2019

Al Dheisha refugee camp is located in Bethlehem Palestine in the south west of the city, surrounded by Bethlehem city from the north and east, Ertas village from the south and al doha from the west.
Dheisheh camp was created in 1949 to offer shelter to the Palestinian families expelled from 45 villages around Jerusalem and Hebron areas. At that time refugees first gathered in the open land on the margins of the city of Bethlehem, where UNRWA provided families with tents. By the middle of the 1950s, UNRWA built shelters, each family received a 9 square meter shelter and every 15 families shared one bathroom.

The land where camps are located are leased by UNRWA from host governments. According to UNRWA’s rules and regulations, the property may not be rented, sold, or transferred to others by the refugees and UNRWA does not recognize any sale or lease by the refugees. Despite these regulations, there exists a de facto selling, buying, renting and leasing of camp land and property. This process has existed since the establishment of the camp.

With time the camp has become overcrowded and a very dense urban space with no public space. Refugees have been always reduced to individual numbers in statistics, rarely considered as a collective community with its own need for collective spaces besides the need of sheltering.

In camps, legally, public or private property does not exist. Since the land is leased by UNRWA from the government, refugees cannot even own their houses.

In the recent years The necessity of public space in the camp became more vital, therefore the refugees located in the camp started to come up with creative solutions to tackle this issue, one of the solution that caught my interest was the use of rooftops as an agricultural space, which by default turned into a miniature public space. The high building density in the camp aided providing bigger spaces as in most areas there is no space between buildings.

Jabal Weibdeh in Amman, Jordan was inhabited in 1920, and is home to some of the oldest buildings in Amman, some which mark the time of the international age, during which many embassies moved into the area in 1950-1960 and this marked the beginning of political activity, openness to the world, and the homogenous living of both a local community and outsiders – the flourishing age of the area. Nowadays Jabal Weibdeh is overcrowded with institutions, hipsters, and commercial activity due to the artistic nature of the area created over time.

The objective of this project is to reignite a union between tourists/outsiders and the local community, while providing a beneficial enhancement to this community in order to encourage the main goal: Reusing and adapting existing buildings with rich heritage to the modern day uses.

1: Encouraging tourism in disregarded areas of Amman and shedding light upon old and original fabric. The quality of culture displayed will attract the modern tourist, who wishes to escape “touristy spots”. A new way of approaching tourism is explored, involving the community and displaying their workmanship, creativity, and talent, in which tourists can be a part of, all existing in the same hub – hence “Agora”.

2: Jabal Weibdeh currently contains a hefty number of artists, local businesses, studios, at-home galleries, who come to this area to be inspired by its originality and unmoved nature. Through providing a space for them to work and display their goods, tourists are given a whole range of cultural essences to explore.

Therefore, this project merges a small sized boutique hotel, situated in an abandoned building of historic background in Jabal Weibdeh. It will also feature a new take on the classic business incubator, in which locals can rent a workspace as well as a display area in the Arcade, resulting in the marriage of heritage and culture, along with business, growth, and connection.

One of the major health concerns of our generation is the increase in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. With this trend comes a need for new systems of support and a concern for quality of care.

The Middle-East North African (MENA) countries are considered among the fastest growing regions in the world in terms of the incidence of AD. By 2050, the World Health Organization estimates the number of AD cases in MENA countries will have increased by 125%. Such a profound increase will certainly put a strain on these countries' healthcare systems and will impose socio economic burdens on families and governments in the region.

In Jordan alone, Alzheimer’s disease is considered the 4th reason for death, after Heart Disease, Strokes and Diabetes. Which means Alzheimer’s kills more people in a year than Cancer does. But unfortunately, people aren’t aware of that.

Therefore, my project addresses the aging population who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, whether they are in the first stages or in the severe stages of Alzheimer’s, by meeting their social, physical, psychological and medical needs in order to improve their quality of life, manage their disease better as well as preserve their sense of self. Furthermore, the proposal will also help the families and caregivers by providing them with ways to deal with their loved-ones.

As architects, there are four major behavioral areas that can be targeted throughout the design, which are wandering, familiarity, safety and disorientation. Therefore, my project emphasizes these areas, by creating an environment that heightens the awareness and orientation of the residents, in order to assist them in knowing where they are and providing them with clear paths to their destinations as well as encouraging them to participate (passively and actively) in the different functions provided.

Function of the project:Post war museum
Project description:To celebrate the history and heritage of Benghazi and to raise awareness to the importance of conserving the urban layers that make the city what it is today. The Cathedral becomes a landmark that embodies all that is necessary in this pursuit to conserve Benghazi’s urban heritage. As a landmark that has witnessed many of these layers and multiple events throughout the history of the city, the project hopes and aims to open up, curate, showcase and invite people to see it as a building that carries through it and within it Benghazi’s heritage.

Aims & Goals: -Restoring the Building’s former glory-Platform for Libyan Historians and Artists -Marking the historical events the Cathedral has witnessed-Encouraging The local community to return to the abandoned area-integrating the locals and visitors from different backgrounds in the inclusive space -Enhancing acceptance for Christianity and for the Christian monument -Documenting the layers of the city.
Why the Cathedral? because it’s the real representative of all Libyan conflicts.The Cathedral has witnessed a lot of events that affected it and its surroundings, it is scarred from different eras,And it’s an abandoned monument that showcases narratives and Tangible layers.The Cathedral: A living museum that makes the passage of time and history visible on itself. The concept is that the visitor is able to observe the cathedral from all existing angles and new curated angles that invite the viewer to see the cathedral as a museum and as a witness of history.The Morph: a new body that leads the visitors and tell them the story of Benghazi’s layers that are displayed in rooms and pockets inside of the rooms.

The Memorial simulates the presence of those who are “absent”
The Cultural café is emblematic of the local café experience found in the heart of Benghazi. It is a space for dialogue, music, games, art and poetry.

Located in the city centre of Madaba in Jordan, Madaba’s Archaeological Park is a time capsule of various past historical layers that the city of Madaba has witnessed, located in its city centre, a vital part of Madaba’s Urban context, yet introverted and hidden, neglected by the local community and suffering from having a proper, interactive interpretation of its context, significance and historical layers. Within this context. The Memory Park is not only envisioned as a protective shelter for the historical remains and to interpret them, but also as an active, attractive spot in the city that recalls the memories of the city that will reclaim the site into its surrounding urban Context.

Historical sites in the region have often been improperly dealt with, neglected or even attacked.

Governments have had a traditional approach in dealing with these sites that is not serving the benefits of the sites and the visitors or most importantly the local people who have been living by these sites for all of their lives. Often these sites are only accessed in certain time periods. They are closed off instead of being open and part of the city. The concept of an introverted museum did not benefit Madaba’s Archaeological site and have contributed to its introversion and negligence.

The approach of redefining the Archaeological park is based on these 3 strategies:
1. Reclaim Madaba’s Archaeological Park into Its Urban Context
By integrating Madaba Archaeological Park as an active part of the city’s urban fabric and public spaces.

2. Reflect Site’s Nostalgia
By interpreting the site's tangible and intangible remains and reflecting its memories through creating an interpretive, narrative experience for the visitor.

3. Redefine the Image of an Archaeological Shelter
By giving the archaeological shelter a more living and functional role than just a mere roof by having it to be part of the interpretation experience and hosting a number of activities.