'Reconceiving the Architecture of the Gulf Region' is the theme of a three-year research programme Nader Ardalan has initiated to focus upon theory and applied research in order to develop new prototypes of urban design and architecture for the eight countries surrounding the Persian Gulf. It is hoped that the study will produce guidelines and innovative strategies to achieve environmentally and culturally sustainable development, water conservation, and energy efficient designs and governance strategies in this geographic area. Nader Ardalan is an architect with over four decades of award winning international experience. He is the principal of Ardalan Associates in Boston, senior vice-president and director of design at KEO International Consultants in the Gulf Region, and a founding member of the Steering Committee of the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He continues to serve as a Jury Member on many international design competitions and has taught at Harvard GSD and at Yale School of Architecture.