AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF MADABA

PORTFOLIO OF STUDENT WORK

INTERNATIONAL DESIGN STUDIO

Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum Project Summer 2017

Students Ali Helmy, Nesrin Al Sadi, Basel Al Sadi, Samar Madanat, Issa Ibrahim, Rayah Al-Shabibi, Razan Al Baqain, Shahd Al Safadi, Fahid As’ad, Saleh Al Hajeid, Hossam Fada, Maryam Al-Mohammed.

Instructor Sandra Hiari, M.Sc., M.U.P.

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Table of Contents

1 The Course ................................................................................................... 5

2 The Design Project ..................................................................................... 5

3 The Site ........................................................................................................ 5

4 Critical Analysis ......................................................................................... 8

The Missing Piece of the Heritage Trail Puzzle: The Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum ....................................................... 9

The Absent Urban Landmark ............................................................. 11

Surrounding Street Typology ............................................................. 11

The Cardo .............................................................................................. 12

Internal Circulation within the Site ................................................... 13

Historic Structures ............................................................................... 14

Stone Formations .................................................................................. 15

Construction Systems within the Site................................................ 17

5 Design Methodologies ............................................................................ 19

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Credits:

Cover Photo Courtesy: Valeria Gaspari. Text and Graphic Design: Sandra Hiari (Course Instructor) Special thanks to Dr. Douglas R. Clark, Director of Center for Near Eastern Archaeology at La Sierra University for providing students with raw data. The collaboration with USAID-SCHEP has been made possible by Chief of Party, Nizar Al Adarbeh. All photos in this publication are courtesy of students unless otherwise noted.

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Figure 1: This picture was taken during the conceptual design studio jury on August the 3rd 2017. First line from the front (left to right): Maryam Al-Mohammed, Shahd Al Safadi, Rayah Al-Shabibi, Basel Al Sadi, Nesrin Al Sadi, Samar Madanat. Second line: Ali Helmy, Fahid As’ad, Hossam Fada, and Saleh Al Hajeid. Third line: Issa Ibrahim, Eng. Sandra Hiari (Course Instructor), Eng. Baha Marji (Juror), Eng. Ra’ed Wahbeh (Juror), Dr. Ahmad Zoabi (Dean of Architceture and Design), and Eng. Hanna Qubti (Lab Engineer).

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1

The Course

This studio-based course presented students with a real-life design project of complex nature both in function and in the context it needs to be developed in. The students were exposed to design challenges that stem from the need to satisfy stakeholders while providing advanced design solutions. This course introduced design as a tool to problem-solve an intertwined set of challenges that stem from existing built-up structures and sites of historic and cultural value. The purpose of the course was to develop students’ design skills in urban conservation, heritage-led urban regeneration, adaptive re-use and museum design.

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The Design Project

The design project of this course is the new Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum (MRAMP). The museum shall be located in Madaba Archaeological Park West – a site which is home to a wide variety of archaeological and cultural heritage monuments. Students shall envision that the current complex of Ottoman homes in the park will be conserved and refurbished to contain the future MRAMP which shall also include research and training facilities. Currently, the Sustainable Cultural Heritage through Engagement of Local Communities Project (USAID SCHEP) is taking the lead in developing the design of the museum.

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The Site

The location of the new MRAMP is within the Archaeological Park in Madaba. The site is an example of how urbanity can succeed in hiding gems in the city. The historic park is dissected and tucked away behind a bracelet of storefronts that circle the city's blocks. The aerial image below shows the gems within: the martyr's church, the Roman Cardo (main street) and the burnt palace.

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Figure 2: Land use plan of Madaba city. The location of the new Madaba Archaeological Museum is in the heart of the city (orange dot).

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Figure 3: Urban block that is the site for the new Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum. Photo courtesy: APAAME, Robert Bewley.

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Critical Analysis

The decaying historic city core of Madaba has been subject to urban regeneration schemes. Such schemes are driven by heritage, and thus can be classified as heritage–led urban regeneration. According to the Urban Regeneration Handbook, heritage-led urban regeneration is defined as a comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environment condition of an area that has been subject to change1.

Heritage areas such as the MRAMP site are rarely autonomous functional zones and cannot be delimited in purely morphological terms. They are an integral part of the formal and functional complexity of the central area, often having a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the city and, in particular, its central area. Rather than being considered in isolation, such areas must be considered within the context of the city as a whole as well as its region.2

Due to the implications of developing a museum within Madaba’s historic city core on urban regeneration in the city, the analysis the MRAMP site has been split into two parts: the urban and the architectural.

1 Roberts, P. & Sykes, H. E., 2002. Roberts, P. and Sykes, H. E. 2002. Urban Regeneration: A Handbook. London: Sage. 2 Tiesdell S., et al., Revitalizing Historic Urban Quarters, Oxford: Architectural Press; 1996.

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The Missing Piece of the Heritage Trail Puzzle: The Madaba Regional Archaeological Museum The location of the new MRAMP lies along the path of the Madaba Heritage Trial (between destinations 4 and 5 in the below figure). The trail is home to historic buildings from various civilizations. Although the site is identified on official maps of the trial, on ground it can be easily missed.

Figure 4: Destinations along the Madaba Heritage Trial.

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Figure 5: Buildings along the Heritage Trail.

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The Absent Urban Landmark To further investigate the ability to locate the project site (which has been found to be challenging), a brief analysis of the project site was conducted based on the five elements identified by urban planner Kevin Lynch in his seminal book The Image of the City. Although the project site lies within a prominent location in central Madaba, neither the site nor the urban block holds any urban element that registers in residents and visitor’s mental map. Particular to such a conclusion is the lack of a landmark in the block that can easily provide a visible point of reference to the site.

Figure 6: The five elements of the city’s mental map by Kevin Lynch.

Surrounding Street Typology The streets surrounding the site have been rehabilitated to accommodate for increased tourist pedestrian traffic. As such, some sidewalks have been redesigned under the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Urban Development Project to include a strip on the sidewalk that spans the entire route of the heritage trial. This project has been implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities as part of a World Bank loan.

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Figure 7: A dark red marble strip on the sidewalk identifies the heritage trial route.

The Cardo The main ancient Roman street, the Cardo, diagonally cuts through the urban block. The orientation of buildings in the site that were added in successive periods disregard the orientation. The existence of the Cardo poses both a spatial challenge and opportunity. As most of the available open space on site is paved by Cardo stones, it becomes challenging to construct the MRAMP museum without compromising the Cardo’s integrity or blocking its presence as a bare minimum. On the other hand, its presence provides an opportunity to highlight such an important archaeological gem hidden in the site.

Figure 8: Sections of the Roman Cardo lie within the center of the Archaeological Park West. Photo courtesy: Cropped from APAAME, Robert Bewley.

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Internal Circulation within the Site Current movement patterns within the site don’t provide a clear path to follow that ensures visitors to the site explore all its parts.

Figure 9: Internal circulation within the MRAMP site. Orange line indicates main pedestrian movement. Base photo courtesy: Valeria Gaspari.

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Historic Structures The site is home to various historic structures from different historic periods. The primarily structures on site are the Byzantine Burnt Palace and the Martyr’s Church.

Figure 10: Historic Structures and their architectural composition.

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Stone Formations The richness of historic layers in the site is reflected in the variety of flooring treatments for stones and rocks evident through successive segments of flooring along the pathway.

Figure 11: A pathway color-coded based on diversity in flooring materials.

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Figure 12: The patterns of flooring along the pathway within the site.

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Construction Systems within the Site The site exhibits both a wide range of roof systems as well as structural systems indicated in the figure below.

Figure 13: Pictures indicating roof and construction systems.

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Design Methodologies

Tapping into the results of the previous analysis, the students developed a multitude of approaches to design the museum. This section presents these approaches. The following diagrams explain the broad spatial arrangement for each design approach presented herein.

(Left) Design A: Building redirects heritage trail. (Right) Design B: A linear building complements the heritage trail and activates a new site exit.

(Left) Design C: Museum is deconstructed into rooms. (Right) Design D: Museum is shaped to enhance on-site way-finding

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(Left) Design E: Museum is presented as a new landmark in the city. (Right) Design F: The Museum overlooks the Cardo.

(Left) Design G: Museum is an elevated structure over a glazed platform. (Right) Design H: Museum is a set of vertically-stacked cuboids.

Figure 14: Set of diagrams explaining general museum architectural arrangements for the designs.

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Complementing the Heritage Trail In attempts to continue the heritage trail within the site, two alternative designs were presented. Design A introduced the museum structure as a connector between the Martyr’s Church and the existing Ottoman buildings. The circulation pathway in this design is the reverse of the current pathway. To showcase the Cardo as an artifact, the ground floor is composed of glass flooring slightly raised above the Cardo stone paving.

Figure 15: (Design A) Ground floor plan showing the glass flooring.

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Figure 16: (Design A) First floor plan showing gallery spaces.

Figure 17: (Design A) Section facing North of the site and showing the museum’s presence among surroundings.

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Figure 18: (Design A) Rotated three dimensional model of the museum.

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Figure 19: (Design A) Three dimensional model showing the museum as part of the Archaeological Park.

Figure 20: (Design A) Interior view of the ground floor showing the glass floor atop the Burnt Palace as well as the wooden wall openings that provide glimpses to the site.

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Figure 21: (Design A) Three dimensional model showing the Burnt Palace passing under the museum and the elevated ramp that transforms into an outdoor seated area.

Figure 22: (Design A) Three dimensional model showing the elevated ramp above the Cardo and wood screens on the ground floor level.

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In Design B, the heritage trail entering the site was depicted through two lines that cross the urban block diagonally. In it too, the current pathway was altered: an underutilized corner at the North West edge of the block was reopened to introduce an exit from the site. The building celebrates such a terminus by introducing a spiral semi-open air staircase at the end of the gallery space.

Figure 23: (Design B) Ground floor plan showing the gallery space and glass flooring entry.

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Figure 24: (Design B) Rotated East elevation showing the museum as a multi-level elevated linear structure.

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The Deconstructed Museum In Design C, the museum is envisioned as a set of separate small gallery spaces linked together through a pathway. The intent of this design was to break away from the single architectural edifice though the fragmentation of its spaces across the archaeological park. Through such an approach, the museum’s spaces retain an intricate scale and avoid architectural dominance.

Figure 25: (Design C) Ground floor plan showing the glass flooring.

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Figure 26: (Design C) Section showing the various gallery spaces that house artifacts.

Figure 27: (Design C) Three dimensional model showing the gallery spaces of the museum.

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Enhancing Way-Finding Current movement in the archaeological park can be random. Design D uses the museum as a regulatory space to direct movement on site and hence enhance way-finding. The museum is composed of two parts: the first part integrates the existing Ottoman Building as part of a floor-glazed gallery while the second part is home to a larger two-floor gallery sitting atop the Burnt Palace ruins.

Figure 28: (Design D) Ground floor plan showing the two parts of the museum.

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Figure 29: (Design D) First floor plan showing the two parts of the museum with an extruded gallery over the Cardo.

Figure 30: (Design D) South elevation showing the two parts of the museum against the background of existing buildings.

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Introducing a New Landmark Design E presents the museum as a landmark inserted in the archaeological park. The purpose of the landmark is to provide visibility from the surrounding areas. It connects with the Cardo through an outdoor ramp that wraps around the northern edge of the building and transforms into an indoor pathway.

Figure 31: (Design E) First floor plan showing a ramp transforming into a internal pathway in the building that connects various spaces.

Figure 32: (Design E) North elevation of the museum showing the ramp wrapping around the north-side of the building.

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Highlighting the Cardo In order to highlight the Cardo as an important archaeological element of the archaeological park, Design F presents a single structure that provides views overlooking it. The location of the Burnt Palace is prime for overlooking the Cardo and hence the whole museum sits atop the Palace. In this design, the museum’s outline and interior spaces are derived from a set of two grids: one based on the Burnt Palace and the other based on the stone lines of the Cardo.

Figure 35: (Design F) First floor plan showing the enclosures of the gallery space derived from underling grid of the Burnt Palace.

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Figure 36: (Design F) Second floor plan showing a different treatment of enclosures for the gallery space derived from the underling grid of the Burnt Palace.

Figure 37: (Design F) Third floor plan showing the terrace area designed around the second grid.

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Figure 38: (Design F) East elevation of the museum showing a system of rectangles with various treatments that reflect associated internal functions.

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Museum on a Platform The Northwestern corner of the block has been flipped into the main museum entrance in Design G where visitors navigate through a steel bridge surrounded by glazed viewing platforms overriding the Burnt Palace. The platform moves to the East of the site leading visitors to the museum rising from another glazed platform. The museum’s core is a rectangular structure that doubles as a staircase from the inside and turns into gallery walls from the outside.

Figure 39: (Design G) Ground floor plan showing the steel bridge connecting the glazed platforms together and leading to the museum.

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Figure 40: (Design G) The first floor plan of the museum with the core that doubles as a staircase and gallery area.

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Figure 41: (Design G) Section of the museum showing the openness of internal spaces.

Figure 42: (Design G) Three dimensional model of the museum showing view towards Northeastern corner.

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Figure 43: (Design G) Three dimensional model showing the museum within the Archaeological Park.

Figure 44: (Design G) Elevation showing the museum sitting on steel columns above the Cardo.

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Stacked Cuboids The approach to design the museum in Design G is based on stacking a set of cuboids vertically in different arrangements. Each cuboid houses a main gallery spaces that appear as solid masses from the outside. In contrast, the connecting spaces stress the building’s verticality and appear semi-translucent.

Figure 45: (Design H) Site plan of tilted cuboids in the Cardo connecting the Burnt Palace with the Church.

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Figure 46: (Design H): Second floor plan with the different functions of each mass.

Figure 47: (Design H) Three dimensional model of the museum showing the different stacking arrangements of cuboids.

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Museum Design Credits

Design Student Name

Design A Maryam Al-Mohammed

Design B Rayah Al-Shabibi

Design C Shahd Al Safadi

Design D Samar Madanat

Design E Nesrin Al Sadi

Design F Issa Ibrahim

Design G Hossam Fada

Design H Ali Helmy