SUKNA, Reinventing The Residential Comunity, Reviving Courtyard Houses, and pedestrian Streets

Ali Al Abbad © 2016

Copy rights © 2016 by Ali Al Abbad

Sukna

Architecture in the Department of Architecture of the Rhode Island School of Design.

By Ali Al Abbad 2016

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Anne Tate, Primary Thesis Advisor

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Olga Mesa, Secondary Thesis Critic

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Anne Tate, Thesis Coordinator

Copy rights © 2016 by Ali Al Abbad

Sukna Reinventing The Residential Comunity,

of this resulted in neighborhoods and houses that do not satisfy users needs, all in which resulted in bad solutions to address some of the urgent needs. So, the goal is to

Dedicated to, My Father and Mother, who supported me all the way My Wife and Kids, who gave me joy through my journey

The survival of traditional societies over hundreds and thousands of years indicates form or as the basis for new developments.

Hassan Fathi

Figure1 Figure2 Figure3 Figure4 Figure5 Figure6 Figure7 Figure8 Figure9 Figure10 Figure11 Figure12 Figure13 Figure14 Figure15 Figure16 Figure17 Figure18 Figure19 Figure20 Figure21 Figure22 Figure23 Figure24 Figure25 Figure26 Figure27 Figure28 Figure29 Figure30 Figure31 Figure32 Figure33 Figure34 Figure35 Figure36 Figure37 Figure38 Figure39 Figure40 Figure41 Figure42 Figure43 Figure44 Figure45 Figure46 Figure47

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Figure.1:Location Figure.2:Site Plan Figure.3:Site conditions 1 and 2 Figure.4:Site conditions 3 and 4 Figure.5:Site conditions 5

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Figure.10:Bird eye Veiw Figure.11:Bird eye Veiw to the roof terrace and bridge Figure.12:Street side of School Square Figure.13:Water Fountain Figure.14:School Square bird eye veiw Figure.15:from market door to School Square Figure.16:underneath the bridge Figure.17:Street side School Square

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Figure.19:Wind catcher Figure.20:Public Square Figure.21:Street and courtyard drawing Figure.22:Balcony Figure.23:Morning walk Figure.24:Window Screen Figure.25:Play ground Figure.26:Date plam tree Figure.27:Wind catcher 1 Figure.28:Wind catcher 2 Figure.29:Control Figure.30:Ramadan Figure.32:Fabric pattern Figure.31:Fabric Shade unrolling Figure.33:Fabric Shade Figure.34:Pattern arrangment

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Figure.38: Pavilion

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Figure.41:Window Figure.42:Pattern arrangment

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Figure.44:Window Figure.45:Pattern arrangment

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Figure.47:Wall

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Acknowledgments to, Anne Tate for being the great advisor Olga Mesa Peter Chomowicz Lee Boroson for their support and involvement Jamel Akbar

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Part two of two, In this part of the thesis, an attempt to implement the result of the cross value analysis of book one. An urban scale housing project is the focal point of the design exercise. In addition, life quality is

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Sukna Housing project could be seen from many angles and can be described in multiple ways. At its essence, Sukna it an attempt to revive

of Sukna are a common ground for people to interact and communities to thrive. In the chapters to come, we will be looking at these descriptions in more detail. The connection concept is explored through a site plan

will dive into the culture and human experience of the project in a series

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and conditions. It spills into larger lands in some areas and it connects palace on the other.

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Figure.1:Location 8

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Sukna Project could be seen as a connection in multiple layers and scales. From a grand scale, it connect three cities, Dammam, Dhahran and Khobar. Zoom in and the project connect a large shopping area to the royal palace. Zoom in more and we are linking to neighborhoods. The public squares connect local focal pints like public buildings and small

Figure.2:Site Plan

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Figure.3:Site conditions 1 and 2

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Figure.4:Site conditions 3 and 4

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Figure.5:Site conditions 5 17

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in-between the private and the public realm. They also help to moderate the wither by large masses, shading and microclimate zones. The design is explored through plans, sections and models to show multiple possibilities.

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Figure.6: 20

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Figure.7:

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Figure.8:

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Figure.9:

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A massing model is executed to show the relative density of Sukna to the surrounding houses. A series of photos used to explore the model

Figure.10:Bird eye Veiw 29

Figure.11:Bird eye Veiw to the roof terrace and bridge 30

Figure.12:Street side of School Square

Figure.13:Water Fountain

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Figure.14:School Square bird eye veiw 32

Figure.15:from market door to School Square

Figure.16:underneath the bridge

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Figure.17:Street side School Square 34

Figure.18:

Figure.19:Wind catcher

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Figure.20:Public Square 36

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Figure.21:Street and courtyard drawing 39

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is a single mother of two little kids. She makes household objects out of palm tree leaves. She is supported by the productive family program with a loan to get an apartment in the complex. She makes the products in the apartment and sells them in the at the public square on weekends. Her older son goes to the school at the edge of the project. Her younger daughter is four years old, and because of the subsidized payment but also because of the sense of community with other productive families. She enjoys being able to go

Um Naser go to Um fathy for the

gathering. They enjoy the

is a rug and tea cups and they could spend all afternoon chatting and working. After that, Um Mohamed goes through the second door of Um Fathy duplex leading down to the shared courtyard where she leaves the playground to call Mohamed to go back home for dinner.

Um Mohamed: Friday market: chi aldaha: the noon tea gathering, a female social event

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Figure.22:Balcony

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Bu Abdullh is an expert in advertisement and relations working at the minutes to get to his car every morning, but he enjoys the fresh smell of date bread in the tanoor oven at the bakery. When he is not in a hurry, he sits for a cup of tea with Shaker, his brother-in-law, who owns a real salsabiel underneath the wind catcher, so there is always a nice breeze and the relaxing sound of water.

On his way, he encounters Amar, who is watering his beautiful creeping

window screen. He gets to his car in the shared parking lot next to the in the afternoon, he parks his car in the commercial parking complex to get some groceries. On the way to his apartment, he takes a longer path There he can get some mashmom and full Abdullh when he arrives home.

to give to his wife Om

date bread: A traditional round pita bread made with all grain and palm tree dates tanoor: salsabiel: mashmom full:

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Figure.23:Morning walk

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family. Her mother is a teacher, and her father is a small businessman

elementary school. Noor has barely gotten used to sharing a room with Sarah after a big dispute with Ayah, who wanted a private room to be

remodel the apartment because Ayah may get married soon. Despite mashrabia window overlooking each other about the young boys going in and out from the shop, laughing look back that some guys do at the window, trying to catch a glimpse through the shadow behind the mashrabia screen. One time Noor tried the boy was highly alert not to be noticed by the young group of residents though Noor did not like that the boy did not respond to her, she felt a part of a bigger family with lots of brothers looking out for her. mashrabia: Window Screen

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Figure.24:Window Screen

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to his mother asking her to drop him at his friend’s house in the opposite apartment. He likes going there because every morning his friend’s mom goes for a morning walk around the residence’s upper walkway. Yasser and his friend meet other kids in the public square and play around while their mothers sit and relax. There are some slides and swings, but Yasser’s favorite game is climbing the palm tree. A climbing net connects the atrium parapet to the tree trunk, creating a challenging game for the kids. When the sun gets higher and the square becomes exposed, Yasser and his friends hide in the narrow walkways between the buildings. They spaces. After a lunch and a short nap, Yasser sits on the long chair on the

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Figure.25:Play ground

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Ashraf is from Saihat, a small town adjacent to Qatif. He owns a small farm in through many small private balcony and courtyard vegetation projects. He is known for using local and familiar plants and even more for his valuable advice on keeping the plants in great shape. Ashraf scored big time when his proposal for palm tree full life cycles was overwhelmingly supported by the housing council.

Through his interaction with residents and shop owners, he realized that the three hundred palm trees planted throughout the project were not utilized to their goal is to link the palm trees, products, and byproducts to residents, productive families, and local businesses. Palm tree dates will be sold to residents at lower

powder. The seeds are also used by some local productive families to make natural eyeliner. Another byproduct from pruning would be used by families like Um Mohammed’s in their trade. Karab (palm tree leaf base) that is not used in

pollination (Legah) season are given to some residents to make Legah extract

People living in the complex have much more appreciation for the palm trees in is part of the community.

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Figure.26:Date plam tree

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Shaker is the son of a Saudi father and Syrian mother. Other than his yearly visit to his mother’s family, his lighter skin, and his love for Mediterranean bakeries, he is local as he could be. He learned his craft by joining his Abdullah, his brother-in-law. Shaker is a small contractor. He employs four men and himself. One is a plumber, another is an electrician, the work is maintenance and upkeep of A/C units in summer, but what keeps Shaker’s group rolling year round is their contract to maintain common service shafts and wind catchers. Each wind catcher is managed by the apartments and shops built around it. Courtyards and roof trusses are run

bigger contractors. Other owners prefer shorter contract cycles and smaller contractors. Shaker recalls the early years of the project when Dhahran municipality forced more than half of the development onto one contractor for a three-year cycle. By the end of the second year, things led to the failure of the project and caused an extreme opposition to

their homes. Later, the increase in project representation in Dhahran municipality elections and formalization of smaller community councils,

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all led to an increase in resident satisfaction and new job opportunities for smaller contractors. Eventually, things came into balance. Small maintenance projects like Shaker’s work are assigned and supervised by

it is all about connections and reputation. In Shaker’s early years, one

but he is looking forward to the day he does. Shaker always says, "as long as the individual residents are participating in the decision making, this working model will keep evolving and rebalancing."

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Figure.27:Wind catcher 1

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Figure.28:Wind catcher 2

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Abu Hani comes from Al Saga families of Al Ahsa city. He was among the early groups that took advantage of the great gold price increase

due to his social-family network. Because of his connections, Abu

large residential neighborhood development due to the introduction of a highway linking Dhahran-Dammam highway to King Fahd Bridge to Bahrain and to Azizia beach, where there are many private resorts including ARAMCO and KFUPM beaches. Because King Fahd Highway cuts between Khobar and Dharan, it divides Al Taawen on one side from Al Thugba on the other. Al Taawen is a new development, mainly housing duplexes intended for small families. On the other side, Al Thugba is one

Abu Hani took shares in the high-end development through favors of relatives in the market and worked in remodeling or demolishing the old buildings in Thugba. Being exposed to these two sides made Abu Hani a valuable member of the development and research team assigned by the Sukna Project proposal, saying with a big laugh, "no one approved of the project." On the one hand, residents of Dana, the neighborhood where Sukna was proposed, felt threatened by low-income families and Al Saga: Goldsmith

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government projects and were concerned about their houses’ value and the quality of public areas of the neighborhood. On the other hand, surveys from potential Sukna residents through government support

wrong crowd." Not to say their opinion was not important, but the real drivers of the Sukna project were yet to come. The real advocates for Sukna were young ARAMCO employees, KFU and KFUPM faculty, and

to their senior colleagues living in Dana, convincing them of the need for diversity and mixed development. University faculty sought both the government’s and their university’s support of the project, believing

bulk of singles. In addition, both Saudi and foreign singles working in

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communities of varying size were all joined by ARAMCO, KFUPM, and

Then all other sectors got involved, and housing popped up on the line.

laser-cutting and 3D printing workshop in the city was on one corner, and a traditional craft house was on the other. The project became a common

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Figure.29:Control

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Ramadan day in Sukna project is in many respects lived with the same spirit of the holy month around the Muslim world. The livelihood of the place revived some traditional practices and introduced some new ones.

sound of Quran recitation coming from apartments’ balconies every afternoon,

despite the

occasional kid

messenger running between

to sunset. Workers are walking back from their jobs, bakeries and Anbar, and youth Iftaar gets door to door exchanging greetings and dishes, mothers are rushing in the kitchens, and fathers are rushing the kids to the mosque. The sound

around a big meal. All feel joy and happiness. After the meal, the living kids playing in the background. After some time, the noise in the living

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carts. Some are selling lablabi, others are grilling liver tikka. The young

Courtyards and diwanies are less intense, where the older men gather.

The smells of Bkoor, the chink of tea sets, and the sound of laughter are

For a couple of hours and by the end of again, waiting for another Ramadan day.

Anbar: Local game involving hitting cola cans with a baseball Iftaar: Athaan: call for prayer lablabi: a common snack made from chickpeas diwanies: Bkoor: wood chips with a nice scent when burned taraweih: A prior at the later part of night comnly preformen in Ramadan

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Figure.30:Ramadan

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Islamic pattern.

Figure.32:Fabric pattern

Figure.31:Fabric Shade unrolling

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Figure.33:Fabric Shade 66

Figure.34:Pattern arrangment

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Figure.35:

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Figure.36:

Figure.37:

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Figure.38: Pavilion

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Figure.39:

Figure.40:

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Figure.41:Window 72

Figure.42:Pattern arrangment

Figure.43:

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Figure.44:Window 74

Figure.46: Figure.45:Pattern arrangment

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Figure.47:Wall 76

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The exploration and design expermentation help suport the clames of

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