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SUQ FLOOR PLAN

Courtyard paving

The courtyard

The suq (market)

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SECTION OF THE SUQ

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The center of economic activity, wasfrequently found near the Fridaymosque and comprised a series ofstreets with commercial stalls on bothside. The main effect of this contiguitywas that the mosque was never farremoved from the center of activitiesof daily life. It also necessitated atraditional architectural symbolism toeffect the move from the commonplace of the street to the spiritualspace of the mosque. This is a settled hierarchy whichgoverns the layout of Muslim marketand is surprisingly constant from NorthAfrica to India- food stuff are generallysold in the open air. The market hasvarious types, there is the open suqand the bazaar, which is a net work ofstreets covered with vaults or domes.The bazaar is one of the classicdefining features of an Islamic Town, acommercial “ spine” of the UrbanFabric linking different buildingstogether, e.g. the mosque, the school,etc.There is also what called the vaultedstreets suq, which is lit by aperture inthe center of each bay, creating a cooland well ventilated space that is idealfor hot climate. These various archi-tectural forms prevails over the wholeIslamic world.

THE SUQ OR THE MARKET

My intention was to combine bothopen and covered suq (market)concept, structurally and functionally,by following the courtyard grid toestablish the suq layout. The court-yard grid, is a combination of con-crete strips and brick infill. The grid is2.10 x 2.10 m, with a concrete tilelocated at the intersection point whichis 20 x 20 cm.

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ENLARGED SECTION FOR THE SUQ

Suq section

Column detail

Concrete beam

Concrete column

Steel cover with embedded spotlight to illuminate the suq area

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These tiles will be transformed to aconcrete columns at the market(suq )area, which will differentiatebetween the horizontal courtyard gridand the vertical suq grid.The suq grid is composed of con-crete columns and beams as themain structure, combined with woodbeams, its main function is to supportthe wood trellis.The wood trellis isused as a shade for the suq.The market is divided to 20 bays,each bay is divided to 4 parts by thewood beams, where the wood trellisfit in between.The concept is to allow fair amountof light and shade.At the level of detailing, each con-crete column is capped by a metalbox that embodies a light source toilluminate the suq area at night, andto emphasize the continuity of thecourtyard grid, by having these lightsfollowing the same grid.

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THE LIBRARY

FLOOR PLAN

SITE PLAN

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The back ground photo is for the existing site

The side walk that represents the wall,elevates to erect the wall of the firstbuilding along the path, the library. Thelibrary preforms a dual function, as aneducational place and architecturally asthe first landmark in the Island.The site is open and spacious, whichhelped me to redesign the area sur-rounding the library and provide theIslanders with a general layout thatdefines the main road and provide morespaces for housing.As the side walk follows the main road itcreates a triangular shape in front of thesite, which is designed to function as anoutdoor reading area.The design is based on the concept ofhaving a courtyard that is surroundedwith rooms, and enclosed with a highwall, which is originally the same wallenclosing the edge courtyard. Thelibrary is a two storey building, housingan open courtyard surrounded with anarcade. The arcade is constructed ofwood columns and trellis, that hold thewalkway in the second level.

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BUS STATION

ISOMETRIC OF THE BUS STATION

WEST ELVATION

SOUTH ELEVATION

The walls are load bearing brick of 50cm thick, which embody narrowwindows. The floor finish varies,internally, they are mainly of concrete,externally, the courtyard is finishedwith brick while the surrounding areais finished with larger concrete tiles of60 x 60 cm. The roof is concrete slabsand beams.In the external reading area, the flooris finished with brick and concretestrips. Concrete used for seating isfinished with wood. The outdoorreading area is one of the few spaceswhere the Islanders can gather. It isimportant to use vegetation intensivelyto create a more pleasant environmentand provide shade for people walking.

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FLOOR PLAN

SITE PALN

ELSAHA (THE PLAZA)

Is the second landmark in the Island. Theexisting site, as it shows in the key map,is an open space, located between twomain roads in Tuti Island. This makes itimportant and suitable for being ameeting and gathering place, which isgenerated from the idea of having tworoads meet at that point, making itpossible for people to rest and meetbefore continuing their journey towardsthe center of the Island or any otherplace.The wall runs along the west side of theplaza, it maintains the same concept ofbeing a side walk then transforming intoa wall when it meets a building. It createsa space that is used as a bus station inthe west side of the plaza, as it shows inthe perspective of the main street, andthen it continuous as a side walk towardsthe center.The design is once again based mainlyon the concept of a courtyard, which ismainly open and surrounded by scat-tered rooms. The plaza represents acourtyard for the surrounding houses,since it is located in the middle ofscattered houses, which depict thescattered rooms, supporting the conceptof being a meeting place.

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The bus station at the west side of the plaza Arcade isometric

SOUTH ELEVATION

SECTION A-A

The plaza is mainly an open spacesurrounded with a combination of brickand concrete arcades, housing anopen space with different levels todefine the space. The material used forthe floor of the central part is acombination of brick and concretestrips, carrying on the same conceptof the edge site.The arcade brick columns are 20 x 20cm thick and 3.00 m high, thesecolumns are capped with a metal coverwhich houses a light source. Thecolumns are connected with brickarches, as it is shown in the isometricof the arcade.The plaza provides the area with agreen look, which it lacks. It is amazingto notice the contrast between theinside and the outside of Tuti, since itis surrounded externally with a lot ofvegetation and it lacks this green lookinternally.

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