OUR TEAM

The HCC Heritage Conservation Consulting Inc. team has been gradually built up around its founder, Dr. Mahmoud Bendakir, architect – an international expert with more than 25 years of experience in the field of architectural and archaeological heritage conservation and in earthen building. Our multinational team comprises skilled architects and engineers. In addition, HCC has established an international network of qualified experts and consultants in the field of heritage conservation and earthen building.

MAHMOUD BENDAKIR

Heritage Architect – Mud Brick International Expert
HCC CEO

Ph.D. in conservation of mud-brick archaeological sites from Sorbonne University, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France; Post-graduate (D.E.A), History and Archaeology at EPHE Sorbonne, Paris, France; Master’s Degree in Earthen Architecture from CRATerre-ensag research Center, [l’école nationale supérieure d’architecture de Grenoble, France]; and Architectural Degree from the Institute of Architecture and Urbanism of Constantine University, Algeria. Architect Mahmoud Bendakir is an international expert and UNESCO consultant for several projects. He was also an active member of the International Center for Earth Construction – CRATerre for more than 16 years (between 1994 and 2010).

Dr. Bendakir has worked for more than 25 years in the field of world heritage conservation and earthen construction. Between 1991 and 2010, he was a member of the CRATerre-ensag team and associate researcher at the Higher National School of Architecture of Grenoble. He was involved in several conservation programs and initiated different projects as a senior expert with the CRATerre-ensag International Center for Earthen Building; he has conducted important works in the field of conservation and earth construction worldwide.

He has been a member of the French archaeological mission in Mari (Syria) for over 20 years, and directed the site conservation program there between 1991 and 2010. In addition, he has carried out academic research for more than 10 years and regularly runs international seminars and meetings in heritage conservation. He has published several books and articles in this field. In parallel, he carried out a number of expertise and training program missions as a consultant to international organizations such as UNESCO, ICOMOS, and the World Monuments Fund.

Dr Bendakir has several major projects on his resumé, such as the recent conservation project at AlUla Old Town in Saudi Arabia, the conservation and development of the Atturaif district in Adiriyah (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the renewal of AlDoho quarter in the historic center of Riyadh. In Iraq, he restored the Shihab Chalabi house in the Erbil Citadel, and he has carried out projects in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Babylon, Samarra, and Assur. In Syria, he was responsible for the conservation and development of the Mari site. He has significant experience in Central Asia, having worked in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan, as well as having worked on sites in Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Kuwait, Benin, and Nepal.

ANNACHIARA FIORE

Conservation Architect-Italy

Annachiara Fiore is an Italian architect, and has worked in the field of heritage conservation since 2014. She has been involved in numerous projects for the conservation and restoration of architectural and archaeological sites. She has international experience in this field, particularly in Italy, Greece, Spain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

Since 2017, she has been a member of the HCC team, working on several projects in Saudi Arabia.

She obtained a master’s degree in Architecture and Construction Engineering at Politecnico di Bari, Italy, and completed her professional postgraduate studies in conservation at Scuola di Specializzazione in Beni Architettonici e del Paesaggio, Sapienza University of Rome.

MOHAMMED HAFEZ HETTAH

Conservation Architect

Mohammed Hafez Hettah is an Egyptian architect who has worked in the field of restoration and conservation of heritage buildings and historic sites since 1986, mainly in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In 2008, he achieved the status of Consultant Engineer in the field of restoration and maintenance of heritage buildings from the Egyptian Engineers Syndicate.

He has been involved in many projects, including:

The conservation and development project of Atturaif district in Adiriyah in Saudi Arabia (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) with UNESCO Consultant Dr. Saleh Lamei
Restoration and refurbishment of al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt
Restoration and renovation of Prince Mohammed Aly Palace in Cairo, Egypt
Preparing tenders and supervision for conservation and restoration of heritage buildings, Egypt
Architectural documentation for heritage buildings in Cairo (Organization of Islamic Capitals and Cities), Egypt
Preparing tenders and supervision for heritage buildings (Deputy Ministry for Antiquities & Museums – Ministry of Education), Saudi Arabia.

Since 2019, he has been a member of the HCC team working on AlUla Old Town conservation project in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. MOHAMED ABDELAZIZ METALLAOUI

Conservation Architect

Dr. Mohamed Abdelaziz Metallaoui is an Algerian architect with a doctorate in architecture, urban planning, landscape, and heritage from the Sorbonne University of Paris Cité (USPC). His Ph.D. research focused on architectural and garden heritage in Algeria. He is currently an associate researcher at the Laboratoires: Identités–Cultures–Territoires (EA 337) of the University of Paris and Ausonius (UMR 5607) of the University of Bordeaux, France.

During his academic career, he worked as a heritage curator for historical monuments and inventories at the Institut National du Patrimoine de Paris (INP). He has published several scientific papers and participated in many international meetings on architecture and heritage (in Brazil, Italy, Morocco, and Egypt, amongst others). His fields of expertise are multidisciplinary, namely:

Architectural and landscape heritage
Management of heritage conservation and restoration sites
The preparation of files for the classification of historic monuments and gardens
The sociology of public space.

Since 2019, he has been a member of HCC team working on AlUla Old Town conservation project in Saudi Arabia.

WADDAH HAZZA AL-MAQTARY

Conservation Civil Engineer-Saudi Arabia

Waddah Hazza Al-Maqtary is a Yemeni construction engineer with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Aden, Yemen. He has worked in the field of heritage conservation for more than 15 years. He specializes in supervising preservation works of architectural and archeological sites, studying and repairing cracks, and managing building safety regulations.

He has been involved in many projects covering the conservation of heritage sites and restoration of archaeological sites in Yemen and Saudi Arabia since 2005. He worked as a consultant engineer for the Social Fund for Development in Yemen and for the Saudi Supreme Commission for Tourism and National Heritage in Yanbu (the preservation of the historic Al-Sur neighborhood project) from 2013 to end of 2019.

Waddah Hazza Al-Maqtary is a member of the Yemeni Engineers Syndicate and the Saudi Council of Engineers.

He joined the HCC team working in AlUla in November 2019 and is part of the project management staff working on the conservation of AlUla Old Town.

ABDULRAHMAN ALIMAM

AlUla Local Consultant, Saudi Arabia

Abdulrahman Hamad Al-Imam is a Saudi engineer and former resident of the old town of AlUla. He has a Bachelor’s degree in technical engineering (production), with training in water service management since 2008, and is an active member of the board of directors of the AlUla Tourist Cooperative Association.

Abdulrahman Hamad Al-Imam is also a local tourist guide specializing in historical sites and local heritage. Since 2009, he has completed several courses in the field of tourism, tourist orientation, and entrepreneurship. He has organized and led numerous events, activities, and workshops in the social, sporting, cultural, and tourist field. He is at the origin of many initiatives and research on local crafts and traditional construction techniques.

Abdulrahman Hamad Al-Imam was hired as a local consultant to join the HCC team working on the conservation of the old city of AlUla. With his experience and commitment to the social and cultural life of the city of AlUla as well as his historical knowledge of the old town and the entire region, he plays a key role in mediation, raising awareness, and involving local communities in supporting and executing the different phases of our project.

MOHAMMED ELKOT

Site Supervisor

Mohammed Ahmed Elkot is a site supervisor and foreman from Egypt. With a Bachelor’s degree in social service (2007), he worked as a site supervisor at Al-Zahrani Company for Engineering and Contracting in Saudi Arabia from 2009 to 2011.

He was a site supervisor at the AlThoratiah Company in Saudi Arabia for the implementation of the conservation and development project of Atturaif quarter in Diriyah from 2011 to 2013, and then worked for KCC Engineering and Contracting Company in Kuwait from 2014 until 2019.

He joined the HCC team working in AlUla in January 2020, and is now one of the project management and supervision staff working on the conservation of AlUla Old Town.

Eng. NARIMEL BENDAKIR

Executive assistant – Canada

Eng. Narimel Bendakir obtained a specialized graduate diploma (DESS) in Information Technologies from the School of Management Sciences, ESG UQAM, Canada, in 2019. She has worked as a teaching assistant, second cycle, between 2017 and 2019, in the Department of Management and Technology at ESG UQAM.

In 2006, she received her Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Montreal, Canada, for research focused on machine learning, data mining, e-learning, and intelligent agents. She has published research papers presented in AAAI Workshop (Boston, MA, USA) and DIVA Colloquium (Montreal, Quebec). In 1994, she graduated as a computer science engineer from the University of Constantine (Algeria) and worked for 6 years for ENNA (Établissement National de la Navigation Aérienne).

Since joining HCC in November 2019, she has been in charge of project management and accounting.

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