The Winners
First Place: Ola Ahmed Maged and Mostafa Hazem
Giza – Egypt
Judging Panel Comment:
“The jury found this project interesting and engaging, and enjoyed the ‘incompleteness’ of the buildings. The judges appreciated the project’s pervious formations that integrate successfully with one another.
“They also felt that the scale of the project was appropriate and that it featured a suitable amount of monumentality – enough to be a distinguished landmark, while at the same time not intimidating to users or rigid in its appearance. The judges also felt that the project evokes a miniature Arab city, with a successful balance of public spaces and interesting articulation.
“However, the jury felt that the spatial structure could use more work in its relation to the nearby market. Regardless, they felt that this was a rich and interactive project that has been beautifully rendered.”
Worcester, UK
Judging Panel Comment:
“The jury commended this project and its objective to empower user ownership. They found the presentation to be thorough and complete in its addressing of engagement with the youth.
“The judges thought that the project’s central recognition connects with the city very successfully, and they appreciated the roofing and modularity of the project. The jury felt that this project illustrates spaces that can be used in real ways, while also being very constructible without falling into nostalgic forms.
“However, they questioned the use of the wall around the project, and if this contradicts its powerful central premise. Regardless, the judges found the canopied route that stretches across the site to be very welcoming and successful in separating the spaces while bringing them together at the same time.”
Third Place – 2218 Architects (Oğuz Bodur, Sara Kerimi, Nilay Altınay and Anıl Aydınoğlu)
İzmir, Turkey
Judging Panel Comment:
“The jury commended the temporality of this project, and found it inviting to the youth. The judges appreciated how the streets were continued through the project, as well as its successful balance of hard and soft scapes.
“They also admired the treatment of the large plaza, and found it very coherent. The jury felt that the simplicity of the project would give choice to the users in terms of their interaction with it, and that the design features a successful human scale.
“However, they felt that the design was a bit scattered, and that the use of oak was not appropriate to the context, as it is not a local material. Also, because the design is mostly exposed climatically, they wondered how the experience of the project in the warmer seasons would be for the users. Regardless, the project’s modularity and adaptability were appreciated and commended by the jury, who found such elements to be representative of freedom.
Honourable Mentions
Abdelrahman Adel, Abdallah Mekkawi and Hesham Emam
Cairo, Egypt
“The jury found this project very rational, and that the design was of high quality with a lot of potential. However, they felt that the solution was better suited for an educational project. Additionally, while they commended the use of a single element for multiple purposes, in some places this approach did not provide a strong sense of place within the project. The jury also felt that the link with neighbouring areas could be worked on.
Baghdad, Iraq
“The jury enjoyed this project, and felt that it presented a strong idea. They found it to be a powerful intervention that is very accomplished, contemporary and inviting. And while the judges found this design and the use of the circle to be very powerful, they felt that the integration of the buildings could use more work.
Turin, Italy
“The jury found this project very beautiful, and they liked that it takes into consideration the city’s grid. However, they felt that it was perhaps too formalistic and may be better suited for a museum programme rather than a youth house. Furthermore, the project’s heavy use of palm trees could be reconsidered, as they require extensive cultivation.”
Gaza, Palestine
“The jury enjoyed this project and found that it was beautifully designed with nice materiality. They also felt that sinking the whole site generates interesting spatial qualities, but that this might produce questions of security as it limits visibility. Furthermore, the judges felt that the design might be too rigid for a youth house and that its monumentality could be worked on.”
Cairo, Egypt
“The jury appreciated this project’s maximalist approach, and the designers’ effort to address different moods and interests of the users; however, they felt that the distribution of the programme across the site could use more work.”
Spot (Nizar R. Jarallah)
Baghdad, Iraq
“The jury enjoyed this project’s use of interesting symbolic elements and its attempt to bring life to the grid system. The jury found this project eclectic and exciting, and felt that it fosters imagination. The analytical study of the site was also a strength of the project. However, the jury felt that perhaps the project had too many elements, and that this might have overwhelmed the project. The judges thought that the project might benefit from the ‘less is more’ approach, in terms of colours, ideas, and design elements.”
The Dewan Award for Architecture is named after Dewan Architects + Engineers, one of the world’s most established and leading architecture firms, particularly to emerge from the Middle East. It is a joint prize held in partnership between Tamayouz and Dewan. Seeking regional and international proposals, the award aims to recognise design solutions that respond to local challenges in Iraq.
For its inaugural theme in 2018, the award sought proposals for a school in Iraq’s marshlands. Information about the 2018 winners can be found here. In 2019, the theme was the regeneration of Al Umma Park in Baghdad. Information about the 2019 winners can be found here.
Tamayouz Excellence Award is sponsored by Kufa – Makiya Charity, Dewan Architects + Engineers, Ayad Coventry University, the Iraqi Business Council in Jordan, British Airways, Al-Tuhafi Architects, Bonair Ltd, Final Fix Interiors, JT+Partners, LWK + PARTNERS, and the United Nations Global Compact – Iraq Network.
For more information on Dewan Award: www.Dewan-Award.com