Ḥasid, Ś., 1912-

Biographical Note

Sami Hassid, (1912- )

Sami Hassid was born in Cairo, Egypt on April 19, 1912. He holds degrees from universities in three countries, including a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of London, a Master's degree in Architecture from the University of Cairo, and a Ph.D. in Architecture from Harvard University. While teaching in Egypt, mainly at the University of Cairo, he wrote three books, two of which became standard references in schools of architecture in the Middle East. Hassid was awarded a Fulbright grant for study in the United States, and in 1957 he joined the faculty of the Department of Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. He actively participated in and influenced the evolution of the programs offered by the department, introduced research into the graduate curriculum, and was instrumental in the establishment in 1968 of a program of studies leading to the Ph.D. in Architecture. Hassid served as Associate Dean of the College of Environmental Design (1977-1983), as Academic Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Academic Services (1980-1985), and as Chairman of the Buildings and Campus Development Committee (1983-1984) while at U.C. Berkeley. In these capacities he produced with others the "Berkeley Campus Space Plan 1981," which is the most comprehensive grass roots effort of its kind in the history of the campus. In June of 1981, he received the Berkeley Citation of the University of California, Berkeley: Honors for Distinguished Achievement and for Notable Service to the University.

Dr. Hassid's main lines of research were in architectural education, design evaluation, housing, and fire and life safety. He is known for his seminal work on design evaluation, and for his series of reports and articles on research in which jury deliberations, responses to simulated environments, and content analysis of the literature on architects, their buildings and prize designs are used to derive rational criteria for design evaluation. Important research projects on various topics in which Dr. Hassid was principal investigator were sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Navy, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, and the National Science Foundation. In 1966, he received the Building Research Institute Award for Service to the Building Industry.

Hassid's professional architectural career included practice as principal or partner in Egypt and in California. Singly, or in association with others, he won a substantial number of prizes in local, national, and international competitions. Buildings designed by him included the American Institute of Architect's headquarters in San Francisco, a student hostel for the American University in Cairo, schools, houses, apartment buildings, shops, offices, cooperative housing, and industrial complexes. Hassid's designs have been praised for their simplicity and elegance, and for economy in the choice and expression of materials.

Source:

Collection file, Environmental Design Archives