Ru'a Al-Abweh Portfolio

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EH L-ABW RU’A A

PORTF OLIO 2017


DESIGN & PLANNING WestLin[c]: The New PMD Civic Center Stories Listening Session for a Neighborhood Plan Bringing Home-Based Businesses to the Public Realm Welcoming the Homeless Community in Public Space Resilience in the Public Realm: Recreation & Refuge Analysis of Neighborhood-Level Development ArcGIS Mapping Transitional Shelter for Azraq Refugee Camp The Rox Project Big Lit Bit Djamaa Al-Djazair Adaptive Reuse of a University Building Russeifah Adaptive Reuse

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HAND-DRAWN ART Freehand Sketching Painting and Rendering

PHOTOGRAPHY Cityscapes Public Space Spectacles People Facades Patterns

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82 83 84 85 86 87 88



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DESIG LANN ING

N&P


WESTLIN[C]: THE NEW PMD

2017, Submission for Urban Land Institute (ULI) Hines Student Competition

Team Members: Ru’a Al-Abweh, Zi Cai, Stan (Ying-Jun) Chen, Fred Hines, and Roxanne Robles (University of Washington)

WestLIN[C] revamps a disconnected PMD (Planned Manufacturing District) into an edgy riverfront neighborhood that is lin[c]ed with the urban and social fabric of Chicago. Just a bike-ride away from the city’s biggest parks, innovation hubs, and entertainment venues, WestLIN[C] offers the opportunity to revitalize the North Industrial Corridor, bridge between existing residential and commercial neighborhoods, and present new residential, commercial, recreational, and retail amenities. The new PMD strategy is: [P]LUG global innovation into local industrial character[M]AKE healthy connections between riverfront and adjacent neighborhoods, and [D]EVELOP an inclusive and dynamic urban village. My contribution to the team was in the overall team management, concept and design development, design strategies, and programming. In terms of graphics, I produced the location map, concept diagrams, design strategies maps, and event calendar.

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CIVIC CENTER STORIES

2016, Summer Internship (Civic Center Public Realm Plan), San Francisco Planning Department I developed Civic Center Stories as a “Humans of New York”-esque community outreach project to get to know the people who spend time in the public spaces in Civic Center. I switched the usual outreach methodology from an event format in which the community comes to the planners in a fixed time and place, to the planner going out and collecting the stories of the public in the spaces they spend time in on a regular basis. This approach captures a more diverse set of perspectives, many of which are unexpected and enlightening. These stories have been compiled into a storybook and will also be shared online, in addition to other possible uses, such as postcards and public space installations.

“It used to be the culture of people hanging out on their stoops, talking to each other, talking to neighbors, saying hello, reading.

That essence of being human is gone.” Mario

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“This is where I feel o t o fo table, I’ll show you. I get to stretch out here. It relieves my soul.”

Latisha

“To bring it back to the eau

t

fo get it

We’re in the 21st c. It’s so stoggy. It should be really radical -not ghting t

ith the eau

but totall

iffe ent

and modern.

Let’s make our own history, shall we?” Lynn

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LISTENING SESSION FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN 2015, Collaborative Planning and Design Seminar, University of Washington In this class, students organized a listening session for the community of Finn Hill, Kirkland, WA as part of their mission to develop the first neighborhood plan. I took part in developing and facilitating the Amenities and Activities station, in which we designed a poster based on the “Life, Space, Building� Approach of Gehl Architects. Community members wrote and drew about their favorite activities in the neighborhood and expressed their wishes for desired, future activities and amenities. A handout was also designed as a tool to help people brainstorm ideas.

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Hello there, need some ideas? J

AMENITIES SHOPPING AND SERVICE ● Bookstore ● Bowling ● Car Wash ● Catering ● Clothing ● Coffee ● Community Center ● Dentist ● Discount

SOCIALIZING

● Indoor meeting space ● Outdoor seating ● Amphitheatre ● Skatepark

● Doctor ● Drug/Convenience ● Fast food ● Fitness/Yoga ● Florist ● Gallery ● Gas Station ● Gift Shop ● Grocery Store

● Hair Cutting/Styling/Nail ● Office Supply ● Optical Center ● Real Estate ● Restaurants ● Shoe Repair ● Travel Agency ● Other____

● Indoor recreation ● Dog park ● Playground ● Plaza

● P-Patch (public garden) ● Public bike facility ● Other____

● Rowing ● Kayaking ● Walking

● Rollerblading ● Fishing ● Camping

● Football ● Swimming ● Ultimate Frisbee ● Flag football ● Golf

● Table tennis ● Zumba ● Dance

● Reading

● Yoga

● Shopping

● Picnics

● Scrabble ● Chess

● Checkers ● Cards

● Visiting an art gallery ● Going to a concert

● Watching a play or musical ● Festivals

● Knitting ● Drawing

● Photography

ACTIVITIES OUTDOOR ● Running ● Cycling ● Hiking

SPORTS/EXERCISE

● Basketball ● Volleyball ● Soccer ● Tennis ● Baseball

DOWNTIME & RELAXATION ● Meditating

SOCIALIZING

● Going out to eat or drink

GAMES

● Monopoly ● Bingo

CULTURE & THE ARTS ● Going to the movies ● Visiting a museum

OTHER

● Cooking ● Gardening

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BRINGING HOME-BASED BUSINESSES TO THE PUBLIC REALM This proposal is a community-based design strategy to create safe and welcoming public spaces that support home-based businesses and other small enterprises. Using a framework that encourages the utilization of readily available and inexpensive materials to create placemaking prototypes, the ultimate vision is to spur community collaboration for the activation of public spaces, with a particular focus on economic opportunities for women and girls and young boys. The design is in and of itself a small business initiative and serves to influence longer-term projects and enhance permanent public spaces and facilities.

Concept Development Initial Insights and Inspiration: A Focus on Women and Youth

First Proposal and Lessons Learned Block system

Challenges Public spaces are unsafe or perceived as unsafe. Family breakdown makes youth & women vulnerable to gangs.

A typical residential block

Lack of job opportunities and education subject both women and youth to harm from the gangs, whether direct or indirect.

Opportunities

Shared Backyard Space

Facade Improvements

Centralized Market Street

Desire for a sense of community that will allow people to stay in place and prosper Request for opportunities to expand local enterprise and build entrepreneurial capacity. Desire for a local market in an accessible area, not necessarily permanent. Existence of and interest in women’s home businesses. Desire to keep youth engaged with training and job opportunities.

Scale?

Context?

Equity?

Is this intervention appropriate for the scale of existing spaces?

Is the suggested intervention sensitive to experiences of this specific community?

Is one part of town receiving special attention?

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A Story of Community Collaboration in Ciudad Romero Carlita, a creative artist... gathered some materials... and made street furniture!

They all wanted to find a way to... make money...

with a bike & cart...

Design focus area AFTER lessons learned

meet people...

So they joined forces... packed up the furniture in the cart...

Teodora, a talented cook... spent her time at home... cooking pupusas!

Beltran, a young man...

Three people living in Ciudad Romero...

who rode around the town!

& have fun!

biked to market...

And opened an outdoor pupuseria!

Design focus area BEFORE lessons learned

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Assess

What do you already have that you could use or reuse creatively?

Assemble

How can you assemble

The circled letters are reference

Shading

Structures

Containers

Textiles & art

Accessories

Bamboo

Wooden board

Steel shelves

Wooden crate

Plastic crate

Plastic water jug

Hammock

Traditional fabrics

Mural or drawing

Metal hook

Heavy duty rope

Spare wheel

Stage Mat

A

Partitions

Planters

E

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Activate

e different components to create prototypes for public space?

es to clarify which prototypes are shown in the three scenarios “Regular Day”, “Market Day”, and “Festival Day” (depicted on the following pages).

Street Furniture

B

C

Rolling Cart

D

? F

Light

G

Delivery Bike

H

What else can you create?

The design strategy is a three step process: (1) Assess: an assessment of readily available and inexpensive materials and components which could be used or reused, (2) Assemble: assembling the different components and materials in creative ways to create public space prototypes, and (3) Activate: activating public spaces through the use of multiple prototypes and related programming in different scenarios (illustrated on the following pages). The conceptual prototypes shown above could be further developed and are also meant to inspire other ways of assembling existing components and materials. These prototypes should be simple designs that allow people to easily assemble, disassemble, and move prototypes. This gives people a chance to not only experiment with different ideas but also test them in different locations.

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Activate Regular Day

KEY Activation zones Activation nodes Public buildings Private buildings Recreational fields Roads Town boundaries

The first scenario that demonstrates the use of the prototypes is a regular day. The map (left) shows the zones and nodes in which activities are most likely to take place on a regular day, such as the areas of a street adjacent to public buildings and community centers (represented as light blue shapes in the map). As shown in the image (right) some of the activities that could take place on a daily basis are the selling of snacks and drinks on a food cart and sharing a meal from a nearby pupuseria. These two activities would utilize the street furniture and rolling cart prototypes. Furthermore, planters are used to make the space more aesthetically pleasing and light structures could be used to create a space that feels safer after dark.

G

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C

F

D

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Activate Market Day

KEY Activation zones Activation nodes Public buildings Private buildings Recreational fields Roads Town boundaries

The second scenario demonstrating the use of placemaking prototypes is a market day. The map shows that the most likely zones and nodes of activity are the streets around the community centers, in addition to one of the recreational fields across from a community center. On a market day, the shading and partitions can be used to create vendor stalls for various businesses. Furthermore, the delivery bike could be used to bring goods, materials, or placemaking prototypes to and from the market area. Street furniture could also be utilized to provide business owners with a comfortable place to sit as they do their work.

B

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H

A

C

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Activate Festival Day

KEY Activation zones Activation nodes Public buildings Private buildings Recreational fields Roads Town boundaries

The third scenario demonstrating the use of the placemaking prototypes is a festival day. As shown in the map, the most likely zones and nodes for festival activities are the area around the church and community centers and in the recreational fields. The image shows another way of using the shading and partitions (which were also presented in the market day scenario). Here the partitions act as a backdrop for a cultural performance, which also utilizes the stage mat prototype. The shading structure is used as a place to host a pupuseria and some street furniture for buyers to enjoy their food. Finally, the planters are used to mark a festival procession path and the light structures are placed to make the place feel safer in the evening as the festival events continue throughout the day.

B

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C

A

G

E

F

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WELCOMING THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY IN PUBLIC SPACE

This project developed strategies for accommodating the needs of the homeless in public space while allowing other users to coexist. It is meant to help city agencies, community groups, and others to rethink the right to public space through a simple understanding of human needs and includes an interactive “spin wheel� that shows multiple ideas and what needs they meet.

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TOOLS FOR HOMELESS-FRIENDLY PUBLIC SPACE What strategies can be used to meet the needs of the homeless community in public spaces? Spin the wheel and find out!

Main need met

LEGEND

Secondary need met

Note: applies to all colors

Designed by: Ru’a Al-Abweh

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RESILIENCE IN THE PUBLIC REALM: RECREATION & REFUGE

Resilience in the Public Realm explores public space as a tool for community resilience. This idea developed after conversations with the community in Aberdeen about people’s natural tendency to come together in difficult situations, such as the flood in 2015. While the community bond is generally strong, Aberdeen seems to have a few different social groups that remain relatively disconnected on a daily basis. It also lacks public spaces for events, activities, and gatherings where these different groups could interact. Resilience in the Public Realm attempts to enhance and improve these existing social ties by imagining the activities that could happen in public space, both on a regular day (“Recreation”) and in the event of an earthquake and tsunami (“Refuge”).Overall, this design concept was inspired by the city of Christchurch, New Zealand and their use of informal public spaces, activities, and events as a main pillar of community resilience and a tool for recovery after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. A core element of their approach is incrementality, which involves making the best use of existing infrastructure, assets, and spaces to build back the city over time (both figuratively and literally). They have also concentrated many of their developments around an important axis, the Avon River, enhancing its importance.

LOCATION MAP

MAPPING VACANT PLOTS OF LAND

CONCEPT SKETCHES

Left: Sketches that helped develop the project concept, from brainstorming the assets in Aberdeen, to conceptualizing networks and linkages, to thinking about typologies of public spaces, to considering concepts of modularity, flexibility, and transformation. Above: this map shows existing vacant plots of land in Aberdeen that could be utilized as public spaces. Some are in the inundation zone and others are not.

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CONCEPT DIAGRAM

TIME

CONTEXT

?

ACTIVITIES

RESILIENCE IN THE PUBLIC REALM

SOCIAL GROUPS

TRANSFORMATIVE

CASE STUDY: CHRISTCHURCH

INFORMAL

INCREMENTAL

CHANGING DYNAMICS

ROLE IN SOCIAL TIES SOCIAL GROUPS

UNFINISHED

FLEXIBLE

CHARACTERISTICS

3 LEVELS OF STUDY

LEVEL 1: MAPPING VACANT SPACES

LEVEL 2: SELECTING 3 ZONES

LEVEL 3: SCENARIOS PRE- AND POST-DISASTER

LINKAGES WITH OTHER PROJECTS BIKE ROUTE

VERTICAL EVACUATION LOCATIONS

BERM Plans and diagrams are part of the Christchurch Central Recovery Plan; the photos show different placemaking and tactical urbanism projects that popped up around the city after the earthquakes in 2010 and 2011.

Through then lens of informality, transformation, and existing assets (whether physical structures or intangible characteristics of Aberdeen), Resilience in the Public Realm proposes uses of different public spaces and attempts to visualize the situations pre- and post-disaster. It also links with three other projects developed in this studio – Division Street Berm, Bike Plan Aberdeen, and Moving Up to Safety. This design concept assumes that the berm and bike path/evacuation route are in place; furthermore, the outcome of the analysis carried out in Moving Up to Safety helped determine one of the zones examined more closely in this project. Resilience in the Public Realm examines public space on three different levels. Firstly, vacant public plots of land (including parking lots) were mapped, focusing on areas around two main axes – the proposed bike/evacuation route and the berm. This included assessing which spaces would be in “danger” (i.e. in the inundation zone) and which would be “safe” (i.e. outside the inundation zone). Furthermore, it was important to analyze how an open space network could serve as a “wayfinding” tool and strengthen people’s familiarity with the berm and bike path/evacuation route, which would be critical destinations during an earthquake and tsunami.

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CASE STUDIES ON... Recreation & Refuge

UP

Since West Aberdeen is at a risk of flooding, even with the addition of Division Street Berm, people need to immediately go “UP” in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. Thus, a raised structure is needed that could act as a viewing platform on a daily basis and a vertical evacuation structure for a disaster situation.

OVER The proposed Division Street Berm has potential to be both a raised public space and a protective berm that gets people “OVER” to the safe side of town.. Above: Mitch McConnell Riverpark Center -EDSA -a multi-use plaza and venue. Below: the berm typology from Project Safe Haven.

THROUGH With a berm, east Aberdeen would be safe from flooding but face damages from the earthquake. Therefore, it is a suitable place for people to pass “THROUGH” for assistance. Above: City Collaborative Initiative temporarily transformed a vacant downtown lot into a lively space. Below people assemble in a square in Kathmandu, Nepal after the 2015 earthquake (AP Photo/ Bernat Armangue.)

Above: viewing platform on the waterfront in Aberdeen that could serve as an inspiration for the design. Below: the tower typology for a vertical evacuation structure from Project Safe Haven: Tsunami Vertical Evacuation on the Washington Coast

Secondly, three “zones” -UP, OVER, and THROUGH - were selected to take a closer look at different micro-systems of public space, focusing on how the spaces within these systems would function together and which plots of land would be activated pre- and post-disaster. Thirdly, a section of each of the three zones was examined even more closely, showing a more human-scale visualization of three different scenarios in a state of “recreation” (before a natural disaster) and “refuge” (after a natural disaster). While the scenarios for this design concept are sited and contextual, similar concepts could be applied to other spaces around Aberdeen or even other cities.

The map above shows the three zones -UP, OVER, and THROUGH- selected as locations of study for Resilience in the Public Realm, along with the proposed Bike Plan Aberdeen and Division Street Berm. It also shows how the street grid would link to the three zones, indicating where people would likely head first in the event of a disaster.

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UP

Viewing Platform & Vertical Evacuation Structure

BEFORE: Viewing Platform

AFTER: Vertical Evacuation Structure

Located in southwest Aberdeen, this area is mostly industrial with few recreational amenities and is relatively far from the evacuation route, higher ground, and the berm. Therefore,this scenario proposes a viewing platform to enhance West End Playfield and a cafeteria for the port employees. It also serves as a vertical evacuation structure connected to Grocery Outlet to the west and the cafeteria building to the south through a pedestrian bridge raised above the railway. Both buildings would have stairs or ramps that lead to the roofs, so that people can quickly get to higher ground. Then they would cross over to the main vertical evacuation structure through the raised pedestrian bridge.

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OVER

Urban Terracing & Cross-Over Rescue Berm

BEFORE: Urban Terracing

AFTER: Cross-Over Rescue Berm

This zone contains the proposed Division Street Berm, which acts as a spine down the middle of Aberdeen and integrates with the proposed Bike Plan Aberdeen. Raised to a safe height above the inundation level, the berm would salvage the eastern part of the city from flooding while also getting people to higher ground and over to the eastern side. This scenario would require a redesign of a large part of this area, including proposing a school building, terraced urban gardening, and a sports area. Looking more closely at Finch Playfield, the visualizations show its use as a lively public space on a regular day and as an assembly area in the aftermath of a disaster, including using the urban gardens as a source of food and the berm as a rescue area and shelter space.

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THROUGH Flexible Activity Space & “Pass-Through” Assembly Area

BEFORE: Flexible Activity Space

AFTER: “Pass Through” Assembly Area

This zone in downtown Aberdeen is near the D&R theatre, a vegetable market, and other commercial amenities. Using “tactical urbanism”, this site would be utilized for events and activities with movable elements. It is adjacent to spaces that could be utilized as a pop-up café and farmer’s market. Assuming Division Street Berm is in place, this side of Aberdeen would be outside the inundation zone. However, it would still be affected by the earthquake. Therefore, this zone could be an important space to assemble in temporarily and pass through for urgent medical care, shelter, water, food, and electricity.

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ANALYSIS OF NEIGHBORHOOD-LEVEL DEVELOPMENT 2015/ Team members: Elise Keim, Annegret Nautsch, Jen Lambrick, Lauren Hoerr, & Ru’a Al-Abweh; Urban Form, University of Washington

Historical Development 1909

1920

1937

1944

In this analysis of Redmond, WA, we carried out a neighborhoodlevel development analysis, which included looking into the city’s history, creating maps of planning issues such as zoning, land use, and transportation, extracting building typologies, conducting a SWOT analysis, and finally proposing some ideas to improve the city. The sketches, photos, historical development maps, and building typologies graphics were part of my contribution to the group project.

1954

1978

1974

1990

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Building Typology Isometrics -Comparative Scale

Single Family Housing

Single Family Housing: The small sample of detached single family housing available in the study area shows a single story home with an attached garage and a paved driveway to the street. Trees and shrubs are arranged to provide the dwelling privacy and reduce traffic noise. The home is built with the car in mind as the major form of transportation. Retail -Strip Mall Retail development: This more typical retail development is single story, strip-mall style and provides ample parking for patrons. While there is a sidewalk in front of the storefronts, the more encouraged means of access is obviously automobiles. Throughout the study area all major retail establishments have large and convenient parking lots to cater to Redmond’s driving population. Mixed use building: The mixed-use, multi-family housing is relatively new to the area, but similar buildings are popping up. This particular building is built right next to the main downtown transit center, encouraging the building’s residents to consider alternative forms of transportation besides the automobile which still dominates the area. The retail shops on the ground floor also provide easy access to transit users. However, a major parking structure is right next door should people choose to drive to the retail shops or visit friends and family in the apartment building.

Mixed Use Building

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Single Family Housing

Plan

Perspectives

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Strip Mall (Retail)

Plan

Perspectives

South Elevation

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Mixed Use Building

Plan

West Elevation

Perspective

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ARCGIS MAPPING URBDP 498C/598D

2015 Intro to GIS, University of Washington Final Assignment (YAHOO!)

URBDP 498C/598D

Final Assignment (YAHOO!)

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Ru'a Al-Abweh

Lab session #8 Deliverables

December 4, 2015

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T-SHELTER

Site Planning and Shelter Unit UNHCR Jordan

All images and drawings Š United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

2013/14 The Transitional Shelter (T-Shelter) Design was designed for Azraq Camp, which was developed to host Syrian refugees in Azraq, Jordan. Taking into consideration the climatic, financial, and cultural constraints, the T-Shelter is an interlocking steel structure covered with a double layer of IBR cladding and aluminum foam insulation in between made to withstand the harsh desert climate of the camp location; the steel elements, cladding, insulation, and other accessories are transported to the site in the form of a kit, which makes it easy to transport and easy to dismantle. The reinforced concrete flooring is later poured on site after the structure is in place. 10,000 T-Shelter units have now been constructed in Azraq Camp. Side entrance extension for enhanced privacy.

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THE ROX PROJECT 2012/2013 BSc. Architecture Thesis - German Jordanian University Awards: -2nd Place in Graduation Project Competition for Jordanian Universities ; Jordan Engineers Association -Honorable Mention; iSustain Initiative; Category: Design for the City

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The Rox Project: Creative Jordan Manifested is an adaptive reuse project of existing towers in Amman, Jordan which have been on hold since 2005. Originally designed to host a five star hotel and luxurious offices for an exclusive society, this design attempts to re-conceptualize the neoliberal high rise project and propose instead a inclusive business incubator for the creative industries which brings in the young Ammani population to develop entrepreneurial ideas alongside mentors and investors. Not only does the project propose an alternative use, but also a modified design which is more environmentally aware, proposes an open plan office space to encourage collaboration and is less imposing on the humble urban fabric of the adjacent residential neighborhood and even the city as a whole. Moreover, the Rox Project also symbolizes the strength of the creative human capital, which have been the key to Jordan’s success since its establishment as an independent state.

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A colestra-inspired facade uses the same modular units that form the design to develop a shading system that reduces the intense heat of the sun, creates an enjoyable work environment, and also acts as ofďŹ ce furniture on the inside of the building.

COLESTRA EXTERIOR DETAIL

COLESTRA INTERIOR DETAIL

ELEVATION DETAIL

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BIG LIT BIT

2013 / Team Members: Jeffrey Montes, Sareeta Patel, Laith Jayousi, and Ru’a Al-Abweh Studio X –Amman Lab / Columbia Global Centers (CGC) Middle East

Big Lit Bit was the outcome of a “Public Bit” workshop in which students from the German Jordanian University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation were asked to use an Arduino (open source electronic boards and software) to create an installation that would incite human interaction in a public space in Amman; furthermore, the goal was to connect Amman with urban spaces in other cities that host Columbia’s Studio X program. Looking for a fun and stimulating idea, we came up with a game called “Big Lit Bit” –essentially a big, glowing button. The friendly game aims to activate underused public spaces, strengthen the sense of community, and bridge between cities around the world. The competition is simple: push the button down and receive an award. The Arduino was programmed so that there are small lights and sensors on the surface of the button, which indicate to the competing city or neighborhood how much pressure is being put on the button; this is meant to entice them to gather together on the button and attempt to win; afterwards, an award given upon pushing the button down, such as a water fountain or free Wi-Fi, is meant to then further encourage people to socialize in public space.

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Mist

Air

Traffic Stop

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WIN! :)

LOSE :(

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DJAMAA AL-DJAZAIR

2012 / KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten / Frankfurt am Main, Germany

As an Intern and Working Student at KSP, I was assigned the responsibility of designing a cloakroom for the Grand Mosque of Algiers and ornamentation for windows, doors, and alternative dome pattern. The cloakroom design required attention to details such as coat rails, umbrella stands, and the key hanger. As for the ornamentation, my work involved doing research on the geometry of Islamic patterns and developing my own contemporary designs based on these rules. Construction drawings were also prepared for all submissions.

Images (left) © KSP Jürgen Engel Architekten

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Image (above) Š KSP Jßrgen Engel Architekten

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ADAPTIVE REUSE OF A UNIVERSITY BUILDING

2011-12 / Hochschule Rhein Main / Architectural Design Course

This project involved the adaptive reuse of the “Philosophikum�, which is an old university building in the Bockenheim neighborhood in Frankfurt am Main. The concept focused on two main design ethos: transformation and addition. The building was transformed into an apartment building and student dorm, which included both the refurbishing of the exterior and interior architecture. The exterior design was based on a series of extruded and intruded units which formed windows and terraces. The interior design concept was based on maximizing space through foldable furniture, staircases that also served as bookcases, and partitions for dividing the room in different ways.

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RUSSEIFAH ADAPTIVE REUSE

2011/ Team Members: Noor Zeneldin, Lina Abu Samak, Hakan Daghestani, and Ru’a Al-Abweh/ German Jordanian University / Urban Design and Planning Course

This project was an adaptive reuse of a rundown phosphate factory in Russeifah, Jordan, a city famous for its prosperous industrial past. Through intensive field work and interaction with the community, the project uses urban design to connect the building with the city, heritage conservation in its efforts to conserve industrial heritage, and environmental planning since the site was contaminated due to its previous use for phosphate treatment. Situated right next to the unused Hejaz Railway line, the project involved reusing the factory as a transit hub and reactivating the railway; it acted not only as a train station, but also included a mall market area, a public sitting area, and a larger bus stop nearby. Furthermore, seeing as the site was a health hazard because of its previous use for phosphate mining, the project also included plans for site remediation through phytoextraction in order to make the site safe and usable before attempting any reconstruction.

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Isometric Site Plan

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Reconstruction of main elevation using vegetation

Bus stop and waiting area

Kiosks adjacent to the train tracks

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HAND -D RAWN

ART


FREEHAND SKETCHING

Freehand Sketching Course Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences 2011/12 Pencil drawing

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Freehand Sketching Course Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences 2011/12 Pencil drawing

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Freehand Sketching Course Wiesbaden University of Applied Sciences 2011/12 Pencil drawing

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PAINTING & RENDERING

Presentation Techniques Course German Jordanian University 2010 Chink Ink and Pencil

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Presentation Techniques Course German Jordanian University 2010 Chink Ink, Pencil, and Felt Tip Markers

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Presentation Techniques Course German Jordanian University 2010 Chink Ink, Pencil, and Felt Tip Markers

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Presentation Techniques Course German Jordanian University 2010 Colored Pencil on Cardboard

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PHOT O

GRAP HY


CITYSCAPES

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PUBLIC SPACE

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SPECTACLES

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PEOPLE

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FACADES

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PATTERNS

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CONTACT +1-425-295-9982 rua.alabweh@gmail.com 4009 15th Avenue NE Apartment 324 Seattle, WA 98105

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