THE CURRENT STATE
political passiveness
People are also in a state of passiveness with the status quo due to instilled values of mindless patriotism that needs to confirm with the status quo
a city of employees
with the majority of the population being employees, the city itself developed to be catering only for employees and consequently a deterrant of creativiness and skill or anyone who wont confirm to the employee lifestyle
mentality of employees
the lifestyle of employees confirms with the original purpose of the city and with the desires of the state being a very routine life that leaves little to other aspects of life and promotes passiveness, killing local initiatives perpetuating passiveness
the state is also perpetuating the employee mentality and passiveness that is less likely to question the status quo.
ismalia MOVING FORWARD
all these values of passiveness are aligned with the origins of the city as a small service town, but as the city develops the lack in diversity of the public life and lack of a pro active mindset is negatively affecting the urban life
a driver of social interest
a provoking action
public space
Provoking initiative tackling dormancy of the mind and of the city acting as a catalyst of a proactive mindset that enable harnessing the power of a community acting as one
the city needs a stimulus that provokes people into being opinionated and questioning The surrounding instead being passive
existing in a collective safe public space would instil a sense of solidarity which helps overcoming fear of expression harnessing existing city patterns
removing barriers of thought
a safe venue for expression
gov. regime of visibility
informal graffiti state’s wall artwork
culture palace governorate taxes mission office site
agriculture directorate
labor bureau
site
ismailia city
GOALS
public/shared space
curating interaction
safe expression tool & space
facilitating political conversation
Art can be a powerful vehicle for social change, it can give voice to the political or socially disenfranchised
art
a creator of public space
art
• • • •
SOCIOLOGICAL INTERVENTION
a creator of public space creates a safer medium of expression facilitates a friendly/non threatening conversation provokes dormant citizens
trans-positioning the sociological and social differences and conversions to artistic ones
a connector of dichotomy
ESCAPISM
ROMANTICISM
REALISM
a familiar state
a mediator
KEY TO ADVANCEMENT
a familiar state of escaping reality into an imagined utopia reminiscing the beauty of the past
a developmental stage connecting the imagined to reality building on hearing ones emotions and feelings
A stage of societal debate that introduces solutions as the collective outcome through an elevated level of criticality and truthfulness
e-
e
ART AS A MEDIATOR
FLIPPING / CATALYSING EXISTING PATTERNS
art mediation turns the message from the artists intention to the collective outcome of the observing group’s discussion
proactive cooperation & art mediation shifts the role of the artist as someone who asks questions rather than provide answers
a process where artists start to animate public debate and trigger discussion utilising arts ability to unite and spark communication making the artistic process an outcome of
the context the consumer the producer the interactor
street arts disruptiveness can open up a space for re-imagining inclusive public space
street arts in the digital age Andrea Baldini
new genre public art
tackling city & mind dormancy
city wide action areas messenger
SOCIOLOGICAL INTERVENTION
trans-positioning the sociological and social differences and conversions to artistic ones
PHYSICAL INTERVENTION
• • • • •
A SIMULATED ISMALIA
hybird shared space
Resonating the design’s discussion city wide Animating public spaces allover the city Curating interactions in the newly communal space public space reclaiming downtown giving downtown to the people
mind dormancy tackled by making the city a spectrum of realism to escapism making a journey throughout the city a journey that prepares you for the downtown artistically social experience
realism
Interventions city wide in selected action areas to test solutions and slowly induce change
romanticism the polar opposite of the city’s dormancy represented in a extreme implementation of an imaginative space
a hybrid space implementing a vision of social not visual implementation of a city and its interactions countering the hopelessness of ismalia’s realists
Escapism
the full experience of escapism existing to counter the -ve escapism
city wide intervention
el gamaa
al khames
el gameyat
el shiek zayed el balabsa & el salam Searching for patterns of the city
el temsah
old ismalia
shambelyon
existing patterns
al afrang
street arts disruptiveness can open up a space for re-imagining inclusive public space
street arts in the digital age Andrea Baldini
utilising existing city patterns in provocation
a microcosm of the city a resulting product of a journey inscribed by the city and curated by the space creation nature of graffiti in disruptiveness
existing patterns
el gamaa
Catering to university students gov housing with standardized form the university lacking and art department
al khames
sculpting
music
el gameyat
Standard monotonous from Assumed standard personality Creating enclosures (public private space)
Formal planning/informal dev. a hybrid trial in dev. Useless visual order dense with high personalization
applied arts
el shiek zayed recycled materials
el balabsa
library
recycling
organically planned district with high personalization with lack of educaitonal facilites
el temsah
Transience of alsuez canal signifying a mode of story telling
el temsah old ismalia
a forgotten and neglected neighborhood
an attempt to continue foreign planning informally no identity
crafts literature
existing forces
shambelyon
with extensive use of public space shambelyon brings romanticizes old times in a sophisticated and literate district
theatre/ cinema al afrang
a key definer of identity reminiscing a classic portrayal of stories of its past history manifested in an escapist urban district
dialogue of elements
and then a dialogue between the structure and the context form highlighting deficiencies within the design calling for a new element that would enable a higher level of interplay
dialogue of elements
engaging producers consumers & interactors Engaging in a field of spaced arranged to induce explorative thoughts attracting people towards more specialized spaces of immersion into a certain form of art
internal to external reflection through the exploration journey the user would go through phases internal dialogue, reflection and validation that would eventually enable external dialogue starting the artistic process of a group
art mediation starts to animate discussions through the sequential experience through phases of reflection and interaction
a sequential experience
an incremental journey of ascension highlighting the process of resurfacing of expressive thoughts
Directing the peoples only presence towards a conversation with the state
a sequential experience
LIBRARY
WORKSHOP STUDIOS
EL BALABSA & ELSALAM
• el salam and el balabsa being informally developed district had very cozy and warm feeling to its streets which showcased a pattern that directly affected on the feeling of the user
taking hints from how the city opens to the sky it was observed that the districts opens up public spaces through its fabric in spontaneous and intimate way with certain scale as opposed to a previous iteration of one big court
EL SHIEKH ZAYED EL KHAMES EL GAMYEAT
SCULPTING WORKSHOP GALAL ABDO HASHEM
RECYCLING EL SHIEKH ZAYED
a warm path of storytelling with a dense scale the pedestrian is exposed to multiple stories of each family as he walks by accentuated by the power of individualization people get in informal areas
forces with character
APPLIED ARTS EL GAMEYAT
• these districts having a potential in a specific craft or a certain artist who defines his own industry are getting spaces focal on this craft or artist
ismailia’s renown sculptor, • his most famous work made of shrapnel and war heads parts brought back by soldiers form the 73’ war
• the district being the first to adopt up-cycling techniques used recycled materials in its construction which showcases massive potential in this field
• being a district planned by the state but built by the people, the people utilized the chance to capitalize on some industries relating to applied arts like steel motifs design and graphic design
MUSIC
an internal process of exploration
EL GAMAA • el gamaa having young explorative students needed an area that caters for that sense of exploration that aids in their process of self discovery and evolving
CRAFTS OLD ISMALIA
provoking certainty • a district stuck in past times with an economical issue being highly neglected needs an economic solution and a psychological solution for the users to provoke action
a multi-setting process of discovery with teenagers starting their own process of internal exploration, zones that cater for moments of personal existence within a space and a varying degree of collective experience are needed isolating the user to bring out his personality in different settings
paths of collaboration with a dense scale the pedestrian is exposed to multiple stories of each family as he walks by accentuated by the power of individualization people get in informal areas
a critical mindset preparation the ground floor music cafe has the instruments placed at different locations to help the user isolate the sound and beat of each instruments which is a crucial learning step in critical professional music analysis
forces with character
a defining first encounter the first encounter in the design had to be a something that battles indecisiveness, the user is faced with yet another choice to make while being exposed to an assortment of raw materials that aim to spark his will to manipulate these raw materials and start learning a craft
a crucial connection the district has strong connection with state facilities being located nearby restricting the area’s growth however tot he point of becoming Dependant, the space utilizes the rigidity of such area in meeting indecisive users in middle ground
LITERATURE
observing time
SHAMBELYON • shambelyon is one of the oldest districts in ismalia with all its eras represented in its curretn form inspiring the visibility of time and showcasing the value of evolving
THEATRE EL TEMSAH
transient stories • being exposed to the passing ships of suez canal each with its own crew and stories this district capitalises on the value of getting a glimpse from each story
multiple of stories, varying degrees of interest an optional path of growth with the ground function being suitable to the public it is the start of hinting the journey of progression, once one takes initiative of going up to learn glimpses of a better future are acting as motivating elements
with several levels of interest the layout of the theatre and cinema spaces cater for a user with a certain level of interest placing the degree of immersion of the user as guide in placing the spaces with he open amphitheater being the most public to the sky city plaza being the most specialised
the bigger picture a plaza for performances showcasing a smaller scale of performances while zooming out and observing the stories of the city
forces with character
concrete
the concrete utilises its rigidity in inversing the city’s pattern of change and using it to enforce creative and expressive functions manifesting itself in a space creation dispersion form induced from the graffiti nature it also acts as a strong graffiti surface enabled by climbing scaffolding
steel scaffolding
steel scaffolding inverses the city’s regularity in its architecture utilizing it in enabling a medium of expression central to the use of concrete as a strong visual surface while providing lateral support
steel trusses
steel trusses support large functions showing how how the city represented in a more malleable form of steel is needed to support and enforce such large functions
concrete central shell
the central shell signify the process of ascension creating a collecting enclosure the gains it power from the incremental process, it provides a sense of safe haven simulating a reality of possibilities
tectonic language
the interplay of structural systems simulate the inverse of the dynamics of ismalia city flipping existing patterns creating an experiential sense of the “microcosm of the city”
ground floor plan
first floor plan
second floor plan
third floor plan
exit
nce a r t en
it
ex
underground
elevation 1
elevation 2
elevation 3
elevation 4
cross section 1
cross section 2
cross section 3
cross section 4
structure 3d section
district
function
zoning
spaces ground floor
first floor
second floor
kids playground
seminar halls
computer lab
exploration
third floor
book display front desk
el balabsa
library
book shleves
classrooms
study area
study area
seating area
immersion
computer lab book management el gamaa
music
exploration
music café
immersion bazar booths old ismalia
shambelyon
crafts
music classes
instruments shop
auditorium
recording studio
crafts shop
exploration
walkthrough exhibition
immersion
coworking workshop
al mothalath lit. exploration café
reception
reading lounge
literature classes
literature immersion
language classes lounge
exploration open amphitheatre
tickets lobby
rehearsal studio
theatre lobby
lobby
tickets windows sky plaza
al afrang
theatre/cinema
projector room
admin offices
auditorium
props & costumes storage
changing rooms
immersion
prep room storage backstage personnel room
program
el shiekh zayed
recycling
el gameyat
applied arts
el khames
sculpting
explorationstore
exhibition
immersion
recyling workshop
explorationstore
exhibition
immersion
applied arts workshop
explorationsculpting display
exhibition
immersion
sculpting workshop
cooling tower
chillers
MEP strategy
cooling tower
emergency generator & firefighting systems
environmental Studies