Amal Al Balushi Architecture and Urban Planning Portfolio 2024

There is no logic that can be superimposed on the city; people make it, and it is to them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.

- Jane Jacobs

This Portfolio contains a collection of fourteen urban works that span my career and studies. This includes research paper topics, university-level integrated-design assignments and projects I’ve worked on as an employed urban planner.

While unintentional, the predominant thread running through my body of work over the years has been storytelling. This portfolio highlights the diverse narratives I’ve had the privilege of encountering from various city actors, serving as a foundation to inspire projects or alter scenarios.

For an extended version of this portfolio with access to my painting portfolio, podcasts and public persona during my time as an Omani Radio host, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Hase Lake Bramsche, DE

2023 & ongoing - Stadt Bramsche

The existing Hasesee, an artificial lake that fills the area between the two parts of the town of Bramsche, is an important element for the region. Urbanity and nature blend in this place to provide a peaceful middle ground. The area is rich in birds, plants and fish that seek refuge in the protected and preserved nature reserves. This natural centre also offers residents a slow, quiet and tranquil zone amid their busy city.

Perhaps most importantly, the lake offers flood safety, as the terrain is designed to adapt to the rising water level of the nearby Hase River. In the current climate crisis with dry summers and heavy storms that often bring a lot of rain in a short space of time, the protection that Lake offers the town of Bramsche should not be underestimated.

This has led to the intention to extend the lake and its floodplains through the expansion of the Hasesee and the creation of a completely new twin lake in the immediate northern region called Neuer Hasesee. This new lake can be planned for much more than just water protection and commuting.

My main goal was to use innovative techniques in coming up with a new overall concept for the region while working for the city of Bramsche as the project manager and main urban planner for the last six months.

Design Competition

Neuer Hasesee

Event’s island

Investors Competition

(Interessebekundungsverfahren)

Press Release:

In addition, the Hasesee can be used to encourage more sustainable modes of transport: cycling and walking thrive along the lake. While these modes are usually described as ‘slow’ mobility, due to the centrality of the lake, the connection across the Hasesee in Bramsche makes active mobility a faster way to get from the garden city to the historic centre. With existing commuters and traffic, there is the opportunity to make the area more active. Through workshops with the community, we have learned that the citizens are interested in having more events, more tourism, and more access to the water itself. With this input, I’ve managed to cultivate a new identity through re-branding Bramsche as “Stadt am Wasser” which would affect this area, as well as the city as a whole. Thus, I have been in the midst of planning competitions, one for inspiring design firms to show us their take on what can be done in the region, and another one for investors to approach us with viable business ventures and activities.

https://www.noz.de/lokales/bramsche/artikel/das-plant-die-stadt-bramsche-fuer-die-erweiterung-des-hasesees-45486699

Keywords:

Climate Change

Flood Protection Mobility Marketing

Planning

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Workshops for citizen participation, analysis of the results and development of concepts.

• Various analyses (SWOT, flood analysis, environmental research, water retention capacities...)

• Proposals for branding, image and identity.

• GIS data collection, surveying of the lake bed.

• Maintaining contracts and tenders for ongoing sand extraction with private firms.

• Creating a design competition and investor expression of interest process.

• Contacting various private and public stakeholders for cooperation.

• Information sharing and presentations to press, politicians and citizens.

2. Master Thesis: Cross-Border Cohesion During a Pandemic

MAAHL Region, DE, NL, BE

(2021) RWTH University

Supervisor: Prof. Christa Reicher

Between the German city of Aachen and the Dutch town of Bocholtz, there lies a large office complex that sits directly on the two nations’ borders. This office complex is part of hundreds of thousands of Euros invested in a cross-border initiative (CBI), funded by the EU Commission and supported by the nations involved. A mixture of residents from both nations are part of the workforce and on paper, the complex advertises itself as an inclusive and integrative area along a border line.

As the COVID-19 pandemic began, within the office complex on the border, tape was used to mark the actual placement of the border, to ensure workers from the other nation did not cross over. When workers asked management about the tape placement, they were told it was a precautionary action, as the state of the border was unclear and to complying with quarantine requirements. The border between Germany and the Netherlands which had been open for movement for the last two decades was starting to see physical manifestations arise.

This thesis looked into developments on borders during the pandemic as a way to expose integrational issues between EU countries. It questions how borderregions are treated within mega-regional visions, and how their stories can help future plans.

Keywords:

CROSS

MEGA-REGIONAL VISIONS

THESIS: LOCAL STORIES AS REGIONAL GUIDES

Free movement of goods and people is an essential component of the European Union. Such restrictions undermine decades-long visions for solidarity, an integrated EU and concepts of cross-border “megaregions” in Europe.

The story of the office complex was relayed in an interview with one of its workers as part of this thesis’s study. Similar examples were also collected and are displayed in the study findings. These stories convey how such bizarre scenarios can emerge due to the power – albeit politically, institutionally or mentally – borders can have, even after decades of debordering investments.

To find these scenarios of non-integration, a collection of stories from stakeholders within the urbanised tripoint area of Belgium-GermanyNetherlands throughout the pandemic was compiled. Alongside, megaregion visions that were presented in the conference “Next Generation Podium for Eurodelta” in May 2021 were analysed. These visions were evaluated according to the local stories to help identify the “weak points” or barriers such plans may experience in border regions.

Thesis: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365125722_Cross-Border_Cohesion_During_a_Pandemic

Cross-Border Cooperations

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Conducted qualitative long format interviews

• Used various computer-assisted qualitative data analysis softwares such as MAXQDA, Quirkos and Piwik

• Approaching stakeholders, from residents to politicians to business owners

• Attended Mega-regional Planning conferences

• Developed own toolbox of analysis

• Presented findings in mega-regional conferences as a guidance method for conference participants.

• Recorded and wrote down the study in a thesis that received 100% marks from supervisors.

WOW lab

Muscat, OM (2017 - 2021) With Prof. Dr. Gustavo De Siqueira - GUtech

Where Oman Walks (WOW) is a research lab I helped start and was part of with Prof. Dr. Gustavo De Siqueira in the Sultanate of Oman. We used participative planning, city gaming techniques, and collaborative workshops, to interact with local residents on their walking habits (or there-lack-of) and co-create solutions that would improve the spatial qualities of their neighbourhood. The lab advocates for more pedestrian friendly, functional and active areas. We questioned residents on their outdoor activities and public spaces and used large models of neighbourhoods as communication and designing tools. Our hope to build a better pedestrian future - with the first project refurbishments underway in the neighbourhood of Al Hail with support from the Muscat Municipality and funding from the Bloomberg association.

The WOW method has starting to grow and spread internationally with Where Albania Walks (2022) and is earmarked for Where Saudis Walk. In Tirana, specifically, WOW has been part of the establishment of the Forum for Active Built Environments Research; a conference that brings together like-minded academics and advocates for walkability workshops and theories. Additionally, we are now in the process of converting the WOW method into a book to aid planners internationally, as well as interested city actors.

Since its initiation, over 50 neighbourhoods of the capital of Muscat have engaged with WOW. We have collected data from more than 700 pedestrians, making this the largest collection on Omani resident’s walking patterns.

Before Vision

The WOW Method:

1. Identify Central Node - Locate the most active node in neighbourhoods, establishing a 500-meter study zone (five-minute walking distance).

2. IPEN/NEWS Surveys, Walking Pattern Observations - Adapt international surveys to local context for mobility baseline.

3. First Community Contact - Engage local power players through door-to-door invitations for workshops and community outreach.

4. Gaming Workshop - Utilize a 1:200 scaled model for place-based discussions.

5. Results Presentation - Our experts transform community wishes into implementation plans, present designs, and exhibit at conferences.

6. Local Empowerment - Empower residents for small-scale changes, fostering compromise and consideration of neighbours’ wishes.

7. Funding and Governmental Intervention - Apply for funding and seek government support for larger changes.

Research Paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345340392_Co-designing_the_pedestrian_revolution_in_Muscat Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/whereomanwalks/ WOW Albania: https://waw.al/

Keywords:

Urban Analysis Walkability Surveying Urban Gaming

Participation

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Adaption of international studies to the Omani context

• Preliminary research and Literature reviews on walkability and neighbourhood design

• Organising co-creation workshops

• Model making

• Qualitative and Quantitative data collection

• Developing a game

• Teaching the WOW method to university students

• Writing four research papers

• Press releases and Social media activities

• Presenting findings in multiple international conferences

• Organising exhibitions of results

• Applying for research funds and grants from private and public organisations

(2017 - 2021) GUtech

In the WOW lab, my research, wOman, explored Omani women’s walking patterns within socio-cultural norms. Due to cultural restrictions, mixedgender workshops were impractical, sparking the study’s origin during a female-only session when a participant noted women avoid walking in front of mosques. This prompted an exploration of where women are allowed publicly and how urban elements impact this. Focusing on the intersection of culturally sensitive urban design and gender accessibility, my research addresses gender, culture, and Islam. Examining the city’s evolution since Oman’s 1970s renaissance, I’ve observed significant changes in building structures. Despite these shifts, cultural norms, religious practices, and traditions persist. A prominent symbol of contemporary neighbourhoods is the centrally placed mosque, where men gather for prayers and social interactions, and the marketplace attached to the mosque.

For women, the mosque represents a predominantly male space. Comments like “Men will look at me” underscore the significance of visibility as a determining factor in where local women feel comfortable in public spaces. This partial invisibility contributes to the disproportionate ratio of women to men outdoors, leading to higher rates of vitamin D deficiencies and social misrepresentation in neighbourhoods. Younger women, in particular, are significantly affected, being the least likely to walk in public. In a culture emphasizing high levels of privacy, the performance of public spaces is a critical consideration. Can invisibility prompt inclusivity?

To investigate this, I used UCL’s space syntax Visual Graph Analysis to compare the typological structure of visibility and privacy in the streets of traditional settlements to those in contemporary neighbourhoods. It revealed that the lack of privacy in modern settlements goes against culturally appropriate public life. The study highlights the separation of the market from the mosque and the intimate design of entrances to holy sites in traditional neighbourhood planning, elements lost in the translation to contemporary neighbourhoods. Thus, the local mosque is the most contested space, and in most cases, the only public node present. Cultural norms and perceptions are embedded in the use of public space, and in the case of Muscat, hinders women’s inclusion or contribution to them.

Keywords:

Gender Spaces Inclusivity Culture Studies Space Syntax

Participation

Conference Abstract: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353342994_Invisibility_for_Inclusivity_Public_Spaces_for_Women_in_Oman Conference Paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353343230_GENDER_SPACES_IN_MODERN_MUSLIM_CITIES_Women’s_Public_Sphere_in_an_Evolving_Cityscape

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Depthmapx software training

• Space syntax theories analysis

• CAD/spatial mapping

• Historical planning analysis

• Writing research and conference papers

• Cultural - traditional - religious theories analysis

• Community workshops organisation

• Qualitative and Quantitative data analysis

AL HAIL Contemporary Neighbourhood

MUTTRAH Traditional Neighbourhood Mosque Market Place Mosque Market Place

Molenbeek’s image: Crowd-driven transformation within a stigmatised district Brussels,

BE

(2021) with Sophie Knoop and Stephanie Tannenberger. Master’s Course, RWTH University

Cities’ virtual presence significantly shapes perceptions in our modern internet age. As both the 2015 Paris attacks, and 2016 Brussels attack were planned in Brussels, and linked to the neighbourhood of Molenbeek, a negative outlook and stereotype has been placed upon the neighbourhood and it’s residents. Residential initiatives have attempted to shed the terror-stronghold reputation, and reviews of governmental interventions within the area are also easily found. This raised the research question on how has the image of the city changed, and what are the forces attempting to drive these changes?

For a university research paper, my team and I first investigated the infamy of Molenbeek. We applied Kevin Lynch’s mental maps approach to identify the image of the city, and followed the emerging trends in reporting on Molenbeek to aid this view. Additionally, we analysed Molenbeek’s socio economic, crime and demographic data to compare the image to the area to the reality of life on the ground.

Google Image Search of Molenbeek (Accessed 10.02.2021). On average, 62% of our searches yielded terror or migrant related results, whether for or against.

Place brand studies imply that areas are highly effected by Google image search findings. Five years after the attack, image searches of Molenbeek brings up the articles on the terror stronghold, with some arts and local street markets splattered throughout. No-go zone, Arab, Military, Marches and Cartoon, are amongst related search terms presented by Google, all linking to the dominant conversation of Islam, crime, immigrants and terror within the area. While our research pointed to the effort put forth by the government and residents of molenbeek, and our maps highlighted the hyperdiversity of Molenbeek and it’s mix of religions, cultures and socio economic statuses, there has yet to be a change in the dominant virtual footprint. Overall, we prove that there is a huge disconnect between Molenbeek’s online presence and reality on the ground.

Keywords:

Place Branding

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Analysing Google trends and identifying key terms

• Writing proficiency and sourcing (research paper)

• GIS Data gathering and presenting

• Ethical considerations - addressing sensitivities considering topic

• Understanding and Applying Kevin Lynch’s mental mapping concepts

6. Free Lands of Oman: The Sustainability of Land Allocation Politics in the Muscat Capital Area

Muscat, OM

(2021) With Dasha Kuletskaya - Master’s course, RWTH University

The right to land, initially introduced in Oman in 1984 and extended in 2008, grants a right to land property to every citizen above the age of 23, regardless of income and marital status. According to this, every Omani person has a right to a plot of land limited to 600 sq m. This land allocation rule defined the urban layout and caused the sprawled growth of residential districts in the capital city of Muscat. With the city growing at an unprecedented rate, there is a demand for new planning policies to overcome the issues with the current situation. This paper examines the Omani approach towards land provision and questions its long-term sustainability and viability against the backdrop of the realisation of rights to land and adequate housing.

Through the comparative analysis of urban density, this research estimates the capacity limits of the present system and argues that the realization of the right to housing translated as the right to property on land is profoundly unsustainable: while benefiting one Omani generation, it endangers the realization of the same right for future generations. The 40 years of this politics provide the backdrop for critical reflection on Hardin’s classic article on “The Tragedy of Commons”.

How long before Muscat runs out of lands?

Conference paper:

Housing is a fundamental human right outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet its application is debated, especially in terms of the right to property, particularly regarding land. While international human rights don’t explicitly mandate a right to land, what if it did? Similar ideas can be seen in Utopian images of visionary cities, as in the case of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broad Acre City. In that utopia, one acre of land would be granted to every nuclear family, homes would be spread out, and car dependency and individuality would be high. Even amongst the urbanists and planners of the 1930s, this layout was considered wasteful. Questioning the sustainability of such a system arose in terms of space as well as governance. While such a Utopian city has never been realised, some similarities regarding land allocation strategy are visible in the case of Oman. In Oman, the land allocation system in Muscat, while providing free land for 30 years, is found to be unsustainable. This study reveals that if continued, buildable land resources in the city will be depleted within the next 20 years.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350236699_Free_Lands_of_Oman_The_Sustainability_of_Land_Allocation_Politics_in_the_Muscat_Capital_Area

Keywords:

Sustainability

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Writing a research paper

• Contacting journals and conferences

• Presenting at international conferences

• Spatial analysis - Build-able land assessment, Densities calculation, Object-Based Image Analysis

• Literature review on Land policy and Human rights

Halban, Muscat Google earth screenshot

Rethink Restart Recover Resilient

Amsterdam, NL

(2020) with Eva Hoppmanns, Vanessa Kucharski, and Lea Schwab - Master’s course, RWTH University

The post-COVID19 cities are already underway, as it could be argued that entire lifestyles and spaces have changed. Cities have seen their regions react to lockdowns, as activity hubs have had to stop. We focused on the question of how to overcome a pandemic in a spatially just way and recover as soon as possible.

“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste”

- Emanuel Rahm (Wall Street Journal, 2008).

This project, carried out as part of a university course in the midst of pandemic lockdowns in 2020, used Amsterdam and the effects of COVID19 on its resident’s accessibility to services. Injustices are more visible in crises, as imbalances are more strongly felt. The lockdowns have helped to impose spots within the city which are unhealthy in their spatial makeup. We propose a decentralised restart approach, with the aid of residents input by an app we have designed.

A large number of residents work in Amsterdam’s city centre, but live elsewhere. Pre-Covid, the lack of commodities in their spaces was circumventable. During the pandemic, however, lockdowns, curfews and restrictions on travel curbed their ability to access basic necessities. Using public GIS data, we looked at activities and services that could remain open during the different phases of the lockdown. Entire quarters of the AMA are devoid of any activities, with spots in which access to basic open spaces and greenery is non-existent. The “Access Amsterdam” App that we designed was a means of a communication tool between city administrators and locals. For a more in-depth exploration of the app’s planning, including the sources of pooled data and the envisioned future for the Amsterdam Metropolitan area, you can delve into our linked book and review our submission for an MIT competition, where we received the Experts Choice Award.

Book: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67544789/rethink-restart-recover-resilient MIT Competition: https://www.pandemicresponsecolab.org/challenges/2020/the-post-covid19-city/c/contribution/112

Keywords:

Digitalisation

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• GIS data collection, adaption and presentation.

• Regional analysis

• App structural mapping

• Extensive research on crisis management

• Partook in a competition

• Graphic designing

• Co-authored a book on findings

• Social Media and open press presence (Issuu, Yumpu, Flikr... Etc.)

8. Reprocessed Spaces

Rheinisches Revier, DE

(2020) Master’s course, RWTH University

When I arrived in Germany in 2019, I was greeted with the vast lignite mining crate on my way to Aachen from Cologne. These crates have been a point of contention, with conflicts between RWE, the coal mining company, and Protesters of various backgrounds, within and along the Hambachers Forrest regularly making international news. Other than the alarming damage to nature and the landscape, over 70,000 persons have been displaced in the Rheinisches Revier and resettled within or without the area since the early 1900s. With this fact, a myriad of questions plagued me: How does one deal with this fact? How is this legal? How does the state handle or get involved in the process of displacement? What do the actual villagers go through when moving?

For this integrated project, I focused on understanding the process of displacement in NRW and how it has transformed over the last half century (if at all). Additionally, I was interested in resident’s recounting of their experience of being displaced and relocated, as well as their involvement in the design of their new quarters.

Using these two scales, I describe how displacement has not seen much of a change and with it the types of villages that are built as an outcome have not included innovative or sustainable measures. The process used by the firm RWE in relocating residents to designed villages has created sprawled monofunctional suburbia.

LITCH-STEINSTRASS ETZWEILER TANNEK

GESOLEI

RED - Planned demolitions

Booklet:

The figure above has 4203 known displaced persons. Interestingly enough, Gesolei was a designed village with a collection of Etzweiler and Elsdorf residents who were to be resettled in the 1920s. By 2001 the Hambach crate had forced the new town of Gesolei to be resettled again. This anecdote, while used to highlight how unstable living in this region can be, also hints at the unstructured way resettlements occurred. RWE’s planning and designing of new villages has largely remained unchanged from the 50s until today. Through looking at the typologies built, density levels, adaptability of buildings over time and the real estate markets in these relocated villages, we can clearly state that no major innovation has occurred in the physical resettlement process.

Moreover, the administrative and mental approach has largely stayed the same. Within my booklet, I provide other tactics that planners in the region could use to break the existing cycle. With development-induced displacement having a longer time process, I argue that extra steps, theories and safeguards could and should be used.

https://issuu.com/amalalbalushi/docs/integrated_project_2_amalalbalushi_booklet_20.07.2

Keywords:

Development Induced Displacement Protest Human Rights Sprawl

Quality of Life

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Historical spatial research

• Site visits and photo collections

• Typological analysis

• Density comparisons

• Real estate market analysis

• Following protest movements and demands

• Comparing Human Rights displacement theories

• Street interviews with residents

• Profiling average resident

• Planning toolbox creation/model planning suggestions.

9. Glasgow’s Smoking Transformation: Mapping a century of

policy

change to public smoking Glasgow, UK

(2020) Master’s Course, RWTH University

During a visit to my friend’s hometown, I heard about a beloved local pub that had been the village’s go-to spot for gatherings for decades until a smoking ban caused the bar to stop smelling like burnt tobacco. Instead the smell of chicken and swine coops and fertilizer mounds nearby had become overpowering. Unable to keep customers due to the new natural stench, the bar closed down. This made me wonder about how smoking bans have altered the atmosphere of a city, particularly from the perspective of smokers

Since WWII, Scotland has had higher rates of poor health and young mortality in comparison to the rest of western Europe. The Scottish Index for Multiple Deprivations (SIMD) was created to record and combat the country’s health crisis and, accordingly, Glasgow has constantly been at the worse end. The Glasgow Effect refers to this phenomenon, which experts attribute to various factors including socioeconomic conditions, weather, urban aesthetics, and lifestyles. Smoking, in particular, has been scrutinized over the years.

From advertising cigarettes as a weight loss product in the 1930s to banning them completely in stadiums during the 2014 commonwealth games, within this research project I looked at Glasgow’s take on smoking during the last century from by mapping “Where is smoking allowed” over the years as Tobacco bans increased.

1930s 1970s 2000s

In the 1940s, the government did ask it’s citizens to reduce tobacco intake, as Tobacco was subject to rationing like many other goods during World War II. While smoking was considered natural, residents regularly took to the media to complain about the horrid smell coming from open doors of pubs or entrances of most buildings. It was socially unacceptable to smoke in hospitals and in schools, but it was not banned or enforced. The clash against cigarettes were not truely felt until the 1960s, when anti-smoking campaigns were growing and studies on the ill effect of smoking was coming to light, and by 1989 smoking was fully banned in public buildings. Therefore, Smokers experienced a disallowence within minor buildings in downtown Glasgow as shown in the maps above. Fast forward to 2020, this disallowence has seeped into the outside world too as Glasgow has been slowly moving to become a smoke-free city by banning the act in entirety of public spaces - including local pubs. This change also reduced the kinds of elements one would associate with the act of smoking. In photos dug up from magazine archives we find things such as ashtrays on pub tables or attached to bins on the sidewalks.

Keywords:

Tobacco Trends

Urban Campaigns Public Policy Advertising

Historical Analysis

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Archive-diving, Historical research and analysis

• GIS locational data collection and analysis

• Public policy assessment

• Survey data analysis and visualisation

• Poster making and graphic design

10. The death & life of great Aachen Neighbourhoods: Löhergraben Quarter and Jane Jacobs Characters

Aachen, DE

(2020) with Giovanni Fontanella and Raffaele Nocerino Master’s Course, RWTH University

Jane Jacobs’ first published book on American cities still makes waves in urban and sociology fields today. She is credited with influencing and starting many movements such as New urbanism. Yet when one comes to describing Jacobs, terms such as Journalist and Author are used foremost, rather than an urbanist or urban analyst. Indeed, within her famed book opening chapter, she states that “this is an attack on city planning and rebuilding” - specifically the schools of thought that were being taught within institutions, acknowledging her otherness to urbanists.

In reading her book, we - as trained architects and planners - were in awe in how she used characters and scenarios to describe what was right and wrong within specific spaces of Greenwich Village and greater New York City. This form of storytelling as a means to analyse - and therefore capture - the essence of a space was one that we wished to recreate. We therefore observed and interacted with the public of the neighbourhood of Löhergraben in 2020, we compared this quarter to the stories put forth of Greenwich Village in 1961.

a) Child going for Ice cream

d) Pub Owner & Resident

b) Damo the Mafia Man

c) Arab-Mediterranean Assoc. Politician & Bar

e) Homeless Dwellers

f) Social Initiatives Areas where characters were Identified.

We found parallels in stories and activities, such as in the case of photo a - the child was observed on two occasions walking around the neighbourhood with a stick she’d found before getting some ice cream completely unattended. Jacobs discussed children playing down the block “They were under the casual surveillance of adults primarily visiting in public with each other” within her chapter on Assimilating children (Page 78).

We came across the owner, bartender and resident of the Queens pub (photo d) and quickly labelled him as an important character for the neighbourhood. He reminded us of Mr Jaffe, who Jacobs describes as a shopkeeper that “does as he sees the need; lend an umbrella to one customer and a dollar to another; took custody of two keys; took in some packages for people...”. The pub owner told us of his close connection with residents, having regular nights that are only for those who live in Löhergraben where he gets to meet and greet, discuss and take care of those around him.

Other characters who shape this neighbourhood were Damo, a talkative neighbour who reminisced about his Mafia days back in Italy to anyone who would listen, the politician sitting outside a restaurant who is known by the community as their point of political contact, or the homeless dwellers taking over the neighbourhood park. Similarities to Greenwich village were in abundance, and we found ourselves looking at the urban elements around these characters - understanding Jane Jacobs’ timeless book in a new way.

Keywords:

Urban Literature

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Interacting with, interviewing and Surveying the public

• Urban Literature Analysis

• Storytelling & Writing

11. Bachelor Thesis: Parental Student Village

Muscat, OM

(2017) RWTH University

Supervisor: Prof. Rolf Westerheide

The ever-growing university of RWTH in Aachen has a problem housing problem. While the university currently owns buildings and land that cover almost a third of the city, they do not run any dormitories, allowing the housing crisis to be handled by private investors and public organisations.

During my bachelor thesis semester, RWTH acquired 17,000 sqm of land close to Campus Mitte. As the university started planning what faculties, libraries or labs could move to this great location, I instead looked into one of the greatest needs RWTH students face - that of housing.

Speaking with AsTA, the student-run foundation that helps students search and apply for accommodation on the private market, I learned that students with families face the most hardships in finding appropriate housing. In comparison to the average single student, they require larger spaces, better qualities, and more accessible places.

Thus, this project attempts to create a student village geared for those with children. Providing not only dormitory space, but the area is meant to mimic a small and cosy village close to the centre of a bustling city with restaurants, parks, a daycare, offices, and shops.

Urban Design

Currently, the project area is being used as rentable garden spaces, a common practice known as Kleingarten or Schrebergarten in Germany. This idea of a fertile growing land has been repurposed in the project, with communal gardens and access to greenery equally provided amongst its residents. In addition, the pedestrian promenade that splits the area into an upper zone and lower zone falls along the existing walkway of the Kleingarten.

Groups of five to six structures create more intimate courtyards with balconies facing inwards to allow parents to watch their kids play freely. Each of these groupings includes a rectangular building that has some sort of mix-use entity within, from open-to-residents working spaces, to daycares, to fitness studios.

The main plaza is placed alongside an existing bus stop as the welcoming zone to the village. Here, residents can find the main building of the village where they can get their groceries, grab a coffee, attend events, meet and greet and enjoy the playground.

Contacting journals and conferences

Presenting at international Spatial analysis - Buildable land assessment, Densities calculation, Object-Based Image Analysis

• Literature review on Land policy and Human rights

12. The Safe Harbour: Designing Women Empowerment In a Male Dominant Space

Muscat, OM

(2016) Bachelors Course, Integrated Project V, GUtech

Seeb Souq, the second ‘centre’ of Muscat, teems with jewellery, clothing, and food stores along its vibrant coast. Omani fishermen enrich the daily fish market, while promenades adorned with street vendors and restaurants contribute to the lively atmosphere. Despite catering to diverse needs, a walkthrough reveals the dominance of one demographic, with women rarely seen in the area without male companionship.

Safety concerns loom large, with prevalent catcalling and stories of harassment echoing through the spaces. However, functionality-wise, a significant portion of the souq is dedicated to women’s clothing. In response to these challenges, this project introduces a safe space for women in this conflicted urban setting. Strategically positioned along the bustling shore, the women’s education and vocational training centre become a focal point. The ground floors are intentionally open and visually permeable, allowing glimpses of women entering and moving within the space. In contrast, the second and third floors, housing the training rooms, are discreetly cloaked. This nuanced play on privacy and safety aims to visually introduce women to the region while offering a retreat that provides comfort and support.

The design incorporates various levels of privacy, ranging from outdoor seating areas close to the women’s centre, integrating with the public environment, to the all-glass ground floor providing a sense of safety while remaining visually accessible. The upper floors provide complete shielding from the outside, empowering female users to decide the extent of their involvement in Seeb Souq at any given moment.

This innovative project has sparked controversy and risk-taking discussions among my peers, initiating a thought-provoking dialogue about the intersection of urban design, safety, and empowerment.

Keywords:

Gendered Spaces Urban Renewal Safety

Inclusivity

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Site observation, analysis and walk through

• Mood-mapping, footfall counting

• Perceptive analysis (triggers and signals)

• Traffic analysis

• Urban refurbishment of waterfront

• Technical plans - Floor plans and sections

13. Revitalising Nizwa Nizwa, OM

(2015) with Dana Al Haremi Bachelors course, GUtech, Integrated Project IV

For centuries, the sultanate of Oman has built villages and buildings with earthen architecture. Currently, a mass exodus from these areas is being experienced as residents have moved away to more “modernised” housing units of concrete and glass in the newer city of Muscat. With no one left to take care of these spaces, the derelict regions are turning into ruins. As the government grapples with what to do with these spots, the earthen architecture steadily disintegrates year by year.

Surprisingly, this has created a unique opportunity for ruin-visiting enthusiasts and tourists coming to visit the spots. Many settlements have become walkthrough museums, with guides explaining what kinds of activities would have taken place. Additionally, some places are attempting to refurbish some buildings into usable hotels and B&Bs.

This project caters to ruin enthusiasts, allowing them to move through the old city of Nizwa and imagine the kind of life that was once lived there while staying in newer earthen blocks floating above these buildings. The contrast between the old and new, using similar materials, is meant to highlight what was lost.

Rather than refurbish the ruins into their original state (as is being done in Manah, Birkat al Mouz, and countless other Omani ruins) this project wanted to showcase how earthen architecture has evolved since the 13th century. Additionally, large areas are in later stages of ruin and would be too costly to revive to their original forms. Nizwan typologies were limited to two storeys and rooms with a maximum width of 3 metres - as wide as the palm tree trunks that were used as beams. Openings sizes, inlets and arches within the walls, and steps on the stairs could not be modulated making each of these elements unique. With current examples of earthen architecture, we see how technology has helped bend this material further than previously thought. The stark reality of the two - modernity and traditionally - would also show how earthen architecture has the capability of making a comeback in a different way.

These floating blocks were inspired by modern examples of earthen architecture, such as Herzog & de Mueron’s rammed earth structures and the earthen art of Rene Rietmeyer

Keywords:

Urban Conservation

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Surveying and map-making of the traditional city from scratch

• Museum conceptualisation

• Creation of Master plans

• User analysis

• Drawing and Sketching

The Prayer Hall:

“From and Back to Dust” Halban, OM

(2015) with Dana Al Haremi Bachelors course, GUtech, Integrated Project III

This project won first place in a design competition at GUtech. The university needed a solution for outdoor prayer halls close to their sports complex of open air tennis and football fields.

Envisioned as a dark refuge against the blaring sun, the prayer hall is made from natural breathable materials of earth and wood. We observed and surveyed the path Muslim men take on their way to prayers and created atmospheres and functions related to that journey; For example, nooks in the walls for the men to place their shoes before their ablution.

Emphasizing self-sustainability and recyclability, the structures utilize mud earth that naturally returns to the ground over time. Inspired by Quranic verse 20:55, the project concept echoes the cycle of creation and return to earth.

Central to the design is the utilization of natural topography, with the site situated next to a 3m depressed wadi. The project maximizes elevation, placing toilets at the lowest point and ascending to a man-made hill housing the prayer room. Along the journey, ablution rivers seamlessly integrate, with water runoff aiding plant irrigation. Water collection from the wadi supports usage before returning downstream.

This project represents a holistic approach to design, addressing not only functional requirements but also cultural and environmental considerations. By seamlessly integrating modern engineering techniques with traditional architecture (introducing pre-stressed free-standing rammed earth walls) it not only serves the practical needs of worshippers but also celebrates Oman’s rich heritage. Additionally, the project sets a precedent for sustainable design practices, demonstrating how architecture can harmonize with its natural surroundings while minimizing its ecological footprint.

Keywords:

Temporary Structures

Skills and Tasks exercised:

• Structural Calculations and Drawings

• Detailed floor plans and sections

• Participation in Rammed Earth workshops

• Innovating new construction methods

• Conceptualisation of space

• Drawing and Sketching