Dewan Award for Architecture 2022
REHABILITATION CENTRE FOR TERRORISM VICTIMS IN IRAQ
Introduction
Historical Context
The modern history of Iraq tells a dejected story of endless humanitarian crises, starting with the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) and the first Gulf War (1990), which were followed by the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and a long season of terrorist attacks by sectarian militant groups.
Wars had grave consequences and negative impacts on the Iraqi community and economy. It created an environment of turmoil, lacking the very fundamentals of human rights and infrastructure.
It is estimated that since 2003, there have been over 335 billion dollars in financial losses related to conflict in terms of weapon purchases, human casualty and disability. According to START statistics, Iraq ranks first among countries that experienced the most terrorist attacks involving explosives.
A report issued by the Iraqi government in November of 2012 shows that between 2004 and 2011, there were 239,133 wounded Iraqis as a result of terrorist attacks within the country.
Although the number of terrorist attacks has relatively decreased in recent years, injuries sustained, mental and emotional trauma from these attacks are long term and can affect people for their whole lives
The Human impacts of these frequent terrorist attacks that targets Iraqi of all ages and backgrounds is not a historical problem but one that is current and on going – thus the need for rehabilitation centres is urgent.
Verifying the exact number of dead and injured civilians as a result of ongoing violence in Iraq is difficult, according to the Iraq Body Count website (https://www.iraqbodycount.org/) and The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Regardless of not having the exact number of victims, even the lowest estimation represents many ordinary Iraqis who continue to suffer at the deterioration of their basic human rights. This includes tragic loss, injury, death and destruction. Ongoing violence is likely to continue to claim a large number of civilian lives in the near future.
Such deliberate targeting of civilians and attacks on civilian objects constitute serious violations of the law, and such acts also constitute crimes against humanity, a violation of the right against arbitrary deprivation of life, as well as a violation of other basic rights.
The Challenge
In Iraq for every one fatality of terrorist attacks, there are approximately three injured victims – most are innocent citizens who become a soft target for militant groups.
Those who survive these brutal attacks live irreparably damaged lives, often taking years to reconcile their losses and traumas and to recover from their physical and/or psychological injuries. As a result of these tragedies, there is a growing need for centres in Iraq that support an interdisciplinary course of rehabilitation, providing optimal conditions for treating survivors of terrorist attacks physically, psychologically and socially.
These centres are for rehabilitation and not medical treatment, the rehabilitation centre should feature healthy and safe environments that work positively to achieve the potential of the injured person in a way that is constructive and realistic.
Rehabilitation is long term and oriented to positive life activity, and considers the whole person. The rehabilitation centre should provide extensive rehabilitation to the injured person and give them a feeling that they have control over their lives again by assisting them in better understanding, coping with, and processing the emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences. The centre should also train the patients and build their capacity to develop their skills and confidence to rejoin society and the job market.
“It took me years to reconcile with my injury and love my new self again, i was ashamed of my amputated hand, i didn’t want people to see it, i had a feeling that it was my fault that i lost my hand, you forget you are a victim. Rehabilitation is all about connection, you need to connect with the specialists to be able to respond to therapy, and you can only connect in a private setting. Centres needs to offer personal privacy, i always asked my family to wait in the reception whenever i had an appointment. Patients spend hours in these centres, it becomes your second home, it always helps when the centre has a positive atmosphere to remind you that live is not over yet” A victim of a 2008 terrorist attack in Basrah
Response
Participants are asked to design a rehabilitation centre for the victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq.
The rehabilitation centre should provide the necessary medical care for patients while promoting a sense of safety and hope.
The centre’s physical environment should not give the feeling of a clinical and a treatment institution. Indoor and outdoor spaces should encourage social interaction, sporting activities and learning.
The rehabilitation centre should help reduce restrictions imposed on the physical activities of patients and enable them to enjoy the highest quality of life physically, psychologically, and socially.
Competition Site
Competition Site - Baghdad
Zayouna (originally called “Army Officers City”) is one of the most prestigious areas in Baghdad. Located on the capital’s Al-Rusafa side, surrounded in the north by the Army Canal, and in the south by Mohammed Al-Qassim Expressway, it is located between Al-Ghadeer neighbourhood from the east and the ministries complex from the west.
Zayouna’s residents have above-average-incomes, representing some of the highly educated Baghdadi families. A considerable number of the community served as senior officers for the Iraqi military; hence, the name of the city.
The area has a residential complex that contains multiple residential buildings (3 to 5 floors high), which were built in the early 80s and are known as the “Buildings of Zayouna”.
The residential complex also includes the “Tuesday Central Market”, which was considered one of the biggest shopping centres in the Middle East upon its completion in the 80s, and the Al-Firdaws family swimming pool. The area has a number of public and private schools, as well as the “Teachers Training Institute”.
Competition Site
Centre Objectives
Health: The rehabilitation centre provides the necessary medical care to those who are physically injured. The design should ensure the efficiency of medical treatments and the cleanliness of the place both for the patients and the staff..
Safety & Privacy: All patients feel safe and secure within both the indoor and outdoor spaces while maintaining their privacy.
Hope: The rehabilitation centre aims to give hope and encouragement back to those who have suffered traumatic experiences and/or losses, and reintroduce them to the community as healthy individuals.
Psychological Rehabilitation: Traumatised patients should recover from their experiences through the comprehensive therapy provided in the rehabilitation centre.
Training & Capacity Building: The rehabilitation centre aims to develop the patients’ skills and confidence to rejoin society and the job market to be able to sustain and manage their own lives.
Eligibility
Architects, students, engineers and designers are invited to participate in this competition.
Participation can be on an individual or team basis (maximum of 6 members per team). We encourage the participation of multidisciplinary teams.
Schedule
May/2022 – Competition launch and early registration
01/10/2022 – Closing date for registrations and submissions
Oct/2022 – Shortlist Announcement
Nov/2022 – Announcement of results
End of 2022 – Annual Tamayouz Excellence Award Ceremony
All Deadlines are 11:59 pm GMT (London).
Registration
Early Registration: $75 from 01/May/2021 – 30/June/2021
Standard Registration: $90 from 01/July/2021 – 31/August/2021
Late Registration: $100 from 01/September/2021 – End of registration
Regulations
1. This is an anonymous competition and the Unique Registration Number is the only means of identification.
2. The official language of the award is English.
3. The registration fee for this award is non-refundable.
4. Contacting the jury is prohibited.
5. As the award organiser, Tamayouz Excellence Award reserves the right to modify the award schedule if deemed necessary.
6. Entries will not be reviewed if rules or submission requirements are not followed.
7. Participation assumes acceptance of the regulations.
Evaluation
RELEVANCE – A clear declaration of conditions that set the urban and cultural contextual parameters of the project through identification of local challenges and potential opportunities, living culture and the daily use of the rehabilitation centre.
RESPONSE – Aspirational transformative and original ideas with a programmatic response to existing local urban, environmental and social conditions and challenges. Clarity of the design process.
RESOLUTION – A clearly declared Spatial and technical justification, Accessibility, safety, security and durability and environmental impact.
Submission Requirements
Participants required to submit the following (In one Zip file named after the unique registration number):
1 – One – A0 board in JPEG format. Every team is encouraged to submit all the information they consider necessary to explain their proposal. Content may include but is not limited to plans, sections, elevations, visualisations and diagrams. The resolution of the boards must be 300dpi with the unique registration number placed in the upper left corner of the board in 18 pt font.
2 – A word document file containing the project statement (250 Words Max) explaining the design proposal.
3 – Submit your entry by using the upload link in your registration confirmation email.
NOTE: All files must be named after the unique registration number