Baghdad Design Centre
Call for projects organizer
Tamayouz is an independent initiative with no political affiliation with the aim to advance the profession of architecture un Iraq both academically and professionaly.
Description
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq with an area of 204.2 square kilometres and a population of 8,765,000 making it the largest city in Iraq, the second largest city in the Arab world (after Cairo, Egypt) and the second largest city in Western Asia (after Tehran, Iran).Baghdad is situated on both sides of the Tigris River. The city is approximately 300 miles from the northern, southern, and western borders of the country. It has a temperature range of 5°C - 15°C in winter and an average of 47°C in summer. Baghdad is divided into two parts by the Tigris River; the eastern part is called Al-Rusafa and the western part is called Al-Karkh.
The Abbasid Caliphate established their capital in the city of Baghdad in 762CE. Over the next five centuries, Islamic culture flourished and Baghdad became renowned as a centre of learning and tolerance. Scholarship was encouraged and scientists, doctors, philosophers and engineers made significant advances in their fields. Art and architecture combined to produce beautiful mosques and palaces. This period is known as the Golden Age of Islam.
The site is the old Baghdad Governorate Building in Al-Rusafa side of Baghdad (old Al-Rusafa area), the site lies between Al-Rasheed st. to the north, Al-Mutanabbi st., Al-Shuhadaa Bridge and Madrasa Mustansiriya to the east, the Abbasid Palace to the west and Al-Qishla and Tigris river to the south. The partially remaining building fabric on the competition site is what was once the Old Baghdad Governorate Building built in the early 20th century.
The Old Baghdad Governorate building was heavily damaged (only the skin of the building remains) due to the looting and the vandalism in the week that followed the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. The site is currently underused, and have not been properly maintained. The competition site and the skin of the old building are now called Al-Multaqa (the meeting point), where people usually meet before heading to the crowded surrounding areas.
THE CHALLENGE
The period following 2003 has been one of the most challenging times for modern Iraq. In the wake of the US invasion and the looting that followed it, the country witnessed and felt countless traumas affecting all parts of society. Crimes against public property surged, while attacks on Iraq’s art, culture and heritage became commonplace.
Since 2003, more than half of the listed and historical buildings have been lost. At the moment, the majority of Iraq’s heritage buildings have become victim to two negative approaches: either they are intentionally or unintentionally neglected, leading to their collapse or they are unlisted and replaced with modern, low-quality developments. In the last 15 years, 700 buildings out of 1,300 historical buildings in the Iraqi capital have been lost, according to various news reports. Old Al-Rusafa is one of the historic centres of Baghdad, and its built fabric has been under pressure from modern development and has suffered tremendous losses in terms of its traditional forms.
For this reason, this competition hopes to see a new architectural approach that helps Baghdad celebrate its heritage and raise awareness of the importance of maintaining all the layers of its history and heritage. The transformation of the site into a Design Centre that showcases the best of contemporary Iraqi design and is also a space of creative collaboration forms the basis of the brief. Whilst creating a new and optimistic vision for the future of design within Iraq the proposals should also set a benchmark for the respectful treatment of cultural heritage in a true fusion of the old and the new.
Rewards
PRIZE WINNER
$5 000The Rifat Chadirji Statuette + Trip to the 2018 Award Ceremony (Flights & Hotel covered by the organisers)
(2) 2nd & 3rd PRIZES
$1 000Certificate + Trip to the 2018 Award Ceremony Flights & Hotel covered by the organisers)
People's choice award
$500Sustainability Prize + Certificate
7 x Honourable Mentions:
Certificates
TOP 20 & TOP 50
Published on our website and social media pages
Certificates
TOP 20 & TOP 50
Published on our website and social media pages
Timeline
Submission ends
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