Think Beyond

‫فكِّ ر‬

THINK BEYOND I S S U E N O. 1

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CONTENT

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Trending:

Emergency architecture Psychological Impact Floodings in Sudan

Sudan: Architecture & Identity: Against the odds Omdurman Municpaity Building

Appropriate architecture: Architecture for the poor

Creative outlet:

With architecture begin anywhere Your guidance after graduating Collab across the world :scale Letters to young architects Architectural Projects Entertainment

Who are we?

We are an initiative for young architects and students interested in linking professionals in the field with the students. We offer skills development & training opportunities so that the students can unleash and reach their full potential and develop their community.

Vision & mission of the initiative:

Vision: In StuDl, we want to build a model that students can offer peer, self-led continuous professional development observing international standard, implementing it with Sudanese flavor.

Mission: to help architecture students become aware of important events and ideas in architecture and to develop students’ soft Skills.

Goal & aim of the initiative: © 2021.StuDI. All rights reserved.

Increase understanding and interest of architecture for students. And help student to fully comprehend architecture.

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Acknowledgment I hereby would like to thank Architect Sana Tabassum, toscale founder and editor-in-cheif of community magazine for her guidance and invaluable input in our StuDI first issue.

I would like to thank the guest writer Dr.Huda Elsheirf, for her effort in writing an interesting topic realted to current situation of architecture in Sudan. I would like to thank Dr. Malathe Hamid, to have actively participated in the inauguration and kickoff of our program and thereafter.

My thanks and gratitude are well deserved to the architects who took their time to write letters to young architects, Dr.Ammar Osman, Architect Hala Gasim, Architect Awab Hatim, sharing with us their knowledge and experiences.

My thanks and gratitude are extended the StuDI team and Editorial group, they made it possible for this work to be accomplished.

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Editorial Respected readers, This is the first issue of StuDI Magazine,a student written magazine, addresing what architecture students need and what are the difficulties they face during their university years and after graduation, simply addressed by experts and fellow students.

In this first issue, the Editorial Team put an extraordinary effort to invite highly selected authors and scholars to address and write about topics of interest that might be of importance to Students of Architecture. Indeed, these authors and scholars addressed the most recent trends in the art of Architecture and architectural designs. The Magazine text was divided in to four section. The first section is about a trending topic, emergency architecture response during predictable and and predictable crises including the flooding in Sudan, the second section is about the sudanese architcture and identity, a topic that. the third section adresses the architecture of Hassan Fathy. And the last section is creative outlet which includes architectural projects and your guidance after graduating architecture school, highlighting that the opportunites in architecture are unlimited and architecture is beyond what we think.

Our editorial board will be more than happy to get your contribution in the upcoming issues and your feedback and comments.

Editor-in-Chief, Muram Shaheen.

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1 Emergency Architecture: Predictable and unpredictable crises.

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Emergency Architecture Writers : Alaa Awadallah, Leena Altayeb, Noon Amin

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rchitecture of permanent buildings generally requires a relatively long period of time to be completed, hence rapid changes that may need immediate responses require different ways of dealing with, and this is where the term emergency architecture is coming from. Emergency architecture is the design solution that comes out as a response to cater for thedamage that is caused by a certain emergency. Causes of destruction -whether natural or not- are part of humanity’s history and that demonstrates this field’s importance.

Paper emergency shelter for Haiti.

Photography: Port-au-Prince , Haiti, 2010 [shigerubanarchitects.com]

The profession is focused on solving problems, planning, and looking at what the society needs at the moment, as architect Hashim Sarki said “Our field is necessarily about proposing and imaging new things, what the world could be through making a part of it better.”

The techniques that have been used to achieve the wanted level of efficiency and quickness of a solution vary depending on several factors including the level of the damage in the inhabited areas and the kind of the disaster itself. A variety of materials and ways can be used for this kind of Architecture;

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mostly light and portable materials are used and in some cases fully prefabricated buildings are located in the affected areas.

PREDICTABLE emergencies can be defined as disasters behaving in a known way or occurring in an expected place, for example areas threatened by continuous danger of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or volcanos. In such danger-zones the buildings and areas are predesigned to withstand these situations to some extent.

The exact opposite is the UNPREDICTABLE emergencies which appear in an unexpected manner and need lots of measures to be contained and efficiently respond to the sudden situation that can be, for example, a pandemic, conflict or war.

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loods for once are a great example for the kind of emergencies that can be predicted and hence the damage can be prevented by certain measures even before the need of the Emergency Architecture. One of the most important ways is making sure that the buildings are not within a flood risk area, or if necessary, that the houses should be elevated above the flood levels. If the buildings are in a constantly threatened location, waterproof and coating materials should be applied beside making sure of the use of permanent barriers.

The measures taken to an after-flood destruction may be by adopting emergency camps or by doing total reconstruction works.

In the past months, suddenly this profession was at a crossroad. It was time for quick, targeted and pragmatic responses to an already built environment that no longer felt safe, where fear of contamination controlled and is still controlling what kinds of spaces we want to be in. The pandemic of COVID-19 has been testing the limits of the Emergency Architecture and taking it to another level by challenging the architects and their ability to create the most efficient, quick and creative solutions.

The healthcare infrastructures have been crowded with the rush of patients, so a quick solution was required to increase the capacity of those facilities. More rooms and beds were provided through portable and light clinic rooms that were spreaded on wide open areas to act as an extension for healthcare buildings.

Flooding at Tuti, Sudan, September 2020.

Photography: Atif Saad, 2020.

Photo took from Manshiya Bridge.

Photography: Muram Shaheen, September 2020.

Emergency Quarintine Facility.

Photo: Project built in Manila, PH. [wtadesignstudio.com]

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Several designs and ideas were invented for the providence of those rooms and even designs for mobile hospitals have emerged. The architecture community was addressing issues such as how to turn different facilities into hospitals and how to make the overcrowded ones safer. Architects -specifically healthcare architects- are valuable resources for rapid adjustments to current hospital infrastructures, repurposing old healthcare buildings, erecting temporary structures, maximizing the use of existing health facilities and considering emergency preparedness in our buildings’ codes and design guidelines. The types and suggestions for pandemic relief designs have no end, starting from folded field clinics and hospital ships for the patients to mobile personal protective spaces for the doctors. The pandemic has opened the eyes of the architects and made them consider that the unpredictable may occur at any moment so the techniques of this field of Architecture should always be developed.

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ince we are talking about natural disasters, conflicts and pandemics, it is more convenient and rational to consider

The psychological impacts on society So the architectural solutions regarding them should cater for those problems and act as compensation for what has been lost and a well-equipped shelter against the emergencies to come.

Although the coverage of these impacts and the architectural considerations is way beyond the capability of this article to include them all. Nonetheless, some will be mentioned due to their vital importance.

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Crisis usually causes traumas, depression and insecurity. It is important, therefore, when designing the temporal shelters to take care of the details of the interior design such as the colours. To illustrate, a red colour will always reflect the feeling of danger and risk whereas blue facilitates relaxation and calmness. Moreover, sufficient daylight and ventilation must be taken into account while designing shelters for affected people who are usually exposed to a high risk of suffering from depression which most probably would be aggravated by the lack of daylight and healthy ventilation.

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rchitecture is intensely practical, often highly specialized and sometimes maddeningly theoretical. Dealing with emergencies shows that the designers are desperately needed in times like this to invent new spatial dimensions and ways with a well-based theoretical knowledge of the different impacts and considerations in order to deal with post-emergency life, and the sudden burst of responses to the crisis is simply how Architecture collectively thinks.

Sudan Floodings - The floodings that occured in were the worst since 1988.

2020

- According to BBC more than 100 recorded deaths have been caused by drowning, mudslides and buildings collapsing.

- The total economic value of losses including demolition and debris removal, rental losses and temporary accommodation was estimated at USD 67,397,590 million.

- 2020 Flooding affected 875,120 of population, 93,406 houses were damaged and 82,618 houses were destroyed. (OCHA Situation report, October 2020).

- In Khartoum, 102,575 of population got affected, 8,145 of houses were damaged and 12,370 houses were destroyed.

The flooding even threatened archeological sites, Al- Bajrawya, UNESCO World Heritage site, is located 500 meters from The Nile, according to the leader of the French Archaeological Unit in the Sudan Antiquities Service, Marc Maillot, “The floods had never affected the site before”.

Sudan National Policies for Sustainable Regional Planning and Housing, Presentaion by Fedaa Ibrahim El-Dosougi. www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/ sudanese-pyramids Flooding at Tuti, Sudan, September 2020.

Photography: Atif Saad, 2020.

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Sudan architecture and architectural identity: colonolism impact on

sudansese architecture and the last colonial building.

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Artwork by: Rayan Elnayal.

Against the Odds.

The challenges Mclean overcame to build a Utopia in Africa

Guest Writer: DR.Huda Elsherif

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tarting your first job as a designer, one of the first things you learn is that, unlike university, many real-life influences limit your design potential. These can include a client who has an unrealistic vision, a tight budget, a poor chain supply etc. These challenges were also faced by the architect Mclean 120 years ago when he designed Khartoum city as shown in figure 1.

Our story starts after the death of Charles Gordon. Lord Kitchener wanted to become the Viceroy of India, and he needed a huge victory to advance his career. So, he convinced the government that the mahdists were a real threat to Egypt and Gordon needed to be avenged. At the time, Egypt was in a huge financial crisis and Lord Cromer became British consul responsible for handling financial expenditure in Egypt. England during the colonial era always colonized countries that had a resource they could drain (Mohammed, 1986, p. 96). The problem was, Sudan had none, so how would this invasion be financed?

The idea of the “condominium” was Lord Cromer’s solution to a way to ensure

Figure 1: The design submitted by Mclean in the London conference in 1912.

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British control over Sudan while ensuring Egypt pays the expenses. For 15 years, Sudan depended on Egypt for aid, thus Lord Cromer was De facto purse keeper and policy maker for both Sudan and Egypt.

Cromer focused on ruling as cheaply as possible (Sanderson,1975,p.433), this meant that Kitchener could not fulfil his ambitious plan of building Khartoum as a ‘European utopia in the tropics’. He wanted to rebuild Khartoum at all costs, at one point this meant redirecting all trains to carry building materials to Khartoum while the rest of the country suffered a famine (Warburg, 1971).

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itchener was a brutal military man and security was his priority (Mohammed, 1986, p. 156). To achieve that, he started by fixing the palace first, and making it as grand as possible. He built gardens all around the city and lined the streets with trees.

The goal was to assert colonial dominance and send a clear message to the natives: we - the British- are here to stay. He only remained in Khartoum a few months be-

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Figure 2 : A public garden in Khartoum. source: [Tropical Photo Stores - Khartoum (Sudan)

fore leaving for South Africa, his new conquest.

However, he still made sure every decision went through him, even details like small changes to the Gordon college façade. He also influenced Mclean’s design as we will explore later. After that came the new governor, Sir Wingate.

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ir Wingate had a secret intelligence background and understood how the Turkish brutality and negligence led to the Mahadist revolt (Warburg, 2005). The Turkish Khartoum was a slave trade center, a city so filthy, half its population died from disease (Mclean W. H., 1910). He wanted to avoid repeating those mistakes.

Sir Wingate’s policy was also influenced by the

“white man’s burden”, a belief that improving the living situation for natives was a good justifi-

Figure 3 : To the left: Lord Cromer, in the mid Wingate source: Wikiperdia.

cation to take their riches.

The lack of income was his first obstacle, so he produced The Title of Lands Ordinance, 1899, which sought to create two separate economies, a small indigenous one to protect

native’s rights and a European one whose purpose was to produce agricultural export goods (Serels, 2007). An example of that was the Jazeera project, the revenues went to the British, but the locals benefited from improved conditions. To create a comfortable city for European investors, he hired Mclean to redesign the city and invited the Wellcome lab to improve the sanitary (cleanliness) conditions.

Kitchener t h e conqueror

ddle: Lord Kitchener and to the right: Sir

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clean had to balance the conflicting agendas of the three different leaders shown in figure 3: Lord Kitchener, Lord Cromer andw Sir Wingate. Lord Cromer wanted to spend

as little as possible, Lord Kitchener wanted to create a utopia in Africa and Sir Wingate wanted to create an actual functioning economy while keeping the natives happy.

The first design requirement was wide streets.

Although they were common in British colonies in the tropics, Kitchener was the one who insisted on them for Sudan.

Omdurman during this time was a medina-style city with narrow roads that shaded themselves.

Environmentally speaking, that would have been a better choice. Kitchener was also concerned about safety in Khartoum and therefore required designing the streets in a “union jack” design (figure 5) to be able to put machine guns in the center of the crossings, facilitate easy access to the city center and provide direct view from the barracks (D’errico, 2015).

The double crossings caused awkward building plots that people had used for landscaping as shown in figure 4. When Kitchener was alive, Mclean tried to environmentally justify this decision by saying these streets allowed for maximum ventilation which would cool

the walls. He also believed that ‘white men’ need a lot of ventilation in the tropics to survive. However, when that wind is blowing at 45oC, it has no cooling effect whatsoever.

Maintaining the streets (especially the north/ south ones) was difficult because the sun and wind eroded the paving. A reporter for the Los Angles times described the city: “There is about enough (people) here, to make a decent sized village, and they have spread over an area big enough for the site of a city, it was very hot. It was also very windy.

Dust lay thick all over except in the very middle of the road” (Hamilton, 1910). To reduce the damaging effect of high winds and direct solar gain, Mclean lined the streets were with arcades and double rows of trees to shade it and break the wind as shown in figure 6.

4000 trees were carefully selected and imported from India and Egypt due to the similar climate (Mclean & Hunt, 1911). This can be seen form of environmental adaptation to overcome a design decision that was primarily political.

Mclean pave

could this

not wide

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street, so he just paved the footpath and macadamized the middle 4m.

It becomes evident that though Mclean was forced to use straight wide streets for political reasons, he found ways to make them financially affordable and improve the negative environmental impacts they caused. However, these wide streets came at another cost: services. Mclean complained (after Kitchener’s death) that:

The great width of the streets and the very open development has spread out the town thatthe cost of a drainage scheme was found to be prohibitive.

Figure 4: The double crossings caused awkward building plots that people had used for landscaping.

he later added:

The disadvantages of the wide streets are the increased cost of construction and wide street maintenance, the greater area of land required, and the consequent spreading out of the city.

Servicing a city on a tight budget 16

Figure 5: SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 6 The awkward triangular shapes created by the union jack crossings.

Source: CITATION Mcl10 \t \l 1033 (Mclean W. H., 1910)

(Mclean & Hunt, 1 9 1 1 ) So, M c l e an partnered with the Wellcome l ab to overcome these problem s, he wrote about this extensively i n t he welcome Third and Fourth r e p or t s.

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r . A n d r ew Ba lfo u r b ecame t h e Fir s t o ffic er fo r h ealth in K h a r to u m in 1903 ( E lhadd, 2 0 1 5). H i s g o a ls wer e t o er a dicate m os q u i to s , h a n d le s ew ag e an d ref u s e (tr a s h ) c o llec t io n a n d d isposa l , a n d p r ovid e c lean w at er , these goa l s e a c h evo lved t o b ec o me a ser v i c e s y st em in K h ar t o u m (El ha d d , 2 015) . H e wo r ked wit h Mclea n o n a c h ievin g t h o s e goals.

I n K h a r t o u m d u r in g t h at t ime, it r a i n e d h e a v ily ( 188mm ) d u r in g rainy sea s on w h ic h c a u s ed t h e forma

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r. Balfour suggested t he city either be lev e l l e d (through filling and d i ggi ng) or drained, drainage was c hose n because it was cheaper. The ne w straight streets made sett i ng up a system easier than when t he streets were narrow and w i nd i ng as in the Turkish era. The f l ooding could happen from the r ai ns or f rom the Nile, thus the em b ankment (shown to the lef t of the e mbankment street in figure 6) was built to protect the city. Beca use of the financial constraints, the d r ai nage was done using shallow op e n trenches (khors) on minor st r e e t s that needed to be pumped m echanically during excessive f l ooding. The pumping helped ma k e t he trenches shallow which cut c ost s .

Figure 7 shows that in crossi ngs or where a main trench met wi t h a branch trench, covered pipe s we r e used so the trenches do not ob st r uc t traf f ic. (Mclean W. H., 1 9 1 0 , p . 286)

Figure 6: SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 6 the street designs of Khartoum Source: CITATION Mcl11 \t \l 1033 (Mclean & Hunt, 1911)

t io n of m o s q u it o h ar b o r in g p onds.

Schweinfurt blamed the city’s unsanitary conditions on the poor drainage sy s t e m w h i c h led t o t h e fo r mation o f m os q u i to in fes t ed p o n d s in low a r e a s s u c h as t h e t o w n c e ntre.

(Schweinfurt, 1871, p.

279)

Figure 7: A crossing between a Major street and a minor one showing how the trenches become underground at the crossings Source: : CITATION Mcl10 \t \l 1033 (Mclean W. H., 1910)

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Figure 8: SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 8 The abolished Crowley cart. Soiled buckets used to be dumped into the cart and were washed inside the city which attracted flies. Source:CITATION And08 \p 77 \l 1033 (Balfour, Third report Wellcome tropical laboratories, 1908, p. 77)

Th e m os q u it o b r ig a d e r an by D r B a l f ou r ma d e s u r e w ells and w a t e r j a r s in t h e c it y wer e well sea l e d a nd p lac ed p et r o leum o r f i s h i n p o n d s t o kill mosquit o e g g s . ( Balfo u r , 1906, p . 2 0 )

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h e c ha llen g e b ec am e d ealing w i th w as t ew at er an d h uman s e w a ge fr o m t h e b u ildings.

“I n t h e tr o p i c s a s in els ew h er e, a wat er - c a r r i a g e s ys t em o f s ewa g e dispos a l i s u n d o u b t ed ly t h e b es t, but su c h a s y s t em is exp en s ive and requ i r e s a n a b u n d a n t wa t er -s upply, w h i l e v e r y o ft en t h er e a r e s pecial e n g i n e e r i n g d iffic u lt ies t o b e overco m e . ” (B a lfo u r , 1910, p . 255) The w a t e r c a r r i a g e s ys t em ( An u nder gr o u n d s e wer s ys t em like t h e one in Lo n d o n ) c o u ld h a ve s er ved as the st or m w a t er d r ain ag e a s well but w ou l d of c o s t 250,000 p o u n d s com-

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pared to just 1 0 ,0 0 0 annual c ost of the ‘conservancy system’ . T he conservancy system Crowley c ar t s that held buckets and were p ul l e d by donkeys from the houses t o t he dump sites (figure 8 ). They of t e n suff ered spills and infested the c i t y with f lies and a foul smell, t he r efore, to improve the system, c l ose lid buckets were used f rom 1907.

Instead of cleaning the b uc kets in the city the dirty b uc k e t s were replaced with an emp t y one whilst hay in the bucket ab sor b e d moisture from urine to p r e v e nt leaks. Conservancy lanes we r e 4 .7 5 m wide to allow for c amel carts (Figure 1 0 ) to pas s wi t h ease through the city col l e c t i ng buckets f rom latrines that we r e now designed on the outer wal l s.

Though in poor third class ar e as

w h e r e n a t ives lived , t h es e lanes w e r e s o m et im es ju s t 3.6m ( figure 9 ) . A f t e r r eac h in g t h e t r en ching gr o u n d s o u t s id e t h e c it y, t h e sewa g e i s d u m p ed in t o t h e s h allow t r e n c h e s a n d left t h er e. E ver y 60 nat iv e s h a d on e p u b lic la t r in e ( t oilet). ( Ba l f o u r , 1 910) . D r . Balfo u r s t arted e x p e r i m e n t in g wit h o t h er wa ys to

Figure 9: Conservatory lanes in third class areas.

Figure 10: SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 10 Camels were found to be more manageable than donkeys and carried heavier carts reducing the number of trips needed. Source:CITATION And08 \l 1033 (Balfour, Third report Wellcome tropical laboratories, 1908)

t r e a t th e s ewa g e in far m s in c luding sep ti c t a n ks an d in c in er at o r s , his im p r ov e d mo d el u s ed h eat r ecove r y to b oi l wa t er n eed ed t o clean t h e b u c k e ts . ( Ba lfo u r , 1910, p . 2 5 7 )

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he next challenge was, how do we provide clean dri nk i ng water? Dr. Balfour cr e at e d his own standards for water p ur i t y in Sudan as the water supply was a problem. His experiments s howe d that the shallow wells were hi ghly contaminated, while deep we l l s were more expensive. The r i v e r had drinkable water but n e e d e d filtration and settling ban k s b ecause it was susceptible to p ol l ution f rom boats and was fille d wi t h silt during the rainy season. A f t e r several trials with bore holes (v e r y deep wells), Burri supply st at i on was built with seven wells (75m deep) connected with a p um ping plant. (Balf our, 1 9 1 0 , p. 300)

The tests initially showed th at t he water from these wells was cont am inated as well. So, the engi ne e r s reinforced the well’s sides wi t h more cement grouting unt i l t he y passed the contaminated st one layer, which solved the probl e m i n 1 9 0 9 . This system was only u se d i n European zones. For native z one s, water was distributed th r ough sacks carried by donkeys, as f und s for street water fountains (f i gur e 1 1 ) were not available till 1912.

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hrough their combined efforts, Dr. Balfour and Mclean succeeded in making Khar t oum “the healthiest town in the wor l d ”.

The Manchester guardian repor t e d :

We recorded death-rate is but little over 9 per 1000. The death rate for 19

town districts in England is often about 18 per 1000.

(Khartoum: The ressurection of a city, 1913).

Figure 11: Metered street fountains were more sanitary and helped reduce the use of wells that were contaminated and harbored mosquitos. Source:CITATION Mcl11 \t \l 1033 (Mclean & Hunt, 1911)

He m a n a g e d t o o ver c o me t h e politi ca l c h a l l e n g es an d t r an s fo r m ed the f il th y c i t y i nt o a t o wn t h a t r ivalled E u r op e a n st an d a r d s . H e c u t costs by s p e n d i ng m o n ey w h er e it was m os t i m p or t a n t , like p a vin g only pa r t o f t h e r o ad an d h e u s ed c heap so l u ti on s , like p lan t in g t r ees to br e a k t h e win d an d p r o vid e s hade.

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inally, he spread se r vices gra d ual l y , starting from richer ar e as and slowly introducing the m t o less fortunate areas. The i nc om e from the f ountains helped b ui l d even more f ountains. The se approaches are usable toda y gi ven the large cost that c om e s with improving the urban s e t t i ng.

IC1101

A rc h i t e c t u r a l Ph o t o g r a p hy

Project by: Samia Mohamed Hassan, Architectural Photographer, founder of IC1101.

Invisible

IC1101: is a critical, artistic, architectural platform, aims to create a new space that stimulates the intellectual experience of research and the discovery of alternative sustainable methods to deal with art and architecture in Sudan, facing the missing identity, focusing on the city as a sociocultural project that enables us to rethink our surrounding environment (streets - cities - world), while challenging the current situation by asking new questions, providing traditional solutions and strengthening the relationship of the parties involved in the architectural and urban system.

Architectural phy project-

Barriers:

Architectural Photography’s first exhibition in Sudan - Exhibition in Khartoum The opening ceremony of the exhibition had a couple of guests of honour, Germany’s Deputy Ambassador to Sudan, and the representative of Goethe Institute, Cristina. In addition to iconic sudanese architects, Prof Adel Mustafa and Prof Osman Al Khair. All gathered in a wonderful evening on Saturday 12/12/2020 living a new experience at the roofs of our house. The exhibition displays the time-travel journey through eight buildings containing a rich collection of details that shape our city today.

PhotograKhartoum:

The platform addresses the community through the architectural photography of the buildings (past - present) and ask questions and issues that will search for visual and visual values and raise the general taste of the community and visual knowledge and awareness of the bad good in the streets of the city. To develop solutions and foundations and to rise up the creative movements local and regional, also control the negatives suffered by the cities of Sudan.

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O M D U R M AN M U N I C I PAL I T Y BUILDING Writer : Samar Adel.

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udan is known for its diverse architecture and culture.

It hasnumerous groups and trips thatspeak different languages anddialects. This shows clearly in the architecture of Sudan where each group has its own building techniques depending on the nature of the area and culture. The history of Sudan also plays a big part in shapingits diverse architecture. It wentthrough a number of civilizations and historical conditions affected the architecture and divided it into periods. [c][d] A very effective period is the colonial period (1955-1898)where architecture was a direct product of western influences.

The public work department was established as the government agency for the promotion of comprehensive architectural services throughout Sudan Before the arrival of the first generation of Sudanese architects in mid 1950s the PWD[e] relied on foreign architects who were fully aware of the climate constraints as evident in the environmental design approach they developed which had a profound influence on the modern architecture in Khartoum particularly in the fifties and sixties.one good example of that period is the municipality of Omdurman.

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KHARTOUM ARCHITECTURE IN THE CONDOMINIUM PERIOD 1955 -1898 [a][b] Location: Khartoum, Omdurman, Alarda Avenue Designed by: D.H Mathews Completed in: (1952 – 1950) Type: government building

Figure 1: Omdurman municipality building, Photography: Mahmoud ElHadi, 2021.

One of the oldest and most ancient landmarks of Omdurman, it was built by the colonizer with the use of local materials and reinforced concrete structure made it one of the first complex structure buildings in Khartoum with beautiful red brick facades. The building took the colonizer style and did not resemble the rest of the modern city of Omdurman.

On the eastern side of the municipality building is a red brick tower. At the top of it, a famous clock has been erected (1954), and has become one of Omdurman landmarks, known to its people as the municipal clock. For decades the clock beats were heard at the head of every hour. The real purpose or function of the clock isn’t present anymore because it stopped working several years ago and attempts to fix ithave failed, but it represents a symbolic and archaeological facade of the place.

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he dome at the top of the eastern tower, the arched openings and the general building layout describe the architecture in the colonial period which was a direct product of western influences but it can also be considered one of the earliest models of a building well integrated in the environment. It exemplifies the environmental design approach (sunbreaker screens on the north and south facades), which had a strong influence on many other latter designs.

Figure 2: Omdurman municipality clock tower, Photography: Rafa Saeed, 2021.

A lot o maintenance work happened in the interior of the building during the years, even the exterior appearance has changed a little as well as the modernization of the furniture and doors which were made of heavy wood and iron, as well as the addition of extension.Even though the name did not survive the changes, it took many names but it is famous as the Omdurman municipality.

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Photo: MAD Architects Harbin Opera House.

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3

,,

,,

Build Architecture from what is beneath your feet ~Hassan Fathy

Appropriate architecture: featur-

ing Hassan Fathy and architecture for the poor.

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A

rchitecture for the poor

A term first used by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.

Born in the beginnings of the twentieth century, he lived in a rather interesting time witnessing major cultural and global changes.

A term first used by the Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.

Born in the beginnings of the twentieth century, he lived in a rather interesting time witnessing major cultural and global changes.

Writer: Reem Tageldin It is obvious-from his various writings- that he had an interest in issues concerning identity and the intervening colonial heritage, he opposed imitation of the west in all aspects and had a reluctance towards the naive rush into modernization. Also apparent in his writings is his longing and love towards the 'country' where the ‘Fellaheen’ lived, he aspired to study Agriculture but conveniently it happened to be that he studied Architecture instead and was able to help agriculture and the Fellaheen in a greater fashion.

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e saw their problems and chose to actually live those problems to come out with authentic and sustainable solutions. Affirming that "something should be done to solve it [inhumane conditions the peasants used to live in]. Such a “something,” though, can only work if inspired by love. The people who are to transform the countryside will not be

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Figure 1: Architect Hassan Fathi sitting on the right, workin with a team under Constantinos Doxiadis, Athens, 1945.

able to do it by large directives issued from office desks in Cairo; they will have to love the fellah enough to live with him, to make then-homes in the country, and to devote their lives to practical work, on the spot, toward the improvement of rural life."

After many failed attempts and frustration, it was brought to him that the Nubian roofing techniques were relevant to his struggle. He then visited Aswan to see the Nubian architecture. At first he was disappointed

Figure 2: Akil Sami House in Dahshur.

Exterior Facade © Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

I

n Architecture for the Poor he explores the potential in tradition and in the vernacular, in the conception moment, The architecture, and the socioeconomic realm. He criticized the authorities for not doing the same, for they built to extract maximum profit from farms and nothing had been done out of consideration for the human beings who spent their lives in those farms.

It was apparent that the peasants didn't have enough money to build themselves the required humane environments out of steel and concrete. They didn’t, and they weren’t going to. Instead, they had been wisely and quietly exploiting the obvious building material - mud. While the architects with their modern school-learned ideas, never dreamed of using such a ludicrous substance as mud for such a serious creation as a house. He asked himself: But why?

This inquiry led him into extraordinary research, he followed the model of trial and error. The first experiment was in Buhtim where he wanted to complete a house but he was faced with the problem of roofing the building as timber was expensive and affordability was of great importance.

My first impression was of the extremely undistinguished architecture of Aswan itself. A small provincial town, looking like a seedy Cairo transplanted to the country; the same pretentious facades, the same gaudy shop fronts, the same poor-relation, apologetic, wouldbe metropolitan air.

His hopes were reestablished when entering ‘Gharb Aswan’ village. It embodied the survival of the Nubian architecture and vaulting techniques for over 2000 years, his fascination with it is translated to us through his words [Gharb Aswan] a

village from some dream country, perhaps from a Hoggar hidden in the heart of the Great Sahara— whose architecture had been preserved for centuries un-contaminated by foreign influences, from Atlantis itself it could have been.

Not a trace of the miserly huddle of the usual Egyptian village, but house after house, tall, easy, beautiful. ...It was like a vision of architecture before the Fall: before money, industry, greed, and snobbery had severed architecture from its true roots in nature.

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A

fter hiring local masons who had an intuitive understanding of the vault structure, he started designing and supervising small scale buildings. It didn't take long to move to larger scale projects like Gourna village; because of the affordability that his approach provided. but Besides being cheap, it is also beautiful. It cannot help being beautiful, "for the structure dictates the shapes and the material imposes the scale, every line respects the distribution of stresses, and the building takes on a satisfying and natural shape. Within the limits imposed by the resistance of materials— mud—and by the laws of statics, the architect finds himself suddenly free to shape space with his building, to enclose a volume of chaotic air and to bring it down to order and meaning to the scale of man, so that in his house at last there is no need of decoration put on afterward. The structural elements themselves provide unending interest for the eye. The vault, the dome, pendentive, squinches, arches, and walls give the architect unlimited scope for a justified interplay of curved lines running in all directions with a harmonious passage from one to the other".

certain shapes take a people’s fancy, and that they make use of them in a great variety of contexts, perhaps rejecting the unsuitable applications, but evolving a colorful and emphatic visual language of their own that suits perfectly their character and their homeland. No one could mistake the curve of a Persian dome and arch for the curve of a Syrian one, or a Moorish one, or an Egyptian one. No one can fail to recognize the same curve, the same signature, in dome and jar and turban from the same district. It follows, too, that no one can look with complacency upon buildings transplanted to an alien environment.

Aesthetics of a building was an essential aspect

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esthetics of a building -relative to the perceived notions of the beauty of its inhabitants and environment- is an essential aspect, but because of exactly that, he incorporated and interpreted the beauty within the essence of the building; within the structure. He goes further more in describing these notions and supposes that

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Figure 3: Gourna village.

H

assan Fathy promoted a change in architecture perception, he had deep insights and sympathy. And it was of great value to him, to the world of architecture, and the ‘Fellaheen’ for this journey to happen and to be publicly celebrated where a humane element is given to the architecture profession. For it to go back from the pretentious advocacy it spiraled into, to its most authentic self; it’s beginning. Where its cause of existence was to provide for mankind and through that, simultaneously, embedding beauty.

Hassan Fathy 1900-1989

Illustrations explaining how Hassan fathy applied his concepts

Figure 5:

Figure 4: Orientation of Houses Determined Partly

by Sun, Partly by Wind.

Air movement governs people’s comfort inside a house. Thus it is most important to pay close attention to the ventilation of houses here. The prevailing wind is north-northwest and is relatively cool. If this wind is to ventilate a house, it must be admitted through openings.

A loggia openning to leeward, with only small openings to wind-ward, will have a steady airflow through it because the airflow over and round it creates low pressure within it, so air is pulled in a steady stream through the small openings

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The climate of Upper Egypt is characteristic of a hot, arid zone, with a very wide difference between day and night temperatures. Any surface exposed to direct sunshine, such as the ground or the walls and roof of a building, heats up enormously during the day and has to lose its heat during the night.

Therefore, the comfort of people inside buildings in this district depends largely upon the thermal properties of the walls and roof. The best material are those that do not conduct heat.

Figure 7: The function of providing a view is discharged by the mushrabiya- a kind og oriel window built out from wall.

Malkaf is a wind catch me set as preasely the right angle to catch the wind, irrespective of the orientation of the house. The wind caught as used in the schools we built in Gourna consisted of a chimeny like air passage with a large opening high up facing the prevailing wind. Set inside it was a sloping metal tray filled with charcoal that could be wetted by a tap; the air flowed over this baffle and was thus cooled before entering the room.

Figure 9: Use of sun-dried brick wall as a poor heat conductor .

Sun-dried earth brick is, fortunately, one of the poorest conductors of heat.

Partly because of its very low natural conductivity and partly because mus is weak and necessitates thick walls, the mud-brick houses of Upper Egypt do remain remarkably cool for the major part of the day.

Figure 8: Malkaf.

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Figure 9: Earth bricks cannot take bending and shearing: so the vault is made in the shape of a parabola conforming with the shape of the bending moment diagrams, thus eliminating all bending and allowing the material to work only under compression.

Figure10: Example showing the sequence of the commercial units overlooking the courtyard at new Baris, 2010.

Photography: Viola Bertini

The special kind of bricks they used for vaults. These were made with more straw than usual, for lightness. They measured 25cm * 15cm * 5cm and were marked with two parallel diagonal grooves, drawn with the fingers from corner to corner of the largest face. These grooves were by very important, for they enabled the bricks to stick to the muddy surface by suction.

It is known that clay bricks need staw as a binding agent or to be stabilized with sand-at least 30 percent; without this, they will crack. Because of the variability of soils, it is essential that at any given site the soil to be used for brick making be carefully analyzed, chemically, and physically.

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E E E L V R UT TI ET A L O E T S E R U C O IV C T S T E E A V RE TL IV C OU AT C 32

E C TL E T U TIV T E O S EA TL S R E U C O IV T S T E E L A V RE T T A U E C 33

W

ith Architecture

Begin Anywhere Writer: Alaa Awadallah

Architecture is a very demanding field that requires a lot of giving; famous for being a real test of its students’ dedication and patience. So, what does it offer to you at the end?

The goal of these schools is to create strong, dynamic, and well-rounded graduates. As the curriculum continuously pushes their limits every step on the way and if they are capable of proceeding, then helps you break through those limits to unleash the extent of your capabilities.

“When you finish Architecture school you will never be the same, and only your fellow architects are going to be able to understand you.”

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s an Architecture school graduate, you will have developed a diverse design skill set as the school and the community develops your creativity and practicality. Besides, you will be stretching your problem-solving muscles and be obtaining mathematical and numerical skills.

Nevertheless, while most graduates will be looking to become professional practicing architects, there are plenty of other options to be considered and they are more than what you think.

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The most conventional route is a fully qualified architect, which will be challenging as much as it is fascinating to work closely with clients and users, expressing yourself and imprinting your touch and creativity beside other typical responsibilities that include supervising the construction process, managing the development of the project and consulting other professional parties.

But when the architect plans the building project without having to oversee construction, this specialization is called Architectural Designing. Some architects choose to return to the university setting as professors or take a more environmental turn as post-graduation subjects to become landscape specializers.

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ther potential careers vary from field practiced jobs to other not so relative jobs. Some architects specialize in a certain space designing such as residential architects who, as the name gives away, design residential estates i.e. houses, complexes and apartments.

Urban planners are regional city planners who develop plans for public spaces to enhance their use in a communal environment.

Also, some structural engineers and designers are responsible for the design of the building structural frame to ensure its safety and stability, especially for outstanding and unique works of Architecture which requires deeper knowledge of Structural Design and Civil Engineering.

Other architects consider designing types of transportation means; Naval architects specialize in ship design.

Interior Designers enhance the style of the internal space, from the finishing to the furnishing and all aesthetics of details in between. You can always be the artist you are as a side job. You can choose to be employed or to freelance in all these careers.

Some of the potential jobs are general and broadly stretching like construction managers who help architects to ensure a sufficient building process and create an accurate budget.

As well, some architectural technologists are pretty much qualified to lead a

project from inception to completion, specializing in the technology of Architecture and being aware of every phase that design is going through.

Hence architecture is a comprehensive field we may find very untraditional specialists, such as Architecture historians who give their job an archaeological character taking it upon themselves to safeguard and restore historically valuable buildings.

Another very unique specialization is a fire-risk assessor who is responsible for identifying fire hazards and risks to ensure the safety of the people and the property by preparing emergency plans.

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owadays, with the rapid digital and virtual development, other potential job opportunities have swept the scene and are steadily becoming the most sought after. Architects can become graphic designers and VFX developers or CAD technicians who use their designing and IT knowledge to design anything; buildings, machinery, and other products.

The trending technology, BIM (Building Information Modelling), is the joint that puts the client, the architect, the builders, and all those who are involved in the design in the same picture regarding the project development and tasks. ement. Thus, reshaping our perception of the role of an architect and architecture as a whole because it is demonstrated in the architectural drawings.

This technology has gained great significance over the last years creating the job title of a BIM architect who is the specialist of modeling the information of a project and creating a cohesive model that shows every individual their role. The system

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plays a huge part in the design even after its completion by offering rendering tools from its material library that helps the client to get a greater understanding of the project and the intent behind it.

So, this is like an insight into what the present of Architecture is looking like, but what about the future?

In the era of big data and shifting cultural trends, we as architects must-attend for better design ideas and solutions that suit this evolution. While we might not be colonizing other planets but, Space Architecture is one of the controversial topics that some architects have touched on and even submitted some designs of manmade space stations accordingly.

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evelopment never stops; as improved and simpler techniques are introduced to our routines daily, however Architecture has always been an adaptive field which is clearly displayed in its history, as we’ve come from inhabiting god given caves to utilizing materials to build space saving skyscrapers. Which is why as an architect having your designs displayed locally or even globally is one of the best rewards possible.

So, will it be irrelevant to the future as countless jobs have been erased by technology?

Fortunately, Architecture is a career that involves too much insight and human-mind driven creative thinking, so it is more unlikely for architects to be replaced with robots. Nonetheless, there will be a drastic shift in what an architect is defined as now. The newfound technologies are aiding and expanding the limits more than replacing the work of architects. To illustrate, Virtual Reality Technology (VR) is creating a huge leap for our projects especially in the conceptual and construction stages by giving a clear image of how the design is coming into reality, so the clients can see the proposed design. The use of 3D printing and robots in construction is bringing up impressive forms in record time and with the best possible trade-off between the different measures of success, and soon enough assembly robots are going to direct the construction process just like in vehicles assembly lines.

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GET OUT OF THE BOX!!

AND SEARCH MORE

Your GUIDANCE

After Graduating Architecture School Writer : Samar Adel After graduating architecture school, we are all faced with the dilemma of choosing the path ahead. Choosing to continue to study and pursue a master’s degree is one option which presents another growing confusion as to which degree to enrol for.

1

Architecture Specialization:

Here are some of the most common architecture specializations you could choose from:

,,

1. Architectural design.

2. Architectural engineering.

3. Construction Management.

4. Architectural science (audio and acoustics/high performance buildings…)

5. Architectural Conservation.

6. Architectural theory and history.

7. Sustainable architecture.

8. Landscape architecture.

9. Urban planning/ housing / design.

10. Architecture and Urbanism.

11. Architecture and digital design.

12. Interior design.

13. Graphic design.

14. Other possible architecture specializations include: Advanced geographic information systems, real estate planning and development, naval architecture, architectural technology.

Product design, Industrial design,Art History and Criticism, Spatial Performance and Design, Building Energy Performance.

To make a decision, you need to find out information about the fields you are interested in and take into consideration The University, Cost and Opportunities available for you. Then including a list of suggested questions, things to find out and things to think about, answer these questions and make your decision according to the answers because everyone’s situation is different, so it’s entirely personal!

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2

Masters in Architecture courses may be offered as:

• Master of Architecture (M.Arch): Focus on developing your skills in both the practical and theoretical aspects of the subject, and preparing you for a range of architecture careers and specializations where you will be able to choose from a variety of optional modules. Suitable for students whose undergraduate degree is in a different subject.

• Master of Design (M.Des): Focus on both the technical and artistic aspects of communicating through a range of visual media. Graduates should be wellequipped to interpret cultural and societal needs and trends, in order to develop the most appropriate formats, designs and multimedia to achieve a desired sensation or function.

• Master of Science (MSc): Is a degree under the discipline of science and has more of research and technology focus.

• Master of Art (MA): More art-focused and generally specialize in design. Has less weight than the MSc because it contains less research.

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• Master oftechnology (M.Tec): Is a degree under the discipline of Engineering. It is offered as a research programme and does not have a primarily professional focus. Graduates employed in the research and teaching positions at Higher Education institutions.

3 •

• • •

Entry Requirements:

Undergraduate degree in a subject related to design and the built environment although some universities will accept graduates from any subject, as long as you can demonstrate the appropriate skills and commitment to the role.

Significant professional experience in architecture, design or a related area is also likely to be considered.

A personal statement, letter/s of recommendation might be needed depending on the university.

A portfolio of previous work you’re also likely to be asked to submit – exact guidance on what you should include should be available on the university’s official website, but generally you should include at least four pieces of design and other relevant creative work which shows off your skills and talent.

Collab across the world:

Sana Tabassum, Founder of :scale.

London, United Kingdom.

Architecture School is a

JOURNEY

M

y path into architecture wasn’t anything fancy or extraordinary. I didn’t have a passion for it since the age of 5, I wasn’t exposed to the world of architecture through family, in fact, I wanted to be a fashion designer up until the age of 16. I guess I chose architecture because it was the perfect amalgamation of the creative and curious side of me. Painting and sketching wasn’t just a hobby for me, it was my creative outlet. The curious side of me was interested in the history of the buildings around us as well as the technical aspects of the process. So architecture seemed like a good fit.

Interestingly, as I brought this up to my teachers at school, most of them weren’t really sure what architecture was all about, and of course, I got the most overused line we’ve all heard at some point - ‘Is that like archaeology?’. It was probably the lack of knowledge about how schools of architectures worked, what studio culture is like and how the degree itself is different than most that made them hesitant to encourage me. Instead, I was advised to apply for a foundation degree and explore other options, but even with my decent grades, I knew architecture was what I wanted to do. I pushed through that entire year and managed to secure a place at the Univer-

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sity of Greenwich where I eventually graduated with a 2:1. Believing in myself has always gotten me through the toughest times of my life.

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hen I started university, it was really like a whole new world and I felt like the fish out of water. I knew of only the very basics, Zaha, Corbusier and Foster but the realm of architecture was unknown to me. It didn’t help that we had modules on history and theory and don’t even get started on the vast number of drawing techniques. For most people, they go into the course having had read books or even worked in a firm or two. But not me.

Even so, what helped me through feeling like an imposter was just my eagerness to learn. If I didn’t know something, I’d look into it. I don’t just mean Googling something and leaving it at that, no, I’d research what someone recommended or a reference mentioned by tutors and try and understand how it fits into architecture as a whole. I told myself that essay topics would be about something that I enjoyed or was interested in. We often get caught up in

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this non-existent competition, feeling like we have to be better than each other or only follow the interests of our peers and tutors. But instead, following our own intuition is actually the fun part of being an architecture student. Nowhere else would we be able to figure out compositions and design hypothetical, crazy buildings with only our research, thoughts and ideas as the main driver.

Try not to get sucked into the pressures, deadlines and anxiety architecture school will give you. You’ll know if it’s for you. If there is one piece of advice I can give to aspiring architects, current students it’s just to treat it as a journey. This journey is individual to you, so your experiences aren’t right or wrong, but how you choose to come out of it on the other side depends on how what you prioritise. There will be ups and downs but you’ve always got yourself to rely on, this journey is just the beginning of the chapter.

Letters to young architects

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Dear young architects,

B

E PREPARED!

It might sound like quoting Uncle Scar from the Lion King, but if we consider the message fairly it will make sense; and instead of attempting to kill the king, we strive to become good architects.

Architecture as a profession and a study is a process of accumulating knowledge and experiences. Just like other professions, architecture aims to serve humans and provide solutions for better living. This requires preparation to deal with the various challenges in the architectural project such as stakeholders, budgets, technology, environment, time, et cetera. Thankfully, the cyber world contains many sources of knowledge for architects and architecture students at the tips of your fingers in form of videos, podcasts, documents, competitions, and so on. Dedicate some time for self-education, think critically, learn, and gain experiences, aiming to professionally present an architecture that fits for purpose. Be prepared; because chance favours the prepared mind.

‫ هذه أثر لي ُع َّم و اقتباس‬،‫ بدأت ما أت ُّم‬،ً‫مستودعات ال للتعلم مفاتيح علوم و خربات من يرى ما كل يف العامرة دارس ليجد ُمقتضبا‬ ‫ لالقتباس بال‬.ً ‫رصف و ُمستعريا‬ ُّ ‫ اقتباس يكون أن ينبغي ال االقتباس أن ألرى إين و « الرافعي األديب قلم و حي من بِت‬،‫بل تقليد‬ ‫ تحيايت‬،‫ و التمحيص من حقه يش ٍء كل ت ُعطوا أن بعد تحقيق‬.‫ أصل من فرعان املسخ صناعة و التقليد صناعة‬،‫امل ُقلِّد قلّد ما و واحد‬ ‫» العقلية خاصيته ببعض ذهب و االبتكار إال َملَكة من نفسه يف يشء عىل أىت إال روية و ال بحث‬... ‫مع‬ ‫عامر حسن‬ ، ‫باحث يف فيزياء املباين‬ ‫ومحارض يف كلية العامرة جامعة الخرطوم‬

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Dear young architects,

T

his letter is an attempt from me to reflect my humble experience as an architecture graduate and urban planner hoping that you might find my words useful and relatable to your journeys on the architectural track.

The first advice I want to Stress on, that is architecture is way beyond the individuality of a single fancy building; it’s a reflection of the societal changes, cultural dynamics and even the political tension. Therefore, I believe that as architects we have a great responsibility to cope with all these factors and reflect them in our designs for the different kinds of buildings and spaces to achieve a major goal which is improving people’s lives and their experiences with the space. And for that I quote Norman Foster when he said: “As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown”.

Also, practicing architecture is an ongoing process that might take different shapes during it’s different phases of your lives so don’t pressure yourselves with the idea of deciding the exact or one career path from the years of your study or immediately after your graduation, you might find yourselves in many other shapes of architecture practices. So, my advice for you is; travel, explore the world around you as much as you can and build your own narratives of how different spaces are shaped and utilized and then choose the phase and the way you mostly enjoy participating in this process. Starting from the idea that there is nothing called and” ideal/best practice of architecture”, believe in yourself and hold to the fact that everyone of you is unique and creative and in a different way and you just have to work hard to find that special thing in you.

With all the love, Hala Hamedalla

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Dear young architects,

I

write this message to every passionate young architect out there, I’m not sure if you already know it but architecture is beautiful, there’s beauty in the way we see it, experience it, and feel it. Every single human on earth have a favorite Building/ City/Structure, it can be a home, an airport, a nursery, a shopping mall or a library.

We are all affected by architecture in our everyday lives. Let this idea sink in your head, because my friends we are the lucky ones who design and build and shape people lives, we are THE ARCHITECTS. But people don’t know how hard it’s to be an architect, the endless hours we spent, the pressure we go through, the competition we find ourselves in, and the total sense of isolation from society that we feel sometimes. Yet that’s just the hard part of the journey we go through, because my friends you can all agree that the feeling we get once the final outcome is there is totally worth it!! Okay now!!! Talking about the reality of live after graduation; kind of disappointing!! I know!! But I assure it have it sweet moments.

Yet I would like to humbly give you some small advices; • The most important one is never ever lose the passion you have towards architecture for good. Every once in a while do what you love the most about it, just for yourself.

• There are literally hundreds of ways for you to practice architecture!!

Make sure you explore them all and stick to the one you love the most.

• Don’t be afraid to speak your ideas out loud, there’s no such thing as a bad idea!!

• Time and capitalism are your two worst enemies. Beware of that.

• Empower yourself with the knowledge of software in every opportunity you can.

Every professional needs his/her tools.

• Strengthening your knowledge of the other engineering fields. It will help you to design better and with confident.

• Learn more about other architects lives and stories, I personally find it truly motivating.

There are plenty of beautiful documentaries, and books, just look for them.

At the end I only want to wish you all nothing but the best in your careers and lives. Let’s all work on imposing a long term positive impact on humanity through our designs.

Greetings; Awab Hatim M. Bek

(a not so young architect)

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Projects

UofK confucius institute and International Convention center:

RAZAN IBRAHIM HAMID

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he design will attempt to bring the dual identity to enhance the learning environment by creating better experience and to respect the project context, for that a comparative study between Chinese architecture (Confucius Institute) and Sudanese architecture (UofK architecture) leads to the similarities between the two architectural style: 1.Both Sudanese and Chinese architecture shaped some of their form from the environmental conditions.

2.The use of the arched doorways and arches.

3.The use of central courtyards and greenery.

4.The use of terraces or verandas.

5.The use of local materials like timber, bricks and the stones.

6.The use of natural and bright colors.

7.The use of main and sub axes in planning.

8.The use of symmetrical forms.

9.The use of the circle in the landscape.

The development of technology enables the architect to have more alternatives in Architecture. The expectations of people about building has reached a point where no Single solution can fulfills everyone's needs. Among all architectural issues, "Flexibility" is the only one that comes closest to be a universal solution on architecture. It answers Questions such as adaptability, choice/variety, expansion/ contraction, and Multi-use. (Durek, 24) Interestingly, Henry Jenkins used the concept of narrative architecture in his ideas regarding interactive gaming,

The game space becomes a memory palace whose contents must be deciphered as the player tries to reconstruct the plot. Game spaces are designed to be rich with narrative potential, enabling the story-constructing activity of players.

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S

o affected by this idea, the learning space becomes a memory palace whose content must be deciphered as the learner tries to reconstruct what he or she is attempting to learn, so learning spaces should be designed to be rich with narrative potential, enabling the story-constructing and sense-making activity of learners.

Guided by the ideals and beliefs in “Collaborative Learning” and “Learning by sharing” methods the design will attempt to enhance social learning experiences.

As the social interaction cannot be forced, the design will include spaces to be as social Learning platforms – with the respect of personal boundaries- and to focus on the quality of space; learning space, communal space and interactive space.

To respect the environment by being friendly to provide healthy environment, (use of local building materials, use of insulation in roofs or walls, compactable layout, evaporative cooling, vernacular architecture, green roofs, use of shading devices, Use of court yard design, spray roof and Mashrabiah skin

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Psychitric Hospital

Taha Baasher Psychiatric Hospital:

EBAA AHMED

T

he main concept of the design is an architectural intervention tends to develop Taha baasher psychiatric hospital, increase its capacity and produce a new design that meets the international standards for the wellbeing of the mentally disturbed individuals.

In addition to adding a new diagnostic unit and an educational/ training centre while preserving the hospital main building for its historical value as the first built structure in Khartoum's first independent psychiatric hospital (1960) and as a witness of Taha baasher dedicated work on developing mental health services in Sudan. patient units should have direct access to outdoor spaces.

O

utpatient and emergency units will both need direct access to the diagnostic unit. the new building will consist of two blocks north and south the preserved building and will extend vertically. o a building suspended by Trusses will be above the preserved building, linking the two blocks of the new building to form a 'U' shape facing east.

In addition to preserving the structural system of the existing building its function as an outpatient and administration unit

will also be maintained.

Inpatient unit design aims to: • create a welcoming and therapeutic environment • create a community based facility that encourages family participation in the treatment of patients by providing family visiting areas and family group therapy rooms.

• fulfilling patients' needs of privacy by designing a combination of single and double bedrooms.

Patient bedrooms were designed in consideration of: • Creating a therapeutic home-like environment • safety and security issues.

• maintaining patients privacy and dignity.

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Khartoum Science and Technology Museum:

HANEEN HATIM

A

building bringing together knowledge, leisure and research under one roof, to inspire youth and other members of the society. Triggering them to engage and innovate in science and technology and preparing the Sudanese society for a new era of technological development and advancement. CREATING A PLATFORM BETWEEN SCIENTISTS AND STUDENTS. The main idea of the design is to create flexible exhibition areas with a strong linkage to the educational area without causing cross circulation. The building consists of two main volumes crossing each other at the main lobby with two spheres merging from them (a planetarium and a botanical garden) .

The larger volume consists of the exihibition areas and the smaller volume consists of the educational/research area.

R E S P O N S I V E AR C H I T E C T U T R E : • Adaptive architecture: the main idea behind the project is to design a building that is adaptive (responsive) to change). This was achieved by connecting research area to the museum, the exhibition areas will constatnly be updated

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and responsive to upcomming advances.

• Climate responsive architcecture: This was achieved by using louvers that are responsive to light intensity providing different shading degrees at differnt tims of the day.

Solar panels are adjusted on a steel frame facing the southern facade and tilted at 20 degrees (18 degrees is the best angle for capturing solar energy) These panels are used for the production of energy and as a display element (part of the museum attractions.

3D

Architecture & TECHNOLOGY

Printed Buildings

Construction 3D Printing (c3Dp) or 3D construction Printing (3DCP) refers to various technologies that use 3D printing as a core method to fabricate buildings or construction components.

History Seeding technologies 1995–1950 Robotic bricklaying was conceptualized and explored in the 1950s and related technology development around automated construction began in the 1960s

Design Architect James Bruce Gardiner pioneered architectural design for Construction 3D Printing with two projects. The first Freefab Tower 2004 and the second Villa Roccia 2010–2009. Freefab Tower was based on the original concept to combine a hybrid form of construction 3D printing with modular construction. This was the first architectural design for a building focused on the use of Construction 3D Printing.

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Architecture & FILMS Inception The movie’s protagonist, Dom Cobb, assembles a skilled team to extract secrets or, in rare cases, to implant ideas deep within a person’s subconscious. Arguably the most important member, the architect, Ariadne (Ellen Page), designs these dreams. At the simplest level, she is designing a maze – a complex and compelling labyrinth where the buildings and their layouts are controlled by the architect, but how it is occupied and what the “projections” do (figures the subconscious envisions), is determined by the dreamer. As you can imagine, her designing leads to some crazy ideas, such as a penrose staircase or even cities that literally fold on top of themselves. Yet, her success lies not in grandiose, crazy designs, but rather in the ability to connect with the dreamer, allowing his subconscious to comfortably take to the design and let his mind fill it with his ideas.

The film explores the concept of Paradoxical Architecture. The architect is the designer of the dream space similar to how a video game designer would design a game level. The Architect designs everything and every single details matters which shows in the scene when Saito was having information extracted by Cobb, the extraction team were using a two layer dream. In the first layer of the dream Saito knew that he was in a dream because of the Carpet. Saito said: I’ve always hated this carpet. Stained and frayed in such distinctive ways. But very definitely made of wool. Right now... I’m lying on polyester. Which means, I’m not lying on my carpet in my apartment. You have lived up to your reputation, Mr. Cobb. I’ m still dreaming.

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Harry potter

Architect of Hogwarts This individual was the architect responsible for planning and designing Hogwarts Castle, along with Founder Rowena Ravenclaw, who devised the ever-changing floorplan.

There is a golden statue of this individual at Hogwarts Entrance Hall, in which he is shown among the four house mascots holding a model of Hogwarts on one of his hands, and charts and a set square in the other. The statue guards a hidden passageway to the Founders› Tower.

Hogwarts Castle The Castle was a large, seven-storey high building supported by magic, with a hundred and forty two staircases throughout its many towers and turrets and very deep dungeons. The castle was built in the late Early Middle Ages (c. 993) by a wizard architect and the four most celebrated wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The castle was the main building of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, regarded as the finest wizarding school in the world.

Harry may have grown up in the run-of-the-mill suburban landscape of Privet Drive, but after learning he was a wizard, he was whisked away to far more interesting buildings. From the spires of Hogwarts and the crooked charms of Diagon Alley, to the cozy thatched roof of Shell Cottage and the teetering multi-story Burrow – the wizarding world is nothing if not unique.

Hogwarts contains many key characteristics of Gothic architecture: Lofty interiors brightened by lancet windows, pointed arches, flying buttresses, and an abundance of spired towers. The choice of the Gothic style endows the building with the appearance of great age and consequently an enduring realism.

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Word Search Search K Q S V J H P B S X K K O P G

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N P L U F O F I U E M E H M D

X G H O S D L H X E C Y T X J

10 architectural terms

H E C E N T I B L H Z T R Y E

A N A P N M A A B O G Y I C H

H V W U I U S L O N T I L E P O O D Q A Z G W L O U O F R A M Y N Y I H E F I G N X N R W R A D O V A A B F N T C M L Q V V Z B O M O T P G N D Q I

S C V F Q N P B N X L N E M O

N I E K Z I E B W G W O T L W

H G R B P Q T U X J T S G E H

F A C A D E V A U L T E B X R

L B F B X B C F Q V S C A L E

Terms 1&2

Diagram: a sim-

plified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation.

Zoning: the act of deciding,

3

Scale: the relation be-

tween a depiction of something compared to its actual size.

or the decision that has been taken about, what particular use an area should have.

4&5Section: object.

A vertical plain cut through the

Facade: the external face of a building.

6&7Vault:

a structural member consisting of an arrangement of arches, usually forming a ceiling or roof.

Cantilever: structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end.

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Genius loci: Latin term

8&9

Sustainable: able

to be maintained at a fixed level without exhausting natural resources or damaging the environment.

Phenomenology: the study of things that exist and can be seen, felt, tested, etc . And how we experience them.

meaning ‘the genius of the place’, referring to the presiding deity or spirit. Every place has its own unique qualities, not only in terms of its physical makeup, but of how it is perceived, so it ought to be the responsibilities of the architect or landscape-designer to be sensitive to those unique qualities, to enhance them rather than to destroy them.

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Meet the team

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Alaa Awadallah, Writer.

Leena Eltayeb, Writer.

Reem Tageldin, Writer.

Munzer Ashraf, Writer.

Samar Adel, Writer.

Noon Amin, Writer.

Aziza Abuelezz, Editor.

Leenah Mohamed, Editor.

Abrar Ali, Graphic Designer.

Dahlia Babekir, Graphic Designer.

Esraa Hamza, Graphic Designer.

Yaqeen Gassim, Graphic Designer.

Waged Abdulhafez, Graphic Designer.

Alaadin Khalid, Editorial Designer.

Rwain Abdelhakam, Editorial Designer.

Hiba Suliman, Editorial Designer.

Muram Samir, Editor-in-Chief.

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A Community for Prosperity

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