Shortlisted Competition Entry | Tamayouz Excellence Award | Dewan Award for Architecture

Concept

Analysis:

• Urban Analysis of this sensitive deteriorated site.
• Historical Analysis of Baghdad as the capital of a great nation descending from great civilization.
• Geographic Analysis at various scales depicting the crucial role of rivers Tigris and Euphrates in bringing life to Iraq.

Strategic Solutions:

• Culture & Arts: The design abstracts historic monuments such Assyrian Ziggurat that was split into two masses; hanging gardens on one hand and a stepping pyramid water cascade on the other. The river Tigris abstractly crosses the length of the site in a wandering promenade. Art works are anchored in pivotal locations of the park.

• Urban Solution: The park is interweaved again with its surroundings by the pedestrianization of the whole space, bringing cars below grade and changing the land use of adjacent buildings to serve food, beverages and leisure services.

• Landscape/Sustainability Solution: Most of the site is kept green: below grade green areas give light and air to functions below and connect with above grade through eight circulation elements.

Two linear paths run the length of the site and overlap creating green areas, playgrounds, and water features:

• The wandering cool promenade that symbolizes Tigris
• And, the straight spine feeding all activities throughout the site.

• Circulation Solution: Car movement is kept below grade in two one-way streets. 340 car plots are provided. Al Umma Center is at the island below grade with pedestrian circulation in its middle. Other functions and connections to the metro are served by the vertical distributed over the site.