Narmeen Marji from the German Jordanian University won the fourth place at Tamayouz International Award 2017 for her work on “Park and Transportation Hub”, this project was supervised by Mohammed Kahled. This is the second year in a row an entry from the German Jordanian University qualifies to the Top 10 of Tamayouz International Award.
Judging Panel's comment:
A bold and transformative proposal in Amman’s Al-Abdali downtown district with a view to overcoming the impact of social and economic inequalities and improve accessibility for the general public by ‘stitching’ or ‘healing’ the imbalanced urban fabric. The project is well-conceived and based on a thorough and holistic analysis of the current urban conditions facing users.
Ambitious in its scale the jury thought the design might benefit from the demonstration of a phased implementation.
As a visionary proposal to reconnect neighborhoods and new urban transportation facilities, it is a powerful demonstration of how considered infrastructure can benefit the city.
Judging Panel's comment:
A bold and transformative proposal in Amman’s Al-Abdali downtown district with a view to overcoming the impact of social and economic inequalities and improve accessibility for the general public by ‘stitching’ or ‘healing’ the imbalanced urban fabric. The project is well-conceived and based on a thorough and holistic analysis of the current urban conditions facing users.
Ambitious in its scale the jury thought the design might benefit from the demonstration of a phased implementation.
As a visionary proposal to reconnect neighborhoods and new urban transportation facilities, it is a powerful demonstration of how considered infrastructure can benefit the city.
Project description:
The city of Amman suffers from a split in its urban fabric that is not only visible in the physical sense but is also emphasized on a social level. This scar has become apparent in recent years due to neo-liberal developments in the city of Amman, particularly in the area of Al-Abdali, and its effects are reflected in the city’s developments. To be able to stitch the urban fabric back together, the threading element must be an integral part of the daily lives of people. Something they rely on and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing infrastructure of the city. The existing transportation system as well as the infrastructure in Amman is below par. The need for a place to connect, commute, and converse is not met. “The Link” rethinks the transportation terminals as platforms to reconnect the edges and transform the station into an integral part of city and public life, where the city can go to breathe, and where the notion of “The Public” is priority.
The city of Amman suffers from a split in its urban fabric that is not only visible in the physical sense but is also emphasized on a social level. This scar has become apparent in recent years due to neo-liberal developments in the city of Amman, particularly in the area of Al-Abdali, and its effects are reflected in the city’s developments. To be able to stitch the urban fabric back together, the threading element must be an integral part of the daily lives of people. Something they rely on and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing infrastructure of the city. The existing transportation system as well as the infrastructure in Amman is below par. The need for a place to connect, commute, and converse is not met. “The Link” rethinks the transportation terminals as platforms to reconnect the edges and transform the station into an integral part of city and public life, where the city can go to breathe, and where the notion of “The Public” is priority.
The project consists of a park which is the main entrance of the project, it includes a playground, a sculpture park to encourage the locals to shape the identity of the place. The park leads to a courtyard that opens to an outdoor market which acts as a transition to the library and indoor market functions and commercial activities. The heart of the project is the transportation hub, which houses local and regional buses as well as a proposed BRT terminal, and it leads to the main outdoor plaza. The project is connected through the streets which are the main arteries, and also using bridges at higher levels that create lateral connections from two significant landmarks: Al-Sayegh Building, an important commercial building in the area, and al-Hussein staircase, which is an old public staircase leading from Jabal Al-Hussein to Al-Abdali. Transportation can enhance the quality of life when the needed facilities are provided. When it is people-oriented and accommodates a diverse array of people, it can help improve the community, create jobs, and shape the city’s identity as a whole.
The Project rethinks the transit station as a public space by transforming the layers that generate the urban fabric into three dimensional spaces and volumes that integrate the site with the surroundings and provide services, leisure areas and various activities for users, bringing the public life into the site again. Transportation routes act as the connecting thread, stitching the urban fabric of the new Abdali developments with the old existing fabric through transportation. The Thickened ground becomes a whole strategy to change the traditional opposition of building versus landscape, managing to introduce activities and programs to areas which are currently underused. The idea is to expand the ground plane to more than one level in order to provide direct access to multiple functions increasing the overall value, open space usage and intensity of life at street level, while also being a connector and healing the scar in the urban fabric of Abdali.
Narmeen Marji- Fourth Place Winner of Tamayouz International Award 2017 at the Awards Ceremony in Amman, Jordan.
Scholarship, Awards and Prizes!
1st Prize: An MSc Scholarship for 2 Years at the University Polytechnic of Milan + Tamayouz Medal + Certificate.
2nd & 3rd Prizes: A Travel Scholarship for 7 days, accompanying the Architecture Students of Coventry University in their architectural field trip in 2019 and attending an architectural workshop for 5 days.
The Travelling Scholarship Covers Accommodation and Flights for the winner. **
7 X Honourable Mentions: Tamayouz Medallion + Certificate.
Shortlisted and Long-listed Entries: will be Featured in online publications and social media pages.
Tamayouz Supervisor of the Year: Given to the supervisor of the winning project or the supervisor with most entries supervised in the Top 10 Tamayouz Medal + Certificate
Tamayouz University of the Year: Given to the university of the winning project or the university with the most entries in the Top 10 Tamayouz Medallion
The Ceremony: An invitation to attend the Tamayouz Award Annual Ceremony for the winners mentioned above (Flight and Accommodation costs covered by the organisers for the TOP 3 winners of Tamayouz International), Every year Tamayouz International Award chooses a different city to host the ceremony, in 2016 it was held in Amman - Jordan. This year’s City will be announced later in the year.
*Prizes are per entry, for team entries, prizes will be split between the team members evenly.
**The Travel Scholarship has a limit of $1500 per winning entry.
2nd & 3rd Prizes: A Travel Scholarship for 7 days, accompanying the Architecture Students of Coventry University in their architectural field trip in 2019 and attending an architectural workshop for 5 days.
The Travelling Scholarship Covers Accommodation and Flights for the winner. **
7 X Honourable Mentions: Tamayouz Medallion + Certificate.
Shortlisted and Long-listed Entries: will be Featured in online publications and social media pages.
Tamayouz Supervisor of the Year: Given to the supervisor of the winning project or the supervisor with most entries supervised in the Top 10 Tamayouz Medal + Certificate
Tamayouz University of the Year: Given to the university of the winning project or the university with the most entries in the Top 10 Tamayouz Medallion
The Ceremony: An invitation to attend the Tamayouz Award Annual Ceremony for the winners mentioned above (Flight and Accommodation costs covered by the organisers for the TOP 3 winners of Tamayouz International), Every year Tamayouz International Award chooses a different city to host the ceremony, in 2016 it was held in Amman - Jordan. This year’s City will be announced later in the year.
*Prizes are per entry, for team entries, prizes will be split between the team members evenly.
**The Travel Scholarship has a limit of $1500 per winning entry.