ASSYRIAN COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER + EXTERIOR MEMORIAL SPACE
THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE ORIGINAL COMMUNITY OF THIS AREA HAS CONTINUOUSLY BEEN THROUGH PERSECUTIONS AND DISPLACEMENT DUE TO THEIR ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS. THE COMMUNITY CENTER BECOMES A SAFE HAVEN FOR THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO LIVE WITHIN THEIR HOMELAND, AND A LIGHT OF HOPE FOR THOSE TO COME BACK TO AFTER BEING DISPLACED. DUE TO THE ATROCITIES THAT THIS REGION HAS SEEN, A MEMORIAL SPACE THAT COEXISTS WITHIN THE PROGRAM OF THE CENTER WILL ALLOW FOR USERS TO HEAL THROUGH REFLECTION.
PRECAST TECHNOLOGY
RECREATING TRADITIONAL RELIEFS
ASSYRIAN ARCHITECTURE REVOLVED AROUND HISTORICAL RELIEFS USED WITHIN THEIR STRUCTURES THROUGHOUT THE EMPIRE. MANY RELIEFS HAVE BEEN PRESERVED AND DISPLAYED AS PIECES OF ART WITHIN SOME OF THE WORLDS MOST PRESTIGIOUS MUSEUMS.
TRADITIONAL RELIEFS WOULD BE SCANNED INTO THE SOFTWARE AND THEN CNC MILLED FROM A BLOCK OF FOAM. FROM THERE, EACH COLUMN WOULD BE CASTED IN A GROUP TO OBTAIN THE TRADITIONAL RELIEF.
2014+ INVASION OF ISIS
1980 WAR AGAINST IRAN 10,000 DEATHS
1933 SIMELE MASSACRE 3,000 DEATHS
1918 WORLD WAR I 750,000 DEATHS
1842 MASSACRE BY KURDISH FORCES 50,000 DEATHS
1369 COMING OF TAMERLANE 90,000 DEATHS
612 BCE FALL OF THE EMPIRE
EACH COLUMN THAT IS SUSPENDED FROM THE ROOF WOULD BE CASTED USING 3D SCANNING TECHNOLOGY TO REPLICATE THE ANCIENT RELIEFS.
ASHURS TEMPLE ASHURS TEMPLE WAS THE ONLY TEMPLE TO STAND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE. THROUGH MUCH RESEARCH, TRACES OF THE TEMPLE’S REMAINS WERE FOUND WITHIN THE SITE.
CONSTRUCTING THE FUTURE
G RIN E MB AST E P M RE THE
IN HOPES TO PRESERVE THE RUINS, THE BUILDING IS FORMED AROUND THEM CREATING A PERMEABLE, BUT PROTECTIVE BOUNDARY. THIS ALLOWS THE RUINS TO NOT ONLY BE EXHIBITED, BUT ALSO DISCOVERED BY THE USER.
PROGRAM
LOWER LEVEL 1 RUINS MEMORIAL 2 3 LIGHT WELL FLOOR 1 ARCHIVES 4 5 GALLERY A CLASSROOMS 6 7 MULTIPURPOSE 8 MAIN ENTRANCE 9 CAFE 10 RESTOROOMS 11 AMPHITHEATER FLOOR 1.5 MEZANINE 12 13 READING AREA FLOOR 2 LIBRARY 14 15 GALLERY B 16 STORAGE SPACE 17 GATHERING SPACE 18 VIEWPORT
17 18
16 14 15
6
7
10 9
4
13 12
11
8
5
1
3 2
SITE ANALYSIS THE CITY OF ERBIL, TIES BACK TO THE ASSYRIANS WHO HAD SETTLED AND BUILT THE CITY OVER 6,000 YEARS AGO. TODAY IT IS KNOWN AS THE CURRENT DAY ARAB TOURISM CAPITAL AND HAS A POPULATION OF 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE.
SITE
ERBIL, IRAQ
CURRENTLY, THE CITY IS PRIMARILY MADE UP OF THE KURD, ISLAMIC AND ASSYRIAN CULTURES. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE ASSYRIANS WENT FROM BEING THE MAJORITY TO THE MINORITY OF THE LAND. OVER TIME THEY HAVE BEEN FORCED AND PUSHED TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY, WHILE OTHER CULTURES FLOURISH SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT.
ASSYRIAN CULTURE ISLAMIC CULTURE KURDISH CULTURE
CITADEL
ADE 421: Fall 2018 Architecture Studio III
Students: Nenwe Geeso, Alexandra Patrick Instructor: Scott Murff