The Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Architectural Design
2009 Second Cycle Winners
Architecture students from ten countries in the Arab World participated in the 2009 Omrania | CSBE Student Award for Excellence in Architectural Design. Sixty-six graduation projects were submitted from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The entries featured a wide array of landscaping and urban interventions as well as building types, including housing, educational, health, governmental, transportation, sports, and commemorative structures.
The Award jury awarded first, second, and third prizes, as well as two honorable mentions.
An Award ceremony was held at the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman on October 31, 2009. The winning projects as well as a selection of participating projects were displayed at an exhibition at the National Gallery between November 1 and November 5, 2009.
The winning projects are as follows:
First prize:
Rasem Mazen Kamal, Heba Abdul Munem Al Najada, and Yousef Zaki Sayyed Ahmed
Project name: ‘Ain Ghazal Interpretation Park
Faculty supervisor: Leen Fakhoury
University of Jordan, Jordan
The project aims at using the preservation and conservation of the ‘Ain Ghazal archeological site in Amman to generate a process of urban renewal in the area. The project consists of the ‘Ain Ghazal interpretation hall, a transportation hub, and a commercial center, all distributed along a one-kilometer strip, perpendicular to the old stream that dissects the area.
Second prize:
Saud Abdulaziz Al-Mutawa
Project name: A Moment of Regret and the New Beginning
Faculty supervisor: Quinsan Ciao
Kuwait University, Kuwait
The project addresses the plight of abused women in Kuwait. The designer focuses on a real case study and uses it to develop the design for a temporary housing and rehabilitation center for abused women. The design aims at developing an enclosed, protective, and embracing shelter that facilitates a process of healing.
Third prize:
Farah Afif Kassab
Project name: Urban Plank - Projecting the City of El Mina Back to the Sea
Faculty supervisor: Georges Arbid
American University of Beirut, Lebanon
The project aims at retrieving the "resonating" relationship between the city of Tripoli (and its people) and the sea through its port, which was lost with the recent restructuring of the city. The project consists of an aquarium and a marine research institute, which are intended to disseminate knowledge about the sea to the city. The design incorporates planks that protrude into the sea and a promenade along the shore, creating a pedestrian experience that weaves the project program into the city.
Honorable mention number one:
Tahereh Mohammad Hossein Rajabi
Project name: Bani Yas Scafuilding (Parametric Dubai: Emerging Poly. Morphi. City)
Faculty supervisor: George Katodrytis
American University of Sharjah, UAE
The project aims at creating a flexible space for temporary activities in Dubai. The design is a product of combining a building system and a mental and physical discipline: scaffolding and yoga. This new flexible structural system can be altered in a manner that resembles the movement of the human body.
Honorable mention number two:
Liyan AlJabi, Basma Hameed, and Mohammad AlJabi
Project name: ‘Ain Ghazal Interpretation Park
Faculty supervisor: Leen Fakhoury
University of Jordan, Jordan
The project is an urban intervention in the archeological site of ‘Ain Ghazal in Amman that aims at creating a wide range of urban functions that revive and contribute to the site's value. It includes a journey route that encircles the archeological site and takes the visitor through a sequence of themed spaces that accommodate interpretations of archeological remains, shelters, cultural activities, urban links, educational activities, recreational activities, and a transportation hub (a light-rail terminal).
