Adjacency and Intersection: Narratives of Coexistence

‫التداخل والتقارب؛ التعايش في مدينة القدس‬

Adjacency and Intersection; Narratives of Coexistence

Part I: Proposition

The Complex

8

The Courtyard

10

The Sanctuaries

The Church

The Synagogue

The Mosque

14 28 42

Part II: Place

Studies of View

58

Terracing and the Void

61

Mappings of Jerusalem

65

Model Studies

69

Narratives of Displacement

79

Part III: Perspective

Procession

91

Materials

95

Frame

99

Part IV: Foundations

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Previous Works

104

Regional and Inspirational Architects

108

‫الجزء األول‪ :‬المشروع الهندسي‬ ‫ ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫ ‬

‫ المجمع‬

‫الفناء الرئيسي للمجمع‬

‫ ‬ ‫المباني المقدسة‬ ‫الكنيسة‬ ‫ ‬ ‫ ‬ ‫الكنيس‬ ‫ ‬ ‫المسجد‬ ‫ ‬ ‫الثاني‪ :‬المكان‬ ‫الجزء‬

‫ ‬

‫‪8‬‬ ‫‪10‬‬ ‫‪14‬‬ ‫‪28‬‬ ‫ ‬ ‫‪42‬‬

‫كشف البلدة القديمة‬

‫‪58‬‬

‫التدريج والتحفير‬

‫‪61‬‬

‫خرائط تطور القدس‬

‫‪65‬‬

‫المجسم والمدينة‬

‫‪69‬‬

‫ سرد حكاية النكبة والهجرة الفلسطينية‬ ‫ ‬

‫‪79‬‬

‫الجزء الثالث‪ :‬المنظور‬

‫الموكب‬

‫‪91‬‬

‫مواد البناء‬

‫‪95‬‬

‫اإلطار‬

‫‪99‬‬

‫الجزء الرابع‪ :‬األساسات‬

‫‪3| 3‬‬

‫األعمال السابقة‬

‫‪104‬‬

‫مصممين محليين ذو عمل ملفت‬

‫‪108‬‬

Tower of David | Panorama of Mount of Olives

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“I grew up in the presence of the city of Amman, Jordan - I grew up in the absence of Jerusalem.” While not physically present in the holy city, its narratives of coexistence and intersection amongst the three monotheistic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – and their respective cultural communities inhabiting the urban fabric became instilled in future generations of displaced Palestinians.

The old city of Jerusalem is a rich patchwork dense with layers of history and religious significance. All the individual stories and experiences of the place are inextricably linked to a religious narrative, weaving it into a larger network of the three religions that at times exist in cohesion and at others in conflict. Jerusalem becomes a place that can be seen through multiple lenses depending on the chosen narrative.

Sited on the Mount of Olives–a place of shared significance amongst the three religions and removed from the dense urban fabric—with views overlooking the architectural collage of religious structures in the old city, this thesis explores how a new architecture can facilitate interactions through visual connections amongst worshipers of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths.

The architectural intervention aims to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect in an inclusive zone amongst all who enter. Centered around the idea of transition and faith, the architecture allows the elements of path, threshold, and frame to create visual connections amongst worshipers as well as to the city beyond—a reminder of the shared history of the divergent narratives.

A visitors personal religion is brought in and out of focus as they travel through the complex to their building Beginning on common ground, they then diverge to enter a space sacred to the respective faith, eventually reconvening in a shared courtyard with unobstructed views of the shared city. Although the significance of religion cannot be overlooked in this city, this new architecture aims to create a space where the three can come together in harmony to celebrate both individual narratives and common histories.

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Part I: The Proposition

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5

6 3 4 2

1

1 Courtyard 2 Vertical Landmark 3 Terracing 4 Mosque 5 Church 6 Synagogue

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The Courtyard | Where the Paths Diverge As the bodies are prepared and carried up through a ramp. A

shared courtyard where three paths diverge is presented. A series of terraces surround the courtyard and are reminiscent of the traditional techniques used by the rural villagers to engage the steepness of the landscape. A brass disc is in the center of the courtyard and from which three brass lines diverge towards the Jewish, Christian and Muslim paths into their respective sanctuaries (the Synagogue, the Church, and the Mosque). The ramps allow a view of the old city in addition to visual connections between worshipers of the three faiths ascending towards their sanctuaries. This adjacency and intersection allows a form of negotiation between the different worshipers of the city.

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The Floor as a Fifth Facade A line of brass acts as a guide that worshipers follow up from the courtyard into their respective rooms. A disc acts as a point from which the paths diverge towards the rooms. The choice of brass was made due to its golden color and the way the material engages the harsh sunlight of the site. As the brass lines transcend the thresholds of the sanctuaries, a larger sanctuary made up of the three sanctuaries is created.

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The Church | The Christian Narrative The Chapel has a unique relationship to the ground. The building is concealed in part as it engages the harsh topography of the site. The ramp wraps around it to allow visitors to see the altar carved out of the mountain. An olive tree marks the entrance to the space and refers to Gethsemane, the garden in which Jesus was arrested by the Romans.

The walls consist of stacked limestone gathered from the quarrying of the mountain. The stacked stone is held up by a steel frame which allows light to filter in between the stacked stones due to their irregular shape.

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The church of the Holy Sepulchre is an important monument stitched into the urban fabric of the old city. It was an important part of the city to frame as it is believed to be the site where Jesus Christ was crucified and ascended to heaven.

The narrative of ascension is a repeating narrative within the city.

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1

4 6

2

3 5

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1 Procession Ramp 4 Baptistery 5 Seating 2 Altar 6 Communion Table 3 Olive Tree

A

A concrete wall wraps around the Chapel’s courtyard. This wall acts as an exterior shell that allows the building to blend in with the volumes of the Mosque and Synagogue. Allowing the three volumes to present themselves as a whole to the Old city. This also allows the complex to be a reflection of the city as it emulates the collage and the cluster of various buildings that blend in together to create the whole that is the Old City of Jerusalem.

B

A

A basin of stone sediments is carved in front of the altar.

These sediments are remains kept due to the excavations of the ramp surrounding the Chapel. Since the Mount of Olives is holy grounds, it is important that the sediments of excavations are kept and displayed. As Worshipers ascend the ramp towards the Chapel, they are presented with the altar and the sediments of the mountain.

B

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1

An olive tree is placed at the entrance as a direct allusion to Jesus Christ, who has narratives associated with the olive tree.

The exterior shell frames the church of the holy sepulchre, and the placement of the the olive tree in front of the framed view alludes to the first and last stations of the cross.

This is because Jesus Christ was arrested by an Olivetree in Gethsemane.

2

Due to the steep incline of the site, there was a need to create voids that allow worshipers to gradually ascend into their sanctuaries. The void surrounding the Church provides a unique interaction between the holy mountain and allows them to inhabit the void between the church and the mountain.

1

2

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Parapet 40’ - 0” Concrete Roof 37’ - 6”

1

The aperture behind the communion table frames the cross carved in the mountain and proportions it. The cross in carved in the mountain is lined in brass, creating a golden glistening effect within the mountain. The aperture is the main source of light in the space which creates hierarchy towards the framed cross.

Stacked Stone Wall 27’ - 0”

2

1

The walls of the church are built using a steel frame with steel plates that support the stones placed in between the plates. This allows the church to be open air. As one walks on the ramp, the visitor inhabits the void that is cut out of the mountain and is encapsulated by a constructed wall and a quarried wall as a consequence of excavating from the mountain.

Cast in Place Concrete 4’ - 6”

2

Ground Level 0’ - 0”

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Roof Parapet Detail

Stone Wall Detail

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Transverse Section

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5’

10’

20’

40’

Longitudinal Section and Plan

5’

10’

20’

40’

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The Synagogue | The Jewish Narrative The vesica piscis form of the synagogue is sheltered by its massive concrete walls. This exterior shell allows the three different prayer spaces to appear uniform and cohesive. A fig tree marks the entrance to the prayer space, in reference to the tree of life in heaven. The roof extends over the space and over the ramp pointing towards the Old City of Jerusalem. The roof consists of a series of layered precast concrete beams which allow light to penetrate the space. The rusticated stone receives light in a compelling way and adds depth to the prayer room.

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The Synagogue is oriented to Jerusalem and its exterior walls.

The gates of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are important elements that are part of the Jewish narrative of the city. The panoramic view is completely visible, but the roof beams extend over the path to point towards the city.

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5

4

2

3

1

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1 Procession Ramp 4 Bimah 2 Fig Tree 5 Torah Wall 3 Seating

A

The Synagogue is encompassed by an exterior shell allowing the synagogue to appear rectilinear to the complex and the rest of the city. On the side facing the rest of the complex, the synagogue’s wall is a solid block of concrete. While on the other side of synagogue, the shell is hollow, creating a hallway leading back to the courtyard that overlooks the rest of the complex.

B

The brass line that starts in the main courtyard transcends the thresholds of the buildings and into the holy walls within the sanctuaries, The brass line wraps around the synagogue, into the hall and then stops at the torah wall.

A

B

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1

The Synagogue is recessed into the ground which allows the ramp to descend towards the courtyard, this step-down aids in the transition into the threshold of the sanctuary . The layered roof structure creates a clerestory which allows light to filter in from above and illuminate the roof. Jerusalem is known to be the axis mundi so there is an emphasis on the roof as it is the axis towards the heavens.

2

1

A Fig tree is placed at the entrance of the Synagogue as an allusion to the tree of life in heaven as referred to in the Torah. The courtyard in front of the Synagogue forces a visual connection between those entering the space and those ascending up the ramps into the other respective sanctuaries. The use of sacred trees mark the threshold of the sanctuaries.

2

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Parapet 46’ - 0” Concrete Roof 42’ - 5”

1

The roof beams extend out of the space and over a curved hallway which creates a powerful relationship to the heavens.

Jerusalem is part of narratives associated with the axis mundi and ascension. The wall is constructed using a steel frame that holds the stones in place but creates a screen effect. The exterior shell does not compromise the visica piscis interior of the building, creating a ‘Jewel Box’ effect.

Stacked Stone Wall 36’ - 0”

Cast in Place Concrete 5’ - 0”

2

The Torah wall breaks the curving walls of the interior visica piscis form. The wall is made of a smooth concrete which distinguishes it within the sanctuary. The torah wall extends past the roof beams to allows light to penetrate the space around wall, using light to create hierarchy within the sanctuary.

Ground Level 0’ - 0” 1

2

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Precast Concrete Beam to Stone Wall Frame Connection

Footing Detail of Wall

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Transverse Section

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5’

10’

20’

40’

Longitudinal Section and Plan

5’

10’

20’

40’

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The Mosque | The Islamic Narrative As the ramp ascends towards the Mosque, a washroom is carved from the mountain for worshipers to cleanse within the earth before prayer.

As the visitor ascends further up the ramp towards the prayer room, the facade acts a storage cabinet to display the prayer mats to the rest of the complex. The presence or absence of the mats on the facade are linked to the presence or absence of the worshipers. The floor plays an important role in the space; A ramp of pink limestone suggests an area for movement while a slate suggests an area to be stagnant and in prayer. The floor steps down towards a curved qibla wall made of bronze placed in a basin of water to abstract the wall.

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On the platform of the mosque, looking at the collage of religious narratives within the city, it is no doubt that the Dome of the Rock and the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) ascension narrative is clearly visible from any point of the city. Its Golden glistening dome in addition to its placement on the Temple Mount makes it seen within the collage of the urban fabric. Therefore, that specific view did not need an orchestrated frame.

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5

1

4

3

6

2

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1 Procession Ramp 4 Prayer tile 2 Prayer Matt Cabinet 5 Qibla Wall 6 Olive Tree 3 Central Ramp

1

The floor in the mosque is an important plane to study as worshipers engage it directly. In the center of the room, a main avenue of pink limestone tile is placed. The pink limestone directly refers to the Mamluk dynasty that ruled Jerusalem. Islamic architecture during that dynasty used the pink limestone as an indication of architectural identity within the urban fabric. A black slate tile the size of the prayer mats are placed to order the worshipers in the room.

2

The Olive tree is an important natural element within the Islamic narrative of the city and the religion’s narrative of the surrounding landscape. The entry hallway between the cabinet and the wall of translucent glass frame the olive tree .

2

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1

The washroom is carved out of the bedrock and allows the worshipers to be part of the earth. The space is lit by the reflecting pool at the end of the room which creates a powerful constantly changing effect. Water is an important element in Islam and is used to cleanse the worshipers before prayer. The basin of water projects the light reflected from the qibla wall down into the space and is appropriate to the function of the room.

Parapet 30’ - 0” Concrete Roof 26’ - 6” Stacked Stone Wall 24’ - 0”

Cast in Place Concrete 7’ - 6”

Ground Level 0’ - 0”

2

The exterior wall shelters the courtyard and provides a backdrop to the olive tree. The wall doesn’t obstruct any view of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock which is visible from any corner of the complex. The courtyard provides an area for worshipers to contemplate and be in a more relaxed space.

1

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1

The northern facade of the mosque faces the rest of the complex and is seen from all other points within the architectural intervention. The facade is made up of a steel shelving system that allows the prayer mats to be stored in it. The facade is activated and becomes constantly changing and dynamic. The presence and absence of the worshipers are linked to the presence and absence of the prayer mats.

This architectural gesture subtly indicates the presence of people who have alternative narratives and lenses to the city.

2

The floor in the mosque steps down towards the qibla wall.

Each row is slightly stepped down to allow a clear view of the qibla wall. The smooth concrete surface marks the area which the doors rest in when they are slid open. Marking the threshold into the Mosque is used as a form of ornamentation in the sanctuary.

1

2

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Celerestory Elevation Detail

Frame to Concrete Connection

1

53|53

Transverse Section

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5’

10’

20’

40’

Longitudinal Section and Plan

5’

10’

20’

40’

55|55

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Part II: Place

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2

1 3

5 7

Relationships

4

2

5 1 3

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An additional element of this exploration was the study of the relationships prevalent between the architectural intervention and the city. The vertical tower in the complex becomes an important element within the complex seen from other parts of the city. The monolith tower is a marker of a place where the three narratives can come together and coexist within close proximity to each other.

Synagogue orientation Church Orientation Qibla 1

Lions’ Gate

2

Church of the Holy Sepulchre Gate of Mercy

3 3 4 5 6 7

Hurva Synagogue Dome of the Rock City of David Church of Mary Magdalene Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery Mount Zion Cemetery Yeusifiya Cemetery

Framing Views

1

Located on the Mount of Olives, the site provides an unobstructed vantage point and view over important monuments within the old city of Jerusalem.

Monuments such as Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Mercy Gate play important roles within the Religious narratives prevalent in the city. As one ascends the mountain, the panoramic view of the old city of Jerusalem is purposely obstructed at times and revealed at others. Visitors come to an understanding that the collage of religious narratives is what gives the city its identity.

7

3

5

2

4

6

Synagogue orientation Church Orientation Qibla 1

Lions’ Gate

2

Church of the Holy Sepulchre Gate of Mercy

3 3 4 5 6 7

Hurva Synagogue Dome of the Rock City of David Church of Mary Magdalene Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery Mount Zion Cemetery Yeusifiya Cemetery

4

5

3

2

1

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Terracing | Studying the Void Through a preliminary site model, a void was created that accommodated the orientations of the three buildings.

Inhabiting this void was important as it created a new layer of neutral territory to be negotiated between the three narratives of the city. The void becomes the place of direct interaction between the worshipers of the three abrahamic faiths in the city. A series of ramps were created within the void and in between the ramps and the three sanctuaries a series of terraces were placed in an attempt to smoothen the steepness of the mountain and to emulate vernacular approaches to the landscape.

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Preliminary Site Section

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Shared Path

Synagogue Path Church Path Mosque Path Shared Path

Preliminary Site Study Model

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Mappings | The Evolution of the City From the rise of the Ottoman Empire to the collapse of the British Mandate, Jerusalem has changed and evolved drastically. The changes in political climates and the tension between different narratives of the city creates a unique urban environment where people who align themselves with different narratives have no choice but live alongside each other.

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Before the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1917, Jerusalem was a city rich with multi ethnic presence. The Ottoman Empire sought to create a multinational identity, and with it a modern city which was comprised of quarters that mixed these different identities together. It was not until the Great Arab Revolt in 1917 that the city was separated into four distinct communities, segregating the ethnicities and religious groups. Tensions arose in 1936 between the Arab (Muslims and Christians) and the Jews of the city, which led to further spatial segregation among the communities and as a result, created a fine line that separated the quarters of Jerusalem. Later, in May of 1948, the establishment of the Zionist state under the complete support of the British angered the Arab world causing the first Arab-Israeli war. This led up to the creation of the Green Line’; an armistice line which divided the Holy city - Israeli Western Jerusalem and Jordanian Eastern Jerusalem-into two.

1987-2005

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Palestinian Built-up Areas Israeli Built-up Areas Municipal Area Israeli-Jordanian Armistice Line Separation Barrier

1967-1987

1948-1967

1917-1948

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Studies of Place | The City and the Model Using a camera lens to capture important architectural monuments of the city, observations of the city’s architectureal elements were made. A series of images of study models aligned with the city of Jerusalem’s architectural identity and its concepts of threshold, material, procession and light.

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Threshold is an important architectural element within the city of Jerusalem as it distinguishes holy spaces from profane spaces. The use of a screen blurs that threshold because of the visual connection to the outside.

Dome of the Rock | Threshold

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Porous material revealing walls receiving light behind; blurring the interior to exterior threshold.

Stacked stone wall acts as a screen that blurs the threshold of the sanctuaries

The study of water as a threshold between tangible and intangible space

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The use of Jerusalem stone and the exposure of bedrock are recurring architectural moments within the city. As the harsh sunlight hits the surface of the porous stone, depth is added to what appears to be a flat surface.

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Rockefeller Archaeological Museum | Material

Layering of textures and material qualities

The old city walls of Jerusalem placed on the bedrock of the plateau

Light projection onto a textured surface

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Procession and movement are recurring themes within the practice of many religions.

Jerusalem is known to have the Via Dolorosa (the Twelve Stations of the Cross). Since procession is such an integral part of the city, it needed to be explored within the realm of spatial separation and visual connection.

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Church of the Holy Sepulchre | Procession

Procession in an enclosed space with light penetrating from the roof plane

Sign marking the fifth station of the cross | Procession

Elevated path over another procession path

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Located on a plateau within the desert, Jerusalem’s architecture had to engage the harsh sunlight. Thus, clerestories were needed to allow daylight to filter into the interior spaces and project onto the ceiling plane.

This projection minimizes direct light which allows the space to be cooler, it also distributes light evenly within the spaces.

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Al-Aqsa Mosque | Light

Clerestory windows projecting light into the space and onto floorplane

The stacking of structural elements creates a clerestory

Contrast of projection of light from clerestory onto opaque and translucent material

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Collage | Narratives of the Palestinian Diaspora Using historic images depicting important events of the Palestinian exodus and diaspora, a series of collages were created to depict personal narratives and recollections of history. The following collages illustrate family members’ memories and understandings of crucial historic events that had a direct impact on their identities. These narratives are not visually apparent on the landscape, but there is a need for the architect to understand these narratives and attempt to address them.

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*1948 marks the Nakba; also known as the catastrophe. This event marks the expulsion of millions of Palestinians by Zionist forces seeking the establishment of the state of Israel.

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Lifta Exodus - Lifta, Palestine 1948

Younis Walks to School In the village of Lifta, west of the holy city Younis is born. At the age of 14, Younis walks a few miles to attend the Rashidya school. But the journey is more important than the destination.

As he walks through the streets of west Jerusalem, he waves to his Jewish friends at el tanak street and tells them that he will see them later in the day.

Younis enters the Jaffa Gate and proceeds to pass through the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem, early enough to see the head of the Muslim Nuseibeh clan open the doors to the Church of the Holy sepulcher.

Younis passes through a series of interconnected communities that share a love for the holy city. This love and longing for the holy city remained ingrained in Younis even after the events of 1948*.

Younis flees the holy city and seeks solace in the city of Amman Jordan. As an adult, Younis dedicated his life to aid the Palestinian refugee camp of Jabal el Hussein and within this time frame, he gets married and becomes a father to two children. Seventy years after the events of 1948*.

His daughter and grandson are brought to tears as they walk through the remains of Lifta. They had already been there, but only in their imagination, sculpted by Younis’s nostalgia of their lost home.

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Jaffa Exodus - Jaffa, Palestine 1948

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Diana’s Key In 1965 Diana found a key in a box of memorabilia , soon enough a wave of memories came back to her and she recalled her last day in Jaffa in 1945, a day like no other.

Diana was 4 years old when “the catastrophe” had occurred. She recalls a typical morning on May 17, eating a delicious orange handed to her by her pregnant mother. Little did she know that the orange she ate was the very last she will ever have from the famous orange groves of Jaffa.

Later that day fighting broke out and little Diana started to hear gunshots. It was at that very moment that her mother and father grabbed Diana and her sisters and made a run for the port to hop on the boats.

As the Afranji family are aboard their boat towards Egypt, Diana’s mother starts to feel some pain. Joe, Diana’s brother is ready to join the family, and so their escape to Egypt was paused and they needed to port Gaza immediately for Joe to be born.

20 years later, Diana is married to Younis, and started her own family in diaspora in the city of Amman, Jordan. She is the mother of one year old Reem, who knows no Jaffa or Lifta, who knows no homeland. As Diana is holding the key to her lost home in Jaffa, she wonders if she ever will return, or if young Reem will ever grow up to see the home that she spent the beginning years of her childhood in. 54 years later Diana is still holding on to her key as a symbol of her struggle.

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*Black September is a term used to describe the armed conflict that occurred between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian Armed Forces.

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Black September* Civil War - Amman, Jordan 1970

Reem’s Black September Reem 6 years of age, looks upon the avenue of bullets that once was the street leading up to ministry of interiors. Her younger brother, Nidal is next to her, and is feeling excited about being in the top bunker of the Jordanian army tank.

It was a rough day for the Eses family, but more like a rough week. Ever since the fighting between the Jordanian army and the Palestinian liberation organization broke out, they have been stranded within a safe zone within their home. But that day was different, the Eses family’s upstairs neighbors drew the blinds up and shots were immediately fired at the home. It didn’t last one minute until they where shouting “Dr. Younis!” to save their wounded father. Dr. Younis would refuse his call due to fear of being shot.

A few moments after, a few Jordanian army fighters in a tank call on the Eses Family shouting, “Palestinians, exit your home now” a lot more was said and heard that day, and Reem would remember it for the rest of her life. Diana, Younis, and their kids Nidal and Reem exit their home, in their pajamas, undignified just how it was meant to be, and are asked to mount the tank, thus leading up to the moment in which Reem was staring at the avenue of bullets.

Reem remembers a lot more details of this story, she remembers being displaced during the war to live next to a hospital where she would play in the playground and see dead bodies being escorted out, she remembers hearing gun shots and explosions, she remembers being stranded in that safe zone within her home for a week. But what she remembers does not mean that she will openly share these stories with the future generations, the suffering and the pain that first generation Palestinian in diaspora have experienced will never be openly shared. It is the duty of future generations to ask and keep these narratives and struggles alive.

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Amman; Life in Diaspora As I look onto my home, the city of Amman, I see my past, present and future. I see a past of Palestinian displacement, from the port city of Jaffa to the village of Lifta. I see a past of civil war and strife . I am a culmination of these events and my identity is linked to them. I am Younis, Diana and Reem all in one. Through their past struggles I have seen a blissful present, far from violence and displacement. Finally, I see a future of lost Palestinian narratives.

It is through this thesis that I planned to further understand our longing to the Holy city of Jerusalem and bring the image of the city that my late grandfather painted to life. This architectural intervention attempts to bring back this fondness of an intersectional holy city. It is crucial that the Christian, Muslim and Jewish narratives are given equal representation within the city.

As I gaze upon the plateau of the old city from the Mount of olives, it is the whole that is beautiful and that whole is made from the three parts. After all, It is where Jesus was crucified, it is where David built his temple and it is also where The prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Yes the narratives are different, but the motif within these narratives is the understanding that the plateau that is Jerusalem is where prophets and messengers roamed.

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Part III: Perspectives

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Procession | Ascending the Mountain Procession is an important religious element within the city of Jerusalem and within the complex as well. Through a series of charcoal perspectives, a sequence of movement through the complex was deduced, starting from the entry into the preparation rooms, through a series of ramps to a shared courtyard, and through another series of ramps ending at the three sanctuaries. Ascending the mountain is similar to Jerusalem’s narratives of ascension and the ascension to god by the Mount of Olives on judgment day, the very site of the complex.

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Ramp | Study of Procession and Visual Connections

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Ascension Ramps | Procession

Tunnel Leading to Synagogue’s Courtyard

Brass Line leading to Church Altar

Entry to Embalming Rooms

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Studies of Material | Blurring the Threshold Through charcoal drawings, studies of material have become important details to portray. Through this material exploration, one was able to study atmospheric qualities of the spaces designed, and the impact the material choices have on the way the worshipers perceive it. Through the exploration of materials, it was deduced that the use of translucent and porous materials grants the spaces bound by them some form of privacy while at the same time reveals certain aspects of the bound space, the use of a translucent material as a consequence blurs the threshold of the space.

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Church Altar with Stacked Stone Walls | Material

Vine roof to blur Contemplation Room’s threshold to the heavens

Translucent glass and Cabinets in Mosque entry hallway

Torah Wall View in Synagogue

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Studies of Frame | Framing Intersectional Elements Jerusalem in of itself is a site of intersection among the three religious narratives. Within the narratives, natural elements are referred to as holy and directly relate to the natural landscape of Jerusalem. Elements such as [scarcity of ] water, fig trees and olive trees are important within the three narratives. These intersectional elements can be framed by the architecture, and in this way, the architecture becomes a vessel to inform its visitors of the intersectional elements present within the three narratives of the city.

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Moment of intersection | Framing the Olive Tree

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Framing an Olive Tree | Intersectional Elements

Shadows of Olive trees projected on procession path

Mosque entry hallway framing olive-tree

Aperture framing monument in city

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Part IV: Foundations

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Living Room Kitchen Bedroom Bathroom

The Wall Project | Fourth Year

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Offices Circulation Cores Maintenance Closet Mechanical Room Bathrooms Copyrooms Breakroom Meeting rooms /areas Dwelling Units Rooftop Garden

Parapet Detail The wall is supported by a series of columns and beams. The top of the wall is supported by a cast in wide flange beam that connects back to the roof slab.

Skylight Detail The south side of the facade connects to the wall through a skylight. Columns on both sides of the wall aim to support the skylight and the glass block wall.

Wall to Slab Connection The wall touches the concrete slab and its forces are sent down to it.

The slab allows gravel to be placed around the wall.

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Room and Garden Project | Third Year

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Ammar Khammash | Royal Academy for Nature Conservation

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Suad Amiry | Beit Iksa Village Renovation

Hasan Fathy | New Baris Village

Svere Fehn | Nordic Pavilion

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Bibliography “AD Classics: Nordic Pavilion in Venice / Sverre Fehn.” Archdaily, Venice, 30 Mar. 2016, www.archdaily.com/784536/ad-classics-nordic-pavilionin-venice-sverre-fehn.

Amiry, Suad, and Alex Barmaki. Golda Slept Here. Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, 2016.

“Archdaily.” Archdaily, Ajlun , 19 June 2016, Royal Academy for Nature Conservation / Khammash Architects” 19 Jun 2016. ArchDaily. Accessed 26 Jun 2019. ISSN 0719-8884.

Bertini, Viola. “View of the Craft School from the North at New Baris.”

Wallpaper*, New Baris, 2010, www.wallpaper.com/architecture/hassanfathy-book-laurence-king.

Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane; the Nature of Religion. 1959.

Fathy, Hassan. Architecture for the Poor. The American University in Cairo Press, 2016.

Misselwitz, Philipp, and Tim Rieniets. City of Collision: Jerusalem and the Principles of Conflict Urbanism. Birkhäuser - Publishers for Architecture, 2006.

“Riwaq Renovated Beit Iksa.” Middle East Architect, Beit Iksa , www. middleeastarchitect.com/42274-palestinian-architect-and-author-suad-amiry-discusses-challenges-facing-conservation-architects.

Stegers, Rudolf, and Dorothea Baumann. Sacred Buildings: a Design Manual. Birkhäuser, 2010.

Vinciarelli, Lauretta, and Brooke Hodge. Not Architecture but Evidence That It Exists: Lauretta Vinciarelli’s Watercolors. Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.

Weizman, Eyal. Hollow Land: Israel’s Architecture of Occupation. Verso, 2017.Occupation. Verso, 2017. *Unless otherwise stated, all drawings and photographs are products of the author

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Special thanks to Patrick Doan for being a great mentor and for believing in my abilities as a young and growing architect.

Thank you Jim Basset for challenging me this year and for encouraging me to find the narratives within the architecture.

To Rand Haj Hasan, the day I got to know you was the day that my hope for Jordan’s architecture was revived. Thank you for asking questions and for long video chats and conversations about our duty as architects.

To Diana, Reem and Younis, thank you for sharing your narratives with me and for being the inspiration behind my thesis.

Thank you Lanna, Ramzi and Nael for being there for me and being my rock through these past five years.

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