![Magda Sibley](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/910?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Magda Sibley
(she/her)
Teams and roles for Magda Sibley
Professor in History and Theory of Architecture
Overview
I have educated and trained architects in the UK since 1994, starting by leading ARB and RIBA validated programmes at the Schools of Architecture of Huddersfied and Liverpool Universities. I have been subsequently appointed in 2015 at Manchester Architecture Research Centre coordinating architectural programmes for the dual architectural degrees between Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan universities and devoloping research-led teaching.
I subsequently moved to Sheffield University School of Architecture in 2015, leading the teaching of History and Theory of Architecture, before joning the Welsh School of Architecture in February 2019, bringing with me then 25 years of full-time academic experience of Architectural teaching and research.
My training as an architect in Algeria, was very much based on the French Architectural Education system of five continuous year at the Ecole Polytechnique d'Architecture of Algiers (EPAU), from which I graduated as an Architect and Urbanist with a First Class degree, reaching the highest 5 year-score for a cohort of 150 architecture students.
I have established an international reputation through my multidisciplinary research on Urban and Architectural Heritage in North African and the Middle Eastern cities with a focus on courtyard housing and public bathhouses. My research received regular funding form the EU, AHRC, EPSRC and British Academy, totalling almost half a million pounds of external funding.
I have successfully supervised more than 20 PhD students so far and examined more than 30 PhD theses in the UK, France, Egypt, Morocco and Malaysia.
My recent research activities intersect History &Theory of Architecture, heritage and climate change and urban resilience in extreme desert climates a focus on ecological transitions in heritage settings , see https://ecohammam.com
My humanities-led research resulted in the the development of my innovative design of a hybrid vernacular/high-tech component for lighting windowless spaces, shortlisted for the Clean-Tech Award.
My international research expertise on heritage blue infrastructure, focused on public bathhouses in Mediterranean countries, has had an international impact, leading to my involvement as a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the rehabilitation of two 14th Century heritage bathhouses in Old Jerusalem and my contribution the first rehabiltation project of a 14th century heritage hammam in Fez, Morocco in collaboration with Architect Rachid Haloui.
I continue to ben invited as a keynote speaker at various international conferences and workshops and have been a guest editor for the International Journal of Architectural Research (IJAR), with a special issue and the Global Built Environment Review.
As a Principal Investigator of several Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project on heritage, my research continues to make International impact as illustrated in my project on the forgotten Cairo Museums of the Belle Epoque era which received a Best Practice Award from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Cairo, see https://becami.com and recognised by the AHRC as a successful example that has met the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal for Quality Education.
I continue to enjoy research-led, innovative teaching in Humanities and Architectural Design studios to which I bring both interdisciplinary and international dimensions.
I am fluent in three languages: Arabic, French and English.
Publication
2025
- Idris, M. M. et al., 2025. Islamic Energy Garden: A shariah-based approach to achieve a ‘Green and Barakah Campus’. Presented at: AicQoL2025Pangkor (13th AMER International Conference on Quality of Life) Pangkor Island, Malaysia 17-18 January 2025. Vol. 10., pp.301-308. (10.21834/e-bpj.v10i31.6501)
- Kassem, D. M. , Sibley, M. and Alkhalfan, L. 2025. Energy subsidies and potential reforms in the Gulf region: investigating villa residents’ electricity consumption and the factors influencing it in Kuwait’s six governorates. Sustainability 17 (10) 4578. (10.3390/su17104578)
2024
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2024. Balancing social and cultural priorities in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for UNESCO World Heritage cities. Sustainability 16 (14) 5833. (10.3390/su16145833)
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2024. Mapping the role of Jordan's governmental institutions and NGOs in the inscription of As-Salt City on the UNESCO World Heritage. Presented at: 6th International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH) 25-27 May 2022. Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH). Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation Cham: Springer. , pp.431-448. (10.1007/978-3-031-33222-7_36)
2023
- Alghafis, M. and Sibley, M. 2023. The vernacular mosques of Al-Khabra in Saudi Arabia: Investigating urban architectural and social dimensions. Journal of Engineering Research , pp.1-15. (10.36909/jer.ICMA.20211)
- Alghafis, M. , Sibley, M. and Latif, E. 2023. Folk Memory and Temperature Measurements for Thermal Comfort in Vernacular Courtyard Houses of Saudi Arabia’s Hot Arid Climate. Presented at: WILL CITIES SURVIVE? Santiago 22-25 November 2022. PLEASTGO 2022 WILL CITIES SURVIVE? BOOK OF PROCEEDINGS VOL 1 ONLINE SESSIONS.
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Cooper, I. 2023. Design and use of space in refugee camps: a case study of a contested terrain. Presented at: rchitectural Humanities ResearchAssociation (AHRA) conference Dundee November 2019. Vol. 176.Vol. 3. ICE Publishing. , pp.123-141. (10.1680/jurdp.22.00068)
2022
- Alghafis, M. , Sibley, M. and Latif, E. 2022. A review of existing literature in Saudi domestic architecture. Presented at: 5th International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH 2021) Virtual 8-10 February 2021. Published in: Versaci, A. et al., Conservation of Architectural Heritage. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation Springer Cham. , pp.261-271. (10.1007/978-3-030-74482-3_20)
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2022. Heritage-led urban regeneration in the context of WH listing: lessons and opportunities for the newly inscribed city of As-Salt in Jordan. Sustainability 14 (8) 4557. (10.3390/su14084557)
- Hu, X. , Sibley, M. and Davidová, M. 2022. Applying a systemic approach for sustainable urban hillside landscape design and planning: The case study City of Chongqing in China. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics 20 (7), pp.121-153. (10.54808/JSCI.20.07.121)
2021
- Sibley, M. , Pezzica, C. and Tweed, A. 2021. Eco-hammam: the complexity of accelerating the ecological transition of a key social heritage sector in Morocco. Sustainability 13 (17) 9935. (10.3390/su13179935)
2020
- Sibley, M. and Pena-Garcia, A. 2020. Flat glass or crystal dome aperture? A year-long comparative analysis of the performance of light pipes in real residential settings and climatic conditions. Sustainability 12 (9) 3858. (10.3390/su12093858)
- Sibley, M. and Pezzica, C. 2020. Eco-hammam - share the resources, save the planet!. [Online].Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://ecohammam.com/.
- Sibley, M. et al. 2020. Belle epoque Cairo museums itineraries: مسارات متاحف الزمن الجميل. [Online].Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://becami.com/.
2019
- Alghafis, M. , Latif, E. and Sibley, M. 2019. A review of existing literature on architectural identity of Saudi buildings. Presented at: SPACE International Conference 2019 Architectural Culture and Society London, England 29 November - 1 December 2019. Proceedings - SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural Culture and Society, 29 November - 1 December 2019, London. London, UK: SPACE Studies Publications. , pp.110-118.
- Idris, M. M. and Sibley, M. 2019. What are users' perceptions of the hospital courtyard garden and how satisfied are they with it?. Asian Journal of Environment -Behavior Studies 4 , pp.60-75. (10.21834/aje-bs.v4i13.348)
2018
- Sibley, M. 2018. Let there be light! Investigating vernacular daylighting in Moroccan heritage hammams for rehabilitation, benchmarking and energy saving. Sustainability 10 (11) 3984. (10.3390/su10113984)
2017
- Ahmed, V. et al., 2017. The future of Big Data in facilities management: opportunities and challenges. Facilities 35 (13/14), pp.725-745. (10.1108/F-06-2016-0064)
2015
- Sibley, M. and Sibley, M. 2015. Hybrid transitions: combining biomass and solar energy for water heating in public bathhouses. Energy Procedia 83 , pp.525-532. (10.1016/j.egypro.2015.12.172)
2013
- Destino, T. and Sibley-Behloul, M. 2013. The Hammam living traditions. In: Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley-Behloul, M. eds. Hammam Rehabilitation Reader. Sonderzahl Verlagsges.
- Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley, M. 2013. Hammam rehabilitation reader. Vienna, Austria: Sonderzahl Verlagsges.
- Sibley, M. 2013. The historic hammams of Damascus and Fez. In: Weber, W. and Yannas, S. eds. Lessons from Vernacular Architecture. Routledge. , pp.77-91.
- Sibley, M. and Sibley, M. 2013. Hybrid green technologies for retrofitting heritage buildings in North African medinas: combining vernacular and high-tech solutions for an innovative solar powered lighting system for hammam buildings. Energy Procedia 42 , pp.718-725. (10.1016/j.egypro.2013.11.074)
- Sibley-Behloul, M. 2013. Rehabilitating hammam seffarine in Fez. In: Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley-Behloul, M. eds. Hammam Rehabilitation Reader. Sonderzahl Verlagsges
2012
- Alatni, B. , Sibley, M. and Minuchin, L. 2012. Evaluating the impact of the internationalisation of urban planning on Saudi Arabian cities. Presented at: 7th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability 2012 Ancona, Italy 7-9 May 2012. Published in: Pacetti, M. and Passerini, G. eds. Sustainable City VII: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability. Vol. 1.WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environmen , pp.291-301. (10.2495/SC120251)
- Sibley, M. and Jackson, I. 2012. The architecture of Islamic public baths of North Africa and the Middle East: an analysis of their internal spatial configurations. arq: Architectural Research Quarterly 16 (2), pp.155-170. (10.1017/S1359135512000462)
2009
- Fadli, F. and Sibley, M. 2009. Hammams of North Africa: an architectural study of sustainability concepts in a historic traditional building. In: Claude, D. and Andre, P. eds. Architecture Energy and the Occupant's Perspective. Presses de l'Université Laval
- Sibley, M. 2009. The courtyards houses of the Medina of Fez. In: Ludovico, M. and Vadini, E. eds. The Mediterranean Medina. Gangem Edition
- Sibley, M. and Fodil, F. 2009. The utopian space of the Islamic bathhouse or hammam. In: Phillips, R. ed. Muslim Spaces of Hope: Geographies of possibilities in Britain and the West. Zed Books
2008
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Lewis, J. 2008. Different stakeholder perceptions of sustainability assessment. Architectural Science Review 51 (1), pp.48-59. (10.3763/asre.2008.5107)
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Lewis, J. 2008. Factors and priorities for assessing sustainability of regional shopping centres in the UK. Architectural Science Review 51 (4), pp.391-402. (10.3763/asre.2008.5143)
- Tee, G. A. and Sibley, M. 2008. Sustainable housing development: design towards zero energy for space heating. Presented at: 25th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) Dublin, Ireland 22-24 Oct 2008.
2005
- Sibley, M. 2005. Informal transformations of formal housing estates in Algiers and Cairo. In: Shakur, T. ed. Cities in Transition: Transforming the Global Built Environment. Open House Press. , pp.88-98.
- Sibley, M. 2005. The Courtyard houses of North African medinas: past, present and future. In: Edwards, B. et al., Courtyard Housing: Past, Present and Future. London, UK: Taylor & Francis. , pp.49-62.
Articles
- Ahmed, V. et al., 2017. The future of Big Data in facilities management: opportunities and challenges. Facilities 35 (13/14), pp.725-745. (10.1108/F-06-2016-0064)
- Alghafis, M. and Sibley, M. 2023. The vernacular mosques of Al-Khabra in Saudi Arabia: Investigating urban architectural and social dimensions. Journal of Engineering Research , pp.1-15. (10.36909/jer.ICMA.20211)
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Lewis, J. 2008. Different stakeholder perceptions of sustainability assessment. Architectural Science Review 51 (1), pp.48-59. (10.3763/asre.2008.5107)
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Lewis, J. 2008. Factors and priorities for assessing sustainability of regional shopping centres in the UK. Architectural Science Review 51 (4), pp.391-402. (10.3763/asre.2008.5143)
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2024. Balancing social and cultural priorities in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for UNESCO World Heritage cities. Sustainability 16 (14) 5833. (10.3390/su16145833)
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2022. Heritage-led urban regeneration in the context of WH listing: lessons and opportunities for the newly inscribed city of As-Salt in Jordan. Sustainability 14 (8) 4557. (10.3390/su14084557)
- Hu, X. , Sibley, M. and Davidová, M. 2022. Applying a systemic approach for sustainable urban hillside landscape design and planning: The case study City of Chongqing in China. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics 20 (7), pp.121-153. (10.54808/JSCI.20.07.121)
- Idris, M. M. and Sibley, M. 2019. What are users' perceptions of the hospital courtyard garden and how satisfied are they with it?. Asian Journal of Environment -Behavior Studies 4 , pp.60-75. (10.21834/aje-bs.v4i13.348)
- Kassem, D. M. , Sibley, M. and Alkhalfan, L. 2025. Energy subsidies and potential reforms in the Gulf region: investigating villa residents’ electricity consumption and the factors influencing it in Kuwait’s six governorates. Sustainability 17 (10) 4578. (10.3390/su17104578)
- Sibley, M. 2018. Let there be light! Investigating vernacular daylighting in Moroccan heritage hammams for rehabilitation, benchmarking and energy saving. Sustainability 10 (11) 3984. (10.3390/su10113984)
- Sibley, M. and Jackson, I. 2012. The architecture of Islamic public baths of North Africa and the Middle East: an analysis of their internal spatial configurations. arq: Architectural Research Quarterly 16 (2), pp.155-170. (10.1017/S1359135512000462)
- Sibley, M. and Pena-Garcia, A. 2020. Flat glass or crystal dome aperture? A year-long comparative analysis of the performance of light pipes in real residential settings and climatic conditions. Sustainability 12 (9) 3858. (10.3390/su12093858)
- Sibley, M. , Pezzica, C. and Tweed, A. 2021. Eco-hammam: the complexity of accelerating the ecological transition of a key social heritage sector in Morocco. Sustainability 13 (17) 9935. (10.3390/su13179935)
- Sibley, M. and Sibley, M. 2013. Hybrid green technologies for retrofitting heritage buildings in North African medinas: combining vernacular and high-tech solutions for an innovative solar powered lighting system for hammam buildings. Energy Procedia 42 , pp.718-725. (10.1016/j.egypro.2013.11.074)
- Sibley, M. and Sibley, M. 2015. Hybrid transitions: combining biomass and solar energy for water heating in public bathhouses. Energy Procedia 83 , pp.525-532. (10.1016/j.egypro.2015.12.172)
Book sections
- Destino, T. and Sibley-Behloul, M. 2013. The Hammam living traditions. In: Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley-Behloul, M. eds. Hammam Rehabilitation Reader. Sonderzahl Verlagsges.
- Fadli, F. and Sibley, M. 2009. Hammams of North Africa: an architectural study of sustainability concepts in a historic traditional building. In: Claude, D. and Andre, P. eds. Architecture Energy and the Occupant's Perspective. Presses de l'Université Laval
- Sibley, M. 2005. Informal transformations of formal housing estates in Algiers and Cairo. In: Shakur, T. ed. Cities in Transition: Transforming the Global Built Environment. Open House Press. , pp.88-98.
- Sibley, M. 2005. The Courtyard houses of North African medinas: past, present and future. In: Edwards, B. et al., Courtyard Housing: Past, Present and Future. London, UK: Taylor & Francis. , pp.49-62.
- Sibley, M. 2009. The courtyards houses of the Medina of Fez. In: Ludovico, M. and Vadini, E. eds. The Mediterranean Medina. Gangem Edition
- Sibley, M. 2013. The historic hammams of Damascus and Fez. In: Weber, W. and Yannas, S. eds. Lessons from Vernacular Architecture. Routledge. , pp.77-91.
- Sibley, M. and Fodil, F. 2009. The utopian space of the Islamic bathhouse or hammam. In: Phillips, R. ed. Muslim Spaces of Hope: Geographies of possibilities in Britain and the West. Zed Books
- Sibley-Behloul, M. 2013. Rehabilitating hammam seffarine in Fez. In: Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley-Behloul, M. eds. Hammam Rehabilitation Reader. Sonderzahl Verlagsges
Books
- Dumreicher, H. , Levine, R. S. and Sibley, M. 2013. Hammam rehabilitation reader. Vienna, Austria: Sonderzahl Verlagsges.
Conferences
- Alatni, B. , Sibley, M. and Minuchin, L. 2012. Evaluating the impact of the internationalisation of urban planning on Saudi Arabian cities. Presented at: 7th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability 2012 Ancona, Italy 7-9 May 2012. Published in: Pacetti, M. and Passerini, G. eds. Sustainable City VII: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability. Vol. 1.WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environmen , pp.291-301. (10.2495/SC120251)
- Alghafis, M. , Latif, E. and Sibley, M. 2019. A review of existing literature on architectural identity of Saudi buildings. Presented at: SPACE International Conference 2019 Architectural Culture and Society London, England 29 November - 1 December 2019. Proceedings - SPACE International Conference 2019 on Architectural Culture and Society, 29 November - 1 December 2019, London. London, UK: SPACE Studies Publications. , pp.110-118.
- Alghafis, M. , Sibley, M. and Latif, E. 2022. A review of existing literature in Saudi domestic architecture. Presented at: 5th International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH 2021) Virtual 8-10 February 2021. Published in: Versaci, A. et al., Conservation of Architectural Heritage. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation Springer Cham. , pp.261-271. (10.1007/978-3-030-74482-3_20)
- Alghafis, M. , Sibley, M. and Latif, E. 2023. Folk Memory and Temperature Measurements for Thermal Comfort in Vernacular Courtyard Houses of Saudi Arabia’s Hot Arid Climate. Presented at: WILL CITIES SURVIVE? Santiago 22-25 November 2022. PLEASTGO 2022 WILL CITIES SURVIVE? BOOK OF PROCEEDINGS VOL 1 ONLINE SESSIONS.
- AlWaer, H. , Sibley, M. and Cooper, I. 2023. Design and use of space in refugee camps: a case study of a contested terrain. Presented at: rchitectural Humanities ResearchAssociation (AHRA) conference Dundee November 2019. Vol. 176.Vol. 3. ICE Publishing. , pp.123-141. (10.1680/jurdp.22.00068)
- El Faouri, B. F. and Sibley, M. 2024. Mapping the role of Jordan's governmental institutions and NGOs in the inscription of As-Salt City on the UNESCO World Heritage. Presented at: 6th International Conference on Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH) 25-27 May 2022. Conservation of Architectural Heritage (CAH). Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation Cham: Springer. , pp.431-448. (10.1007/978-3-031-33222-7_36)
- Idris, M. M. et al., 2025. Islamic Energy Garden: A shariah-based approach to achieve a ‘Green and Barakah Campus’. Presented at: AicQoL2025Pangkor (13th AMER International Conference on Quality of Life) Pangkor Island, Malaysia 17-18 January 2025. Vol. 10., pp.301-308. (10.21834/e-bpj.v10i31.6501)
- Tee, G. A. and Sibley, M. 2008. Sustainable housing development: design towards zero energy for space heating. Presented at: 25th International Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture (PLEA) Dublin, Ireland 22-24 Oct 2008.
Websites
- Sibley, M. and Pezzica, C. 2020. Eco-hammam - share the resources, save the planet!. [Online].Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://ecohammam.com/.
- Sibley, M. et al. 2020. Belle epoque Cairo museums itineraries: مسارات متاحف الزمن الجميل. [Online].Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://becami.com/.
