NEWS
With 35 Students from across the GCC Three University of Bahrain Students Win Top Honors at the Gulf Housing Hackathon
Three students from the University of Bahrain’s Department of Architecture won first, second, and third place at the third Gulf Housing Hackathon, held in the Kingdom of Bahrain from 27 to 29 September 2026 under the theme “A Youth Vision for the Future of Housing.” The event was part of the fourth Gulf Housing Week and brought together more than 35 students from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The three winners competed on mixed GCC teams. Ali Hasan Abdulla Hasan took first place with Team Sada, Sayed Sadiq Jaafar Majeed Ibrahim took second place with Team Madar, and Sheikha Yunis Mohammed Al Shurooqi took third place with Team Aknan.
The winning teams were honored in the presence of Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the GCC, and HE Mrs. Amna bint Ahmed Alrumaihi , Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, as part of the hackathon’s accompanying events.
The challenge was to develop an integrated concept for a site belonging to one of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning’s projects in the Ramli area. Participants had to study and organize the relationship between housing, services, and open spaces.
Team Sada won first place for a project that explored the relationship between people and place, proposing a residential fabric that balances privacy, sustainability, and community life. Team Madar took second place with a project that drew on the circle to express connectedness, proposing an architectural ring around a central green courtyard, with housing and services integrated around it. Third place went to Team Aknan for a project focused on designing a flexible Gulf home that adapts to the changing needs of families.
The hackathon aims to give young people from across the Gulf the opportunity to work on a real housing challenge and to present scalable ideas that help build residential communities that meet families’ needs and support the future of the social housing sector in GCC countries.
