Department of Architecture and Urban Planning

College of Engineering
Fall 2022

ARCT 452- CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE IN THE ARAB WORLD

Course Portfolio
Instructor: Dr. Tarryn NK Paquet
Ganna Khalil 201707127
SUBMISSION 1
Project Brief Student Performance Criteria SPCs:
- Two case studies of Arab architecture will be conducted over - A7. Historical Traditions and Global Culture: Understanding
the course of a decade, from the 1940s to the 2000s. of the parallel and divergent histories of architecture and the
cultural norms of a variety of indigenous, vernacular, local,
- To reflect the chosen structures' context, form, and space, it and regional settings in terms of their political, economic,
is necessary to analyze and redraw these social, ecological, and technological factors.
structures/settlements (to scale) in accordance with the
following requirements: - C1. Applied Research: Understanding of the theoretical and
applied research methodologies and practices used during
- A. FLOOR PLANS (1:100) the design process.
- B. SECTIONS (1:100)
- C. ELEVATIONS (1:100)
- D. SITE PLAN (1:200)
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF 1911–1974
- Ramses Wissa Wassef was born in Cairo.

- His father was a lawyer who also served as a leader of Egypt's nationalist movement and was a patron of art who helped Egypt's
arts grow. Wassef intended to become a sculptor after high school, but he changed his mind and went to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
de Paris to study architecture instead.

- Cairo`s old neighborhoods and medieval towns' character caught Waeef's attention at the beginning of his career in 1935. He was
of the opinion that ancient artisans had been able to create effects that were distinctively local by drawing on an infinite variety of
expressions from their traditional heritage.

- Ramses Wissa Wassef was propelled and impacted by the middle age Cairene areas and was motivated by the magnificence of the
old Nubian houses and the standards and methods of reasoning behind them.

- The St. George Church in Heliopolis (1954), The New Lycee Fracais du Caire (1938), and the Mahmoud Mokhtar Museum (1960)
are among his notable projects. This Project will focus on some of the buildings in his Art Center Complex.
ART CENTER
1952 - 1962
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
ART CENTER
Phase 1
1952 – 53
Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, Harraniya, Giza

- The project for which Wissa Wassef is best known is the Ramses Wissa
Wassef Art Center. This demonstrates his experimentation with
conventional developmental practices, including mud blocks, and his belief
in the creative potential of children.

- The center has a land area of approximately 50,000 square meters, with a
principal holding of 2,200 square meters acquired in 1951.

- This is the primary period of the Ramses Wissa Wassef art Center, worked
somewhere in the range of 1952 and 1953. Imagined as a test, with the
progress of the task Wissa Wassef drafted the floor plans 1955 when he
applied for the permit of the initial two structures he had constructed. Sketch of Site Plan
By: Author

The linearity of the building is

shown through the
The principal design to be built
presentation of a lattice
was a doorman's guardroom,
segment that makes an
with two rooms made of
outdoor hall, protecting the
limestone and mud mortar close
users from the playground on
to the entryway. This
the remainder of the land.
construction was extended in
1953 into a four-domed room, Sketch of Sections
which is connected to a more By: Author
modest room that go on as a
segment of three extra modules
functioning as shaded spaces.

Sketch of the First Structure Plan

By: Author
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
ART CENTER
Phase 1
1952 – 53 Sketch by: Author
Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, Harraniya, Giza
Vaulted brick structures were then viewed as progressive and revolutionary, yet for
Wissa Wassif they addressed something basically Egyptian on the grounds that similar
- The second structure, which is situated on the western side of the plot, is structures had been embraced thus by Pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic Civilizations.
the rest house.
It comprises of a double height level Examples of the use of vault rooms in the Pharaonic, Coptic
domed room with stained-glass plaster
boards by Wissa Wassef, utilized as a " and Islamic Civilization:
madyafa" (reception area), which opens
onto a bigger room with a focal
segment utilized as a tapestry
workshop; the structure likewise
contained a clinic where the Harraniya
youngsters and locals could look for
treatment, in addition to a bathroom.
The remnants of the The Virgin church in The Córdoba Mosque
Ramesseum sanctuary and its Fayoum built in the 19th Source: Western
storerooms vault and walls. cent. Architecture’s Islamic
The Extended Source: Mediterranean Source: Alexandria Roots By Michael Badu
shaded spaces Archaeology and Engineering Journal
Archaeometry, Vol. 16 Volume 51

Plan of the primary design worked after

its 1953 expansion, which would
become Wissa Wassef's own pottery
studio and workshop in 1955.

Vaulted rooms in Ramses Wassif Openings at the Ramses Wassef Art Center
Source: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture Source: The Aga Khan Award for
Architecture
The structural style of the edges of Cairo, 2 or 3 kilometers away, has affected the
building advancement of the town. Practically every one of the later structures are
substantial designs with brick infill, yet curiously conventional structures have planned to
Sketch of the rest House floor plan reassert themselves. Outer windows, for instance, are decreased in region to simple cuts
By:Author above eye level, and concrete rooftops are covered with a thick layer of earth to further
develop insulation.
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF - After the progress of the primary
ART CENTER worldwide display of the weavers' work in
Basel, Switzerland, in 1958, Wissa Wassef
Phase 2 extended the center with an expansion of
a Gallery
1962
- what's more, two administration rooms
Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, Harraniya, Giza around a patio that prompts nine new
weaving rooms along the middle's notable
bended east-west hallway.

Full Art Center Floor Plan

after both Phases
Source: The Aga Khan
Award for Architecture
Toward the west lies the exhibition
region with its focal barrel-vaulted
space and more modest domed
spaces close by. Vault and arches
are punctured by little round The direction of this
openings to concede shafts of passageway
daylight. considers the
predominant wind to
enter the studios,
which have block
claustra openings.

With the making of this extension,

adjustments were made to the
structures of the primary stage. The
four-domed room neighboring the new
weaving studios was parted in half to
Sketch of Bubble diagram of floor plan make an entry for the weavers, rest to
By: Author be utilized as storage with the
expansion of another room and the
extension of the first extra room.
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
ART CENTER
Climatic Response, lighting & Ventilation
1952 - 1962
Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, Harraniya, Giza
- Big Lunette windows give both lighting and ventilation in the
studios.
- The west-east direction of the central axis implies that the
overall northerly Breezes well ventilate them. Claustra blocks
channel the light and make for a healthy level of protection.
- The display areas are lit by shafts of daylight structure oculi
in the vaulting: the extremely low degree of natural light can
be enhanced by highlighting locked on the embroidered
works of art (Tapestries) which line the walls
Ground Floor Plan
Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef
Materials:
Both Ramses Wassef and his collogue Hassan Fathy were influenced by
architecture in upper Egypt, Therefore, their material usage focused mainly
on earthly materials like mud, clay and limestone.
Mud Brick (Mud/Sand Mortar) : Used for the showroom and workshops
- Flood silt is removed from the foundation trenches and combined with other
materials before being submerged in water for 30 days to ferment.
Cement, Lime and Gypsum: Used for the roofs.
- Any rainfall is diverted away from the walls by pipes running through parapets,
and the roofs are covered with a coating of cement, lime, and gypsum.
The showrooms' interiors were left in their natural earth tones, while the
workshops were painted in white. All of the flooring are made of compressed
mud, and the main axis is fixed with hewed limestone.
curved corridor that aligns the weaving workshops
Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef
HABIB GORGY SCULPTURE MUSEUM
1952 - 1962
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
HABIB GORGY SCULPTURE MUSEUM
1971
Harraniya, Giza
- As a tribute to Habib Gorgy and to house a collection of his students' works from the 1940s and
1950s, the museum was built two years after the tapestry showrooms were finished.

- This museum was built in the 1960s and is 15 kilometers from Cairo along the road to Sakkareh.

- The design of the museum centers the rooms around open spaces like courtyards or pedestrian
walkways , which are an important part of the country’s long established architecture.
These walkways lead to offices and
the main palm-planted courtyard,
allowing natural light into the room
and making it an exhibition space in
its own right.
Original Museum Floor Plan
Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of
Wassef
Two entrances lead to two
courtyards (hauouch), one to
the guard's two-room
residence and the other to the
exhibition rooms via an open
gallery.

This courtyard and a large,

vaulted exhibition hall are Entrance Courtyard
connected by a covered
passageway. Guard’s Room

Guard’s Room

Entrance Courtyard

Office

Exhibition Area

Open passageway

Inner Courtyard

Museum Floor Plan The Domed Exhibition Area

Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef
The Vaulted Exhibition Gallery
RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
HABIB GORGY SCULPTURE MUSEUM
1971
Harraniya, Giza

- The courtyard, which is open but is shaded by the tall dome and palm fronds planted
in one of its corners, never gets too hot or bright.

- Along the east wall of the courtyard, small terra cotta tiles are arranged in alcoves.
Except for a few rays of light that shine through the oculi at the domed end of the
long gallery, the rest of the space is generally cool and dark.

- The majority of the sculptures here are arranged along the west wall, which has two
skins. Each piece is housed in an alcove in the inner wall, which is lit by light passing
through an unnoticed opening in the exterior wall.

Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef

Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef

- Because the apertures in the outer wall are not aligned with those in the inner wall,
the angle of the light that falls on each work is directed individually, which is a very
clever form of natural spot-lighting.

Source: Anorve-Tschirgi The Architecture of Wassef

RAMSES WISSA WASSEF
HABIB GORGY SCULPTURE MUSEUM
1971
Harraniya, Giza

- The entire treatment has an external sculptural quality to it. The parabolic dome
dominates the composition as a whole.
- The contrast between the original elevation and the one that was built later is
interesting: In order to make the dome the main feature, the relationship between it
and the roof's storage rooms is reversed.
- Two bas-reliefs in the Ancient Egyptian style are
placed in the tall entrance passage, which has
architecture that is reminiscent of Pharaonic
architecture.

- Another change was to introduce two shallow dome vaults at the south end of the
long gallery, which was originally intended to be one barrel vault.

Example of tall passageways in pharaonic architecture : Karnak Temple

Source: WorldAtlas

Elevation/Facade of the Museum

Sketch by: Author
- The tall dome is supported by eight window
openings that let light in. The tall dome of the
- The Museum is entirely made of mud-brick, with the mud plaster finishes remaining in museum is a remarkable representation of a
their original colors and compacted earth floors. parabola constructed without centering.
Student Performance Criteria (SPCs) Evidence:
- A7. Historical Traditions and Global Culture: Understanding of the parallel and divergent histories of architecture and the cultural
norms of a variety of indigenous, vernacular, local, and regional settings in terms of their political, economic, social, ecological, and
technological factors.

- The project for which Wissa Wassef is best known is the Ramses Wissa
Wassef Art Center. This demonstrates his experimentation with
conventional developmental practices, including mud blocks, and his belief
in the creative potential of children.

- The center has a land area of approximately 50,000 square meters, with a
principal holding of 2,200 square meters acquired in 1951.

Sketch of Site Plan

By: Author
- C1. Applied Research: Understanding of the theoretical and applied research methodologies and practices used during the design
process.
Vaulted brick structures were then viewed as progressive and revolutionary, yet for
Wissa Wassif they addressed something basically Egyptian on the grounds that similar
structures had been embraced thus by Pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic Civilizations.

Examples of the use of vault rooms in the Pharaonic, Coptic Sketch by: Auhtor
and Islamic Civilization:

The remnants of the The Virgin church in The Córdoba Mosque

Ramesseum sanctuary and its Fayoum built in the 19th Source: Western
storerooms vault and walls. cent. Architecture’s Islamic Vaulted rooms in Ramses Wassif Openings at the Ramses Wassef Art Center
Source: Mediterranean Source: Alexandria Roots By Michael Badu Source: The Aga Khan Award for Architecture Source: The Aga Khan Award for
Archaeology and Engineering Journal Architecture
Archaeometry, Vol. 16 Volume 51
 SUBMISSION 2
FEMALEARABARCHITECTS
Instructors: DR. Tarryn NK Paquet

Student Name:

Wadha Alhajri 201801073

Ganna Khalill 201707127
 4

BATOOL AL-SARRAF
Early Life and Career
by : Wadha Alhajri 201801073

• Batool Al-Sarraf, She is an architect from

Kuwait. She prides herself on being independent,
quick to pick things up, and unafraid of standing out
from the crowd. She finds patterns to be fascinating
and is constantly attempting to understand them in
order to foresee potential events.

•Architect Batool Al-Sarraf received the Outstanding

Graduation Project Awardafter graduating
from Kuwait University's Department of
Architecture. Her work investigates the distillation of
complex concepts, challenges preconceptions, and
examines the interplay of beliefs, culture, and
architecture.

• She is now working in Kuwait Fund for young

Kuwaiti Architects and Engineers.

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research
 5
Based on Batool's answers to some of the questions that she
has answered about her inspiration to study architecture?

she said that she used to have dreams about drawing and
creating houses. As she grew older, she became interested in
reading architectural designs. she used to spend hours to
attempting to interpret the meaning of the lines and
geometries behind the pictures

About the woman architect from Arab or Middle Eastern who

mostly has an impact on her as a professional architect and
why?

She replied that Aljoud Lootah is from Dubai, United Arab

Emirates. She knows for her design products. Even though she
is not an architect, she values design thinking and the way • Batool in her final design jury as a student.
that her team's designs are influenced by their shared familial
environment and cultural heritage.

What impact does your culture or ethnicity have on your
education and creative process?
she said that she began to delve into each culture after
studying in college and getting to know people from other
origins. she always found herself trying to find out what they
might have in common and how their cultural origins are
similar, yet their personal journeys are so different. This
assisted her in creating a thoughtful approach to her design
work. It doesn't matter whether she begins with a
straightforward idea or concept because the procedure will
simply get more difficult as she goes along. This is how she
responded to the question
A piece of advice for the younger generations of ambitious
Arab women architects?
she said : ” You may bring about change by living it. Don't use
your gender as an excuse to avoid working; instead,
concentrate on improving your output. Let your designs
reflect you. Always keep in mind that everyone comes from a
different environment and has various expectations; therefore,
you shouldn't criticize others based solely on your own beliefs
and standers.” Batool Al-sarraf

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research
 KUWAIT AIRWAYS WITH 6

MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING
by : Wadha Alhajri 201801073

• In order to create a setting that inspires a sense of

independence in the freelancers, the use of
fragmented masses reacts to the free atmosphere
which is one of their primary qualities.

• The airport is divided into three main buildings and

three other sub-buildings. The first building includes
airline counters for travel procedures, a working
area for meetings, Also includes a huge lounge for
passengers and the main restaurant.

• The other main building includes most of the retail

shops and other entertaining areas such as a
cinema, free-duty shops, and fast-food restaurants.

• The sub-buildings include most of the relaxations

area such as spas with a gym, salon, and a private
area for relaxation.

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research

• Sketch by : Wadha Alhajri

 7

RETAIL
TEMPORARY BOOTHS
CINEMA

RESTAURANTS
Ground floor plan First floor plan RELAXATION ROOMS
SPA
MEETING ROOM
LOUNGE
SPIRAL STAIR

Section A-A

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied • Sketch by : wadha Alhajri
Global Culture Research
 8

South Elevation WEST Elevation

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research

• Sketch by : wadha Alhajri

 The Interlocking Loop Airport Road 9

Jazeera Airways Terminal : Jazeera Airways

Terminal
by : Wadha Alhajri 201801073
• The project's original goal was to build a free-
standing wall, but after that, the program's terminal
design was unveiled. Kuwait International
Airport
• The unit can expand indefinitely in all directions
and, when joined, creates voids or spaces through
which light can pass, providing a layer of openings.

• The loop's interconnecting design allows enables

seamless movement between the spaces and
through the building.

Airways shelters Top view

Diagram illustrating the

possibilities of tectonic
movement by shifting the
grading and folding order.

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research
• Sketch by : wadha Alhajri
 10

First floor plan ( Departure) Ground floor plan (Arrival)

Section A-A South Elevation

Section B-B West Elevation

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research
 11

ZAHA HADID
Early Life and Career
by :Ganna Khalill 201707127

• Dame Zaha Hadid, who was born in Baghdad, Iraq, on October
31, 1950, and passed away in Miami, Florida, on March 31,
2016, was best known for her avant-garde deconstructivism
works.
• She received the Pritzker Architecture Prize for the first time in
2004.
• She was named the "Queen of the Curve" by The
Guardian, who also credited her for "liberating architectural
geometry, giving it a whole new expressive character."
• Her notable work may be found at the Guangzhou Opera
House, Rome's MAXXI Museum, the Broad Art Museum,
and London's Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympics.

• Hadid enrolled in the American University in Beirut, Lebanon,

• where she graduated with a bachelor's in mathematics.
• She went to London in 1972 to attend the Architectural
Association, a significant hub of avant-garde architectural ideas
in the 1970s.

• There, she made the acquaintance of the designers Rem

• Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, with whom she later joined forces
to form the Office of Metropolitan Architecture.

• In 1979, Hadid founded Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA), a firm in

• London.
• TheVitra Fire Station in WeilamRhein, Germany, was Hadid's
first significant construction undertaking (1989–1993).

• The building, which is made up of several sharply angled

• planes, looks like a bird in flight.

A.7 C.1
Historical
Traditions and Applied
Global Culture Research
DOMINION OFFICE BUILDING
by :Ganna Khalill 201707127
12

Moskva, Russia

21184 m²

• In this largely industrial and residential neighborhood in the

southeast of the city, The Dominion Office Building is one of
the first brand-new construction projects being created for
the expanding creative and IT industries.

• A central atrium rises through all floors of the structure,

which was designed as a series of vertically stacked plates
that were offset at each level with connecting curving pieces.
This allows natural light to fill the building's center.
 13

Atrium

Service Core
Ground Floor Plan

• The atrium is transformed into a shared space over several levels that promotes interaction between the employees of the companies housed in
the building thanks to the ground floor restaurant's connections to the outdoor terrace and Sharikopodshipnikovskaya Street beyond, as well as the
coffee/snack areas and relaxation zones on the balconies.

• The office spaces are organized inside a system of conventional rectilinear bays to provide a variety of options for small, growing, or big
businesses.

• The service cores, which are situated on the outside of the atrium and contain the elevators, fire escapes, restrooms, and service shafts, offer some
degree of privacy to the various office spaces, while the openings between these cores offer some transparency and permit light from the central
shared atrium space to enter the office spaces.
 14
• A central atrium rises through all floors of the structure, which
was designed as a series of vertically stacked plates that were
offset at each level with connecting curving pieces. This allows
natural light to fill the building's center.

• A series of staircases link through this central area, and balconies

at each level protrude into the atrium and correspond to the
displacement of the outside shell.

Each level's balconies line up with

how far away the outside envelope is.

The program promotes contact among

the staff members of the numerous
businesses housed in the building.

Because of how the building is

programmed, the atrium is used by
everyone.
 15
VITRA FIRE STATION BUILDING
by :Ganna Khalill 201707127

Chelsea Harbour

1100 m²

• In the words of Zaha Hadid, "the water serves as a transformer moving, without interruption, across the façade, sculpting the inside, and pouring
through the main gallery like droplets of water.“

• The Roca London Gallery is supported by a white interior filled with light drops and a façade with a sequence of apertures meant to depict the
impact of water erosion.

• Thesewater droplets link the many elements of the room that are apart of the Roca London Gallery, including the multimedia room, the
conference room, and an exhibition of Roca's most cutting-edge items.
 16

• The Roca London Gallery's overarching concept is the flow and fusion of outside and indoor areas with water.

• Modern lighting unites each of the many spaces within the sculptured white concrete interior, which also acts as the Roca London Gallery's
primary axis.

• The inside is gorgeous, practical, and adaptable with state-of-the-art audiovisual, acoustic, and lighting technology.

• Through this technology, consumers can connect with the brand and learn about its history, its accomplishments, and the principles that underpin
all of Roca's endeavors, including its dedication to sustainability and, in particular, to innovation, design, wellness, and water conservation.

• Thebuilding's distinctive and one-of-a-kind façade, which gives the Roca London Gallery its character, demonstrates Roca's dedication to design
and creativity.

• This area is accessible to the city through three nearly organic-looking gates that seem to have been fashioned by water erosion.
 17

The bottom level of a mixed-use building close to Chelsea From the welcome, arched entrances lead into concrete
Harbour houses the Roca London Gallery, which has white caverns with integrated shelves for displaying goods and
walls that sway around a welcome and lounge space that recessed grooves for lighting.
winds around the interior.

A conference space with glass walls can be seen around the The showroom will serve as a location for exhibits,
corner, and interactive touchscreens are located somewhere meetings, conferences, and other events, according to
else. Roca.
TEST 2
• Architect: Aline Asmar D'amman
• Building: Le Jules Resturant
• Location: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
• Year: Renovation in 2019

Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts alumna Aline Asmar d'Amman

was born in Lebanon in 1975.

Shereceived recognition for her accomplishments in 1998

when she was awarded the prize from the Ministry of Culture
and the Order of Engineers andArchitects in Beirut for a
project on anAqfa meditation center and meeting place for
people of all religions.
With the help of this award, she is able to join the Jean-Michel
Wilmotte architectural office, where she collaborates on
numerous projects in New Yorkor Lebanon, such the
reconstruction of the Sursock museum.
Submission 3
Instructor: Dr. Tarryn NK Paquet
Ganna Khalil 201707127
Project Brief Student Performance Criteria SPCs:
- It is required to do three case studies of contemporary Arab - A7. Historical Traditions and Global Culture: Understanding
building in Qatar. After that, it is necessary to examine and of the parallel and divergent histories of architecture and the
redraft (to scale) these buildings and settlements in cultural norms of a variety of indigenous, vernacular, local,
accordance with the following specifications. and regional settings in terms of their political, economic,
social, ecological, and technological factors.
- A. FLOOR PLANS (1:100)
- B. SECTIONS (1:100) - C1. Applied Research: Understanding of the theoretical and
- C. ELEVATIONS (1:100) applied research methodologies and practices used during
- D. SITE PLAN (1:200) the design process.
Museum of Islamic Arts
2008
I. M. Pei
Doha, Qatar

- The Museum of Islamic Art will gather, preserve, research, and display works of art from three continents that date from the seventh to the nineteenth
centuries with the goal of reflecting the entire life, complexity, and diversity of the arts of the Islamic world.

- The 376,740-square-foot Museum of Islamic Art, designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect I.M. Pei, rises from the sea at Doha Bay in the Arabian
Gulf and displays a collection of world-renowned works of art in galleries encircling a towering, five-story-high domed atrium.

- As always, how one approaches a building has a significant

impact on how that building is seen. There are some
similarities with another building during that approach

- Another museum that IM Pei designed is seen in Suzhou.

The Suzhou Museum isn't just ordinary museum; since IM
Pei grew up in Suzhou, it obviously holds a special place in
his heart.

- It is obvious that the design had a big influence on his later work on the
Museum of Islamic Art. Despite the latter's bigger scale, a similar language of
orthogonal and diagonal lines could be seen.

- Both structures' floor designs are remarkably similar. Although the two
designs are similar in shape, they are distinct from one another by a different
external material, making them each feel completely at home in their unique
cultures and environments.
 Sketch of First Floor Plan
Sketch of Ground Floor Plan The complex designed by I.M. By: Author
By: Author Pei, MIA consists of a five-story
main building and an education
wing that are joined by a sizable
central courtyard.

- The main factor influencing this building is orientation. From the moment you step
foot within the premises, you just want to move ahead.

- Eventually, this forward motion brings you to the picture Qatar wants you to have in
your mind: the Doha skyline rising into the distance.

Sketch By: Wahyu Pratomo and Kris Provoost

- The building appears solid, introverted, strong, yet complex from the outside.
However, it is empty from the inside, bringing your attention up to the geometric
skylight—another perspective that everyone will undoubtedly capture on camera or at
the very least get lost in.
Sketch By: Wahyu Pratomo and Kris Provoost
Qatar National Museum
2019
Jean Nouvel
Doha, Qatar

- On March 28, 2019, the modern building, which replaced the earlier one that had debuted in 1975,
was made publicly accessible.

- The desert rose crystal, which can be found in Qatar, served as inspiration for the architect Jean
Nouvel as he created the structure. When minerals crystallize in the crumbly soil just below the
surface of a shallow salt basin, a rock known as the "desert rose" is created. The medieval palace is
surrounded by a necklace-like structure of interconnecting disks that appears to have grown naturally.
Desert Rose
Source: Pinterest
- The desert-rose shape symbolizes Qatar's culture and weather. It rises up from the earth and fuses
with it. Visitors may wander about outside while also being shielded from sun and heat by the
shadows cast by overhanging materials.

- The center of Qatari national identity, Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani's Palace, is located on the
museum grounds.

- The structure's design also takes into account the

environment in the area. For example, the broad
eaves provide shaded areas, local materials like
concrete and plants are used, and thermal buffer
zones within the disc chambers produce thermal
masses that lower cooling demands.

- The sand-colored concrete blends in beautifully with

the area's dusty and muggy surroundings. The
structure is built on the light, shadow, and movement
that comes from the soil and merges with it, just like
the desert people whose tale it depicts.
- The structure is designed as a circle that
spirals for about a mile and gives you the
impression that you have arrived on the
fictional planet . It is a massive collision of
sandy-hued concrete spheres.

- The palace forms a chain that connects the

snaking structure, creating a large courtyard
in the middle. By going through the
building—from the main entrance off by a
vehicle drop-off that crawls beneath the
museum, you may access this area. Being in
this outside area fills one with astonishment
since it is difficult to comprehend what is
hidden behind the walls of cascading disks.

Ground Floor Plan

Source : Architectural record website

- The project's approximate 40,000 square meters of gross floor space includes 8,000
square meters for permanent displays and 2,000 square meters for temporary exhibitions.
A research center, laboratories, a conference room with 70 seats, an auditorium with 220
seats, two restaurants, a cafeteria, storage facilities for the conservation of the collections,
and a museum store are also included in the 112,000 m2 park, which also has an artificial
lagoon and 400 parking spaces.

- The building envelope's aesthetics and performance requirements were met with fiber
reinforced concrete siding panels, which were supported by radial and orthogonal steel
frames.
 North Elevation
Source : The plan.it

West Elevation
Source : The plan.it

- The structure is made up of several, spherically shaped disks that fit together tightly and have varied diameters and curvatures. Some disks rest on other
disks in a "horizontal" position. The "vertical" disks support the structure and move the weight from the horizontal planes to the foundation. The inside is a
landscape of interconnecting disks, just like the outside. The surfaces are neutral and one color.

- Its thick disks operate as a type of cushioned barrier and sunblock thanks to their weight. The disks produce lengthy, shielding shadows when the sun
shines on the structure from the east or west. The structure does not have many openings, and the few windows that it does have are positioned such
that the sun never reaches them.

- Specifically, 28,000 tons of reinforced concrete, fiberglass reinforcements, glass, and steel components were employed in its construction, which is around
four times as much as was required to create Paris' Eiffel Tower.
- The design of the museum suggests the interconnecting
convex pattern of the petals, each at a different angle, in the
shape of a desert rose leaf, symbolizing the secrets of the
concretions and crystallization of the desert. In order to imitate
the traditional "caravans," caravans used by the Bedouins in
the desert to house Pilgrims or visitors, the constructions of
the frames that form various angles are arranged in an axle
and radius arrangement surrounded by reinforced concrete
panels.

- The museum's slabs, walls, and ceilings were made using a

total of 130 lenses or discs. These spherical discs come in two
distinct types—ceiling lenses and vertical lenses—and have
radii that range from 10 to 43 meters. They are designed to
be changed using beams to the lower and lower slabs.

- The project's support system, the vertical discs transfer the

remaining loads from the horizontal planes to the base. A
radial steel reinforcing framework and a waterproofing
envelope are combined to produce the discs. The mullions for
the panes look integrated in the spaces between them, giving
the appearance of a frameless design from the outside. These
gaps between the disks are what give the structure its voids.
Structure
Source : The plan.it
Primary Structure:

- Primary steel structure is a type of steel construction used to create the supporting structure. Bolts establish the connection between the primary and
secondary steel framework, which supports the cladding. These studs have an internal circular thread and regulate the lens' curved shape.

Secondry Structure:

- Steel profiles make up the secondary construction. They are curved to line up with the concrete panel's attachment, which is axially symmetrical. The
secondary steel structure is made up of simple-supporting beams that are spaced no more than 3 meters apart.

- One has a round hole, while the other has an oblong hole, and they are attached with pins in the extremities. As a result, there is a limited amount of
force transmission caused by thermal movement between the secondary and primary structure.
Msheireb Juma’a Msoque
2010
John McAslan + Partners.
Doha, Qatar

- The Mosque is located in the 30ha Msheireb Downtown Doha development, near to the major Al Bahara Square, in a colonnaded courtyard with a
central water rill. The Mosque's rectilinear plan, cuboid volumes, and restrained yet elegant elevational modeling recall the clean lines of Josef
Hoffmann's pre-1918 architecture, possibly the Msheireb's most precisely ordered fusion of Islamic and Modernist architecture.

- This intensifies the atmospheres created by the Islamic arrangement of thresholds as well as the exquisitely complex geometric patterning of surfaces,
screens, and falls of light within the interior volumes.

- A modern interpretation of materialism and order is mixed with the concepts of simplicity, practicality, and spirituality in this concept, which has evolved
from the historic mosque of Qatar. Making sure that men and women could enter the mosque's entrances and its internal areas separately, in line with
Islamic conventions, was a major design problem.
- White stone is used to construct the ideal cube structure. The entry pavilion and supporting areas, including the Imam's lodging, are surrounded by
metal gates with Islamic patterns on them. A perforated, patterned ceiling inside the prayer hall enables dappled natural light to penetrate, creating a
meditative setting for contemplation.

- Simpleness, utility, spirituality, light, pattern, geometry, and water are some of the fundamental elements of Islamic art and architecture that are
reflected in this design. A double square-based layout and the use of geometric patterns and motifs create an exquisite space with ideal proportions,
as well as patterns of dappled light and shadow thanks to the punctured ceiling screens.

- A double square-based floor plan and the use of geometric patterns and motifs create an exquisite space with ideal proportions, as well as patterns
of dappled light and shadow thanks to the punctured ceiling screens.

Ground Floor Plan and First Floor Plan

Source : Archello
- Stone that is perfectly white is used to produce the ideal cube structure. The entry pavilion and courtyard
are enclosed by metal gates with Islamic patterns. A perforated, patterned canopy inside the prayer hall
allows dappled natural light to fill the room, creating a meditative setting for contemplation.

- On either side of the courtyard, a stone colonnade frames a beautiful courtyard square. Before the Prayer
Hall's entrance, a pond provides a sense of peace and reflection.

- The mosque was built using a frame made of in-place concrete and filled with blocks. Both Qatari stone and
local limestone are utilized as accent bands on the courtyard floor. Bronze is cast into screens to add depth
and richness.

- The mosque uses both passive and active sustainable design elements, such as photovoltaics and solar hot
water heaters, and was built to the "LEED" gold level. Since natural light is used throughout the day, no
artificial lighting is required in the prayer hall.
References:
- Anorve-Tschirgi, C., Abushadi, E., & Refai, N. E. (2021). The architecture of Ramses Wissa Wassef. The American
University in Cairo Press.

- Noweir, Sawsan. Wissa Wassef's Museum. In Mimar 5: Architecture in Development, edited by Hasan-Uddin Khan.
Singapore: Concept Media Ltd., 1982.

- Ramses Wissa Wassef Arts Centre Project Brief. Compiled by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Geneva: Aga Khan
Award for Architecture, 2013.
-
- Amy Frearson |13 October 2011 51 comments. (2020, October 30). Roca London Gallery by Zaha Hadid architects. Dezeen.
Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://www.dezeen.com/2011/10/13/roca-london-gallery-by-zaha-hadid-architects/

- Hernández, D. (2015, September 29). Dominion Office Building / Zaha Hadid architects. ArchDaily. Retrieved October 26, 2022, from
https://www.archdaily.com/774528/dominion-office-building-zaha-hadid-architects

- Primaverarch, 2020, Primaverarch website, accessed 18 october 2022 from https://www.primaverarch.org/recognize-arab- voices/batool-
al-sarraf