Why This Matters to Me
Indoor air quality is something that directly affects students' health and ability to learn, yet it's often overlooked in school design and policy. For me, this research is about more than improving a technical metric; it's about protecting the wellbeing of the next generation in the classrooms where they spend so much of their time. At the same time, I'm motivated by a desire to demonstrate that Saudi Arabia's architectural heritage isn't just something to preserve in museums or historic sites; it holds real, practical solutions for the environmental and public health challenges we face today. Bringing these two threads together, student health and heritage preservation, feels like meaningful work, both academically and personally.
Thesis
Improving indoor air quality in Saudi public schools through sustainable practices that preserve the use of local materials from Saudi Heritage
Funding sources
Funded by The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program ( Cultural Scholarship Program by the Saudi Ministry of Culture)
