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URBAN ECOLOGY
NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN
PRESIDENCY LANDSCAPING
POST-GRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT
URBAN DESIGN PROJECT
SIKANDER AJAM KHAN ASSOCIATES (SAK)
Integerating Biodiversity in Coastal Urban Planning
Site Analysis and Design Proposal
President House Landscape Master planning
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Sharjah, UAE
Islamabad, PK
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URBAN TRANSECT
RED-ZONE UNIVERSITY
IAP COMPETITION PROJECT
COMPETITION PROJECT
Al Nassariyah PUBLIC REALM Re-development (PRR) Plan STUDIO PROJECT
City Sectional Analysis
Educational
Islamabad|Rawalpindi, PK
Islamabad, PK
Residential|Commercial
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Islamabad, PK Page: 33 - 36
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URBAN ECOLOGY Post-Graduate Research Project Integrating Biodiversity in Coastal Urban Planning LOCATION: South Mussafah, Abu Dhabi, UAE YEAR: 2021
Biodiversity integration in contemporary coastal cities is a growing global concern for urban planners today. Cities globally have the potential to host a high richness of urban biodiversity which can assist in providing cultural ecosystem services. There is limited integration of biodiversity in most planning instruments as they are mostly designed on the basis of public health, safety, and economy. Developing naturefriendly cities is therefore, intricately linked to sustainable urban development and human wellbeing. The purpose of the research is to present a review of the current challenges facing the biodiversity in the UAE and proposing planning solutions that can be adopted to counteract the erosion of its natural treasures. Despite being regarded as a vast desertic and unfertile area, the UAE hosts a unique and remarkably adapted fauna and flora. That said, the biodiversity is currently facing major man-made and environmental threats including coastal development sprawl and urbanisation, as well as over-exploitation of natural resources linked with the tremendous population increase and changes in lifestyle. This research provides planning recommendations for protecting urban biodiversity based on ecological knowledge. Focusing on the inclusion of environmental issues and biodiversity in the urban development planning process, the involvement of local communities in the decision making, employing biophilic design solutions in the local context and the improvement of federal and international collaborations.
SOUTH MUSSAFAH
BUL SYAYEEF MPA
SITE
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NEIGHBOURHOOD DESIGN Studio Project Site Analysis and Design Proposal LOCATION: Sharjah, UAE YEAR: 2019
Abu Tina is a neighborhood located in Sharjah’s Northside. It is surrounded by four neighborhoods: Al Nabba’a, Sharqan, Al Qulaya’ah, and Al Nasserya. The neighborhood’s total area is 44 hectors. • Population: 12,200 people • Current density: 284 people per hectares The concept development focuses on keeping the existing typologies and mixed used building’s structure while dividing the neighborhood into 13 residential hubs. Each hub will be fully pedestrianized and will have schools, parks, and commercial activities. The neighborhood complex will also have a core center, which is well connected to all hubs. The vacant spaces are converted into green areas (parks) to encourage neighbourhood socialization or into parking zones for vehicles. New public building typologies introduced to enhance the social character of the neighbourhood. The residential/commercial and open spaces equally distributed to bring compactness and harmony in the context. It will encourage cleanliness and organization within the neighbourhood.
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PRESIDENCY LANDSCAPING Sikander Ajam Khan Associates (SAK) President House Landscape Master Planning LOCATION: Islamabad, Pakistan YEAR: 2019
18 MASTER PLAN
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URBAN TRANSECT IAP Competition Project TYPE: City Analysis LOCATION: Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Pakistan YEAR: 2019
24 The comparative study of Islamabad-Rawalpindi is illuminating when seen from an urban perspective, Islamabad being the planned city and Rawalpindi having grown organically. Islamabad has a much more cohesive and clearer division of zones, transitioning from the completely rural natural preserve of the Marga Ila hills and coming down to a denser urban fabric. Each zone has its own programmatic identity, with mixed use being the largest zone. Arising from a design by the people whenever the need arose, the highly congested areas like Murree Road can be a hindrance to daily commutes, but Pindi also produces more spontaneous opportunities for human interation with public space. Each sector in Islamabad has its own markaz as a neighbourhood centre, which has mixed use development - commercial on the ground floor, business above and sometimes residential on the top floors. Most sectors have another transformative character which can be likened to that in Pindi. Open public areas are often used as informal spaces by vendors and stall-owners, transporting everything away at night, lending spontaneity to the place. Stadium Road in Rawalpindi on the other hand, is most famous for the eponymous stadium, but its secondary characteristic is that of connecting Islamabad and Pindi. 9th Avenue becomes Stadium Road when it cuts through IJP Road, and the roadside character changes sharply.
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27 ISLAMABAD ANALYSIS: The Margallas are part of the protected Forest Preserves in Islamabad. At their foothills we have the Natural Reserve, upon which Faisal Mosque sits. As an architectural edifice surmised to have been inspired by either bedouin tents or diagonal lines from the corners of the Ka’abah, it manages to look remarkably at home amongst the backdrop of the hills. It looks like a white hill, mimicking nature while also standing in contrast to it. Centaurus sits in the centre of Islamabad, a metal and concrete behemoth compared to the surrounding low rise residences. As an object, it is presumed to also be inspired from the Marga I las, but it is a shaky comparison at best. Its relationship to the city can be construed by its respect for public space. The parking seen at its ‘back’ is broken and full of refuse. The surrounding areas should be landscaped, both for cars and for people.
28 RAWALPINDI ANALYSIS: The H-8 graveyard is the afterlife domain of only the elite and the influential, but that still has not helped it. It is overgrown with wild plants and most areas are not accessible at all, its distinctive hexagonal patterned wall has been damaged in places. Architecture is seen to be only the domain of the living and graveyards are considered taboo. But at this rate, it will soon become a jungle. Rawalpindi Art Council is essentially a relic. The building is not maintained and it has fallen out of use. The exterior court has a beautiful tree which blooms vibrantly red in spring, visible from inside as well. It lends an ethereal quality to it, which should be utilized.
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RED-ZONE UNIVERSITY PLANNING Sikander Ajam Khan Associates (SAK) Conpetition Project LOCATION: Islamabad, Pakistan YEAR: 201
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MASSING DEVELOPMENT
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Al Nassariyah PUBLIC REALM Re-development Plan Studio Project Residential Urban Planning Document LOCATION: Sharjah, UAE YEAR: 2020
The Public Realm re-development (PRR) plan proposes a set of initiatives for the development of the Al Nasiriyah neighborhood towards a distant future. Al Nasiriyah is an old neighborhood which has grown considerably over the past few years. The neighborhood is occupied by a diverse range of institutional and residential functions but lacks heavily in social character and quality of life. The core objective of the PRR Plan is to fulfill this criterion by providing effective, feasible and sustainable public spaces and services to the residents of Al Nasiriyah neighborhood by 2038. The Plan’s philosophy for achieving public domain sustainability is to maintain what is already successful about the neighborhood and improving what is not. The document deals with various key aspects of the public realm development – social interaction, public services, infrastructure maintenance and environmental impacts. Al Nasiriyah is a specific neighborhood, located towards the coastal region of Sharjah which has transformed over the years due to its prime location and instant commercial development. The neighborhood houses a wide range of building typologies from governmental offices to residential zones. The site offers a variety of legacy and modern mixed-used building types which explain its diversity in land uses. The focus of this plan is to study and analyze the impact of contextual influences on the public spaces of the neighborhood. How are they behaving now and what will be the future of these spaces?
the economy, affordability and living conditions of the site.
Nesto Hyper Market Modern developments with contemporary architectural style are becoming more prominent in the coastal regions of Sharjah.
Zulekha Hospital A visual landmark due to size, proportion and building material.
Neighbourhood anomalies such as the existence of apartment building in a compact villa residential zone
Contemporary housing design insipred from vernacular wind towers
Contemporary from thethe south-western Contemporarydesign designinfluences influences from south-western coast pavilion Al Al Noor Island, KingKing coast of ofSharjah. Sharjah.i.e i.eButterfly Butterfly pavilion Noor Island, faisal mosque , Barjeel Museum of modern Art
faisal mosque , Barjeel Museum of modern Art
LAND-USE MAPPING
UPL 625 | Plan Making | Spring 2020 | Osama Jamil | 00085489 |12.03.2020
the future growth of AL Nassariya neighborhood. Modern building typologies are replacing legacy infrastructure, which is influencing
AL NASSERIYA
Contemporary Contextual development has a direct impact on
Built Environment | Building typologies
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Urban Institutional Complex
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UPL 625 | PLAN MAKING | SPRING 2020 | OSAMA JAMIL | B00085489 Consequence
2026
As the complex progresses, financiers start investing in new commercial and mixed use plazas due to the increasing population around the neighborhood.
Ass the institutions expand, stricter laws and regulations for the current users are formed. i.e. the creation of separate policy handbook for Al Nassariya. As a result, Neighborhood gets divided into zones for Zuleikha hospital expansion, educational expansion and new gov residential villas. Construction of new gov staff villas begin A new commercial center and a mosque for the staff residents starts to emerge.
By now, the neighborhood has been completely institutionalized and future upgradation policies are under consideration. As a result, A plot gets demarcated for the construction of a higher secondary school next to the primary school. A new staff housing project for the Kuwait hospital (on the opposite side of the road) begins. Consequence ecause of the new institutional complex, people will start to Because move back into the surrounding old neighborhoods due to the presence of strong public facilities leading to more residential growth around Al Nassariya.
2023 Due ue to the availability of vacant structures, Gov. decides to utilize the land for expansion of the institutions which cannot be moved to another location. As a result, Gov demolishes the villas and relocate few remaining residents to the nearby sectors providing just compensation. Zulaikha hospital begins the construction of new clinical extension.
2020 Ass an ongoing trend in Sharjah, public is preferring the new developments such as Al Muweilah for residences. Due to the movement, the old neighborhoods are left with unwanted villas and empty apartments. As a result, Zulkha hospital takes over the nearing vacant residential buildings to create staff housing Gov. decides to expand offices to the nearby vacant plots
2035 Ass the time progresses, the new staff resident families require good infrastructure and services for their families and children. As a result, Gov. start building a new primary school for boys similar to the existing girl’s school, near the residential zone with seperate bus parking. A new park expansion project starts to begin, in which new sports facilities will be provided for the residents.
2032 The he presence of strong existing medical, governmental and educational facilities in the neighborhood. This may attract more authorities to invest in the upgradation or expansion of these facilities. As a result, Zuleikha hospital invests in further expansion towards the inside of the neighborhood. More institutions require more housing; hence the residential plots start packing up further with new villas
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Existing Structures Progression in Residential development Progression in Institutional development Progression in Commercial development
2029 The new law enforcement requires better infrastructure and regulatory services. As a result, The central roads are widened and new parking lots are created to accommodate the flow of institutional traffic. Offices and governmental facilities start expanding. The existing contemporary apartments start filling up; hence the authorities decide to expand the apartments to nearby plots.
36 FUTURE FORECASTING:
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The scenario making process includes various discussions and community meeting where researchers, policymakers and planners sit together to formulate the future conditions of the neighborhood. The Public realm forecasting opens the discussion for infinite possibilities. Some forecasts are looking at Al Nasiriyah as a potential hub for recreational and entertainment growth, so much so that by 2038, the neighborhood will be transformed into a community park or a cultural center. The scenarios are based upon the assumptions that after a few years the neighborhood will be empty since all the residents have moved out from their existing residences.