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SELECTED PROJECTS

CONTENTS

A TALE THROUGH A TRAIL

BOURJ HAMMOUD’S NEW SPORTS PARK

Analysis and Master Planning in KhiamFinal Year Project

5

6

20

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38

33

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Analysis and Detailed Design in Bourj HammoudYear Three, Semester One

Vertical Wall Installation in CampusYear One, Semester Two

Land Art Installation in CampusYear Two, Semester Two

GREEN VERTICAL WALL

A SPACE IN SPACE

INSTALLATIONS

THE POWER OF SKETCHING

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SELECTED PROJECTS

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1 A T A L E T H R O U G H A T R A I LHERITAGE CONSERVATION AND LANDSCAPE APPRECIATION IN KHIAM

INTRODUCTION

A Tale Through A Trail is a project based in one of the histori-cal villages in South Lebanon, Khiam, located directly on the borders with conquered Palestine and 6 Km away from the Syr-ian borders. Having this specific location, different groups of people have passed, lived, or temporarily stayed in Khiam for various reasons, whether it is for trading, immigration, or during military attacks. Consequently Khiam became a point of inter-est for many peoples who during several historical events have left their prints either on historical landmarks still existing in Khiam or in the stories still shared by the citizens of this village. Having historical landmarks still existing since WW2 and significant landscapes, the project aims to invite people to Khiam, appreciate its landscapes, and indulge in its his-tory through a network of trails that connects the historical structures and highlights main view ports to the unique landscapes. Different activities are proposed at specific nodes of the trails that emphasize the main landscape and historical events relating to the area.

The project took two phases. The first phase was focused on applying a detailed anaylsis on the history of Khiam and pro-posing a regional trail that connects to a network of four local trails in Khiam: The Khiami Community Trail, Al Ain Floating Trail, Sahil Al Khiam Trail of Life, and The Military Trail. The second phase zoomed in to a section of The Military Trail in Khiam where a more detailed design was proposed following a specific strategy that related to the history of the area.

KHIAM

Map of Lebanon

Beirut

Marjaayoun

Kfar Kila

Deir Mimas

BlatHasbaya

Kfar Chouba

P A L E S T I N E

Chebaa

S Y R

I A

Marjaayoun

KHIAMKHIAM22 Km2

76

8

SECTION SHOWING THE GENERAL LANDFORm OF THE REGION FROm WEST TO EASTREGIONAL mAP

KHIAm LANDSCAPE TyPOLOGIES

Shki

f Cas

tle

Layt

ani R

iver

El Q

laia

a Vi

llage

Khia

m M

eado

w

Khia

m V

illage

Has

bani

Riv

er

Al M

ari M

eado

w

Kfar

Cho

uba

Villa

ge

Mou

nt H

erm

on

Agricultural Lands

Rocky Dry Hills

Urbanized Land

Land Rich In Water

KHIAM

KHIAM

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English Military Airport (1942)

Khiam Prison (1933)

Military Blocks (1940s)

English Hospital (1942)

Tell Dibbine (1942)

Beaufort Castle (1100s)

Qalaat Hasbaya (1100s)

Military Defence Structures (1940s)

1978 2013

MARJAYOUN

HASBAYA

KAOUKABA

BLAT

AIN QINAI

KFAR SHOUBA

CHEBAA

EL AAICHIYE

KFAR TIBNIT

EL QLAIAA

KFAR KILA

DEIR MIMESS

EL TAIBE

Litani River

Hasb

ani R

iver

Wazani R

iver

KHIAM M O U N T H E R M O N

Water Mill (1910s)

P A L E S T I N E S Y R I AmAPPING OF THE HISTORICAL LANDmARKS IN THE REGION

STRATEGY

The strategy used to draw the trails was done on two levels. The first was on the regional scale that narrows down to the second level being the local scale where the trails become more defined. Starting with the regional scale, a detailed study was applied on the historical demographic movements that happened across the region. The historical tracks were then overlaid with the existing roads layer in order to define the regional track that provides the main entry points to the local trails.

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NEOLITHIC PERIOD 1100s - 1900s 1900 - 1950 1950 - 2000 21st CENTURY

Palestine Coast (1675B.C.)

Palestinians(1948)

English (1940s) Israelis (1978)

North Syria (1675B.C.) French (1933) Villagers (1978 - 1982)

Salah El Dinne1178

Israelis (2000)

Villagers (2006)

P A L E S T I N E S Y R I A P A L E S T I N E S Y R I A P A L E S T I N E S Y R I A P A L E S T I N E S Y R I A

EXISTING ROADS ImmIGRATION mOVEmENTS mILITARy mOVEmENTS PROPOSED REGIONAL TRAIL

HISTORICAL DEmOGRAPHIC mOVEmENTS TImELINE

REGIONAL TRAIL PROPOSITION bASED ON OVERLAyING HISTORICAL TRACKS WITH THE EXISTING ROADS

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REGIONAL ROADS TyPOLOGIES

Primary Roads

Khiam (1992)Khiam (1983)Marjaayoun (1940s)

1940s Roads and Trails

Historical Map (1940s)

Secondary RoadsAncient Trails

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LEGENDVehicular RoadsIrrigation PipesTrail And Water CanalTrail TreesDardara SpringWater ReservoirPondsEntry Points

Parkings

2Km1Km0.5Km0

MASTER PLAN

The master plan shows four main trails on the local scale, each describing a different landscape and telling a different story about the history of Khiam. Four interesting nodes on main intersections of the trails were defined as potential stopping points. The second step was to choose one of the nodes in order to go into the design phase.

The Khiami Community Trail

Al Ain Floating Trail

Sahil Al Khiam Trail of Life

The military Trail

mASTERPLAN mILITARy TRAIL DESIGN FOCUS AREAmASTER PLAN

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THE KHIAmI COmmUNITy TRAIL

Distance: 8 km • Estimated Walking Time: 90 mins • Estimated Biking Time: 30 minsDistance: 10 km • Estimated Walking Time: 120 mins • Estimated Biking Time: 40 mins

Distance: 18 km • Estimated Walking Time: 215 mins • Estimated Biking Time: 70 mins Distance: 10 km • Estimated Walking Time: 120 mins • Estimated Biking Time: 40 mins

Activities

Trail mood

Existing Character

Walking Sightseeing Open Views Stopping Points

biking2

21

1

Activities

Trail mood

Existing CharacterSAHIL AL KHIAm TRAIL OF LIFE

Jogging Looking at Water Percents

Sightseeing biking

1

1

2

2

Activities

Trail mood

AL AIN FLOATING TRAIL

Walking Looking at Water Percents

Jogging biking

Existing Character

1

1

2

2

Activities

Trail mood

Existing Character

Camping Hiking Sightseeing mountain biking

THE mILITARy TRAIL

1

1

22

14

SUMMER WINTERFALL SPRING

1

44

2

32

1

3

FRENCH mILITARy CIRCULATION STRATEGy

mILITARy TRAIL DESIGN PLAN

DESIGN STRATEGY

ZOOm IN

On the scale of the military blocks trail, a strategy was developed to draw the trail following the strategy that was used by the French to build the military blocks and bunkers. Military blocks were built on low points from where military tanks used to pass in order to block their ways. On the high points were built the bunkers from where the military circulation was ob-served. The trail proposed connects the military blocks with the military bunkers through steep slopes and provides view-ing ports at the bunkers to illustrate their main use. At the military blocks the trail goes in between those structures where the paths become enclosed and narrow to give the feel of obstruction and the dif-ficulty to move. 0 125 m 250 m 500 m

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* VP: Viewing Platform * bV: bunker View * SA: Seating Area

WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL

0 25 m 50 m 100 m

ZOOmING IN TO ONE STRECTH OF THE mILITARy TRAIL

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Since the site is located in a ru-ral area, it required sensitivity in design. The design was thus inspired from different aspects on site such as the change of foliage during the seasons, the textures and contrasts on site, and the different levels. The main objectives of the design were to distinguish the military blocks, highlight the way the bunkers were used as viewing platforms, and give the visitor different experiences passing through the olive trees, military blocks, pine forest, and the steep rocky hills.

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Chrysanthemum segetum Urginea maritima Poterium spinosum

CONTRASTS ON SITE PLANT SELECTION

The design at the military blocks aimed to highlight those structures. The design proposes a selection of groundcovers around the military blocks creating a contrast between the greyish color of the blocks and the green yellowish foliage of the plants. The plants were selected according to what is already found on site as well as the existing contrasts.

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TEXTURES ON SITE mATERIAL SELECTION

Corten Steel Concrete Slabs Red Soil

Materials were chosen according to the different existing textures on site. Corten steel was used to highlight structures where the visitor needs to stop and look at a specific view. Concrete slabs were used to create a contrast between the reddish color of the soil and the white color of the slabs. Red soil was used to mark the trail.

18

1918

CONCLUSION

Done on a large scale, this project was a great challenge for me. This challenge taught me how to use large-scale analysis and narrow it down into a strategy that would be then used in the design. Another challenge I faced was practicing a new field in Landscape Architecture, which is rural development. The project gave me the chance to see a totally new perspective of design, designing with sensitivity. Located in a rural area, I learned how to be very selective in the materials, forms, colors, and textures used in the design. Consequently, I learned how those elements could really affect a design. In brief, this project was a huge turning point in my academic life. It added a lot to my knowledge in the field and made me understand better the essence of Landscape Architecture.

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BOURJ HAMMOUD

Beirut

Map of Lebanon

BOURJ HAMMOUD

Beirut

Sin El Fil

Dekouanah

2.5 Km2

Located at a close distance from Beirut, Bourj Hammoud is one of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Lebanon. Due to several historical events, different groups of people set-tled in Bourj Hammoud making it a home for people from various religions, nationalities, and sectors. Today most of the people who live in Bourj Hammoud are Armenians since they were the first people who inhabited the neigh-bourhood. Other nationalities that inhabit Bourj Hammoud are Egyptians, Ethiopians, Indians, Syrians, along with Lebanese people and other nationalities.

The project focuses on analyzing the history of Bourj Hammoud which once was a mixed neighbourhood with a desirable waterfront where people used to gather, and turned in to a segregated neighbourhood with a highway cutting in the middle separating the residential area from the industrial area making it harder for people to cross to the beach. Other than the highway, after the civil war peo-ple accumulated their wastes in a landfill on the seashore making it polluted and undesirable for people to visit. In an attempt to reconnect Bourj Hammoud, the project pro-poses a recreational park in one of the chosen plots that would invite people from both the industrial and the residential areas to gather and spend time away from the crowded and polluted surrounding.

2 BOURJ HAMMOUD’S NEW SPORTS PARKRECONNECTING THE COMMUNITIES OF BOURJ HAMMOUD NEIGHBORHOOD

INTRODUCTION

2120

W.C.

Snacks

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1 FISHERmEN PORT AND THE LANDFILL

2 VIEW FROm THE LANDFILL TO SOUTH bOURJ HAmmOUD

3 VIEW FROm THE LANDFILL TO FISHERmEN PORT AERIAL VIEW OF bOURJ HAmmOUD

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BOURJ HAMMOUD

LandfillWater Edge Industrial Zone Coastal

HighwayDora

HighwayDense Urban Area

S

2322

Grand Camp Saint. Michael1921

1920 1925 1930 1935 1940

Achrafieh Hills1927

Nor Hadjin, Khalil1930

Nor Marach1930

Nor Sis, Traq and Nor Adana1930s

Camp Sandjak1939

Camp Qarantina1923

Armenia signed a treaty of alliance with Russian Soviet

League of nations and French mandates built quarters

First association active to buy land in Bourj Hammoud

Handover of Alexandretta region to Turkish republic

THE ARmENIAN COmmUNITy mOVEmENT

Sandy ShoreOpen public space

desired by the residents of Bourj Hammoud

1965 2009

LandfillContaminated seashore -

waterfront no longer desirable

Fishing PortAfter war the port suffered extreme levels of pollution

Residential ZoneSeparated from the

waterfront

Dora HighwayCrossing the highway

wasn’t an issue

Residential ZonePeople enjoy going to the seashore

Industrial Zoneno issue of pollution

Industrial ZoneGuards securing factories

- waterfront no longer accessible

Dora Highway Widened to Four Lanes

More difficult to cross

FROm A mIXED NEIGHbOURHOOD TO AN ISOLATED SECTOR

1910 Source: Bourj Hammoud Municipality

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4 Lanes

Highways Primary Roads Secondary Roads Informal Roads

1 Lane 1 Lane Car Park

ROAD NETWORKS

CONCEPT

The project aims to reconnect the industrial area with the residential area of Bourj Hammoud by designing a desirable recreational park attracting people from both areas. After analysing the history of the neighbourhood and identifying the main reasons that lead to its separa-tion, it was evident that there is a stretch between the two areas that wasn’t industrial neither residential. Thus the project proposes to use this stretch as a buffer zone that would reconnect Bourj Hammoud through redesigning its unused spaces for potential gathering spots. The plot chosen for the recreational park lies in this stretch next to one of the pedestrian bridges of the highway to ensure a safe access to the site.

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SITE POTENTIALS

SITE ImAGES

Buffer Zone• potential open spaces• easy access for people from both zones

People’s Access

Pedestrian bridge

Potential Sites

Chosen Site

1

1 2

3

3

2

26

DESIGN PLAN

The design proposes a sports park for all different ages, a place where all the residents and workers can spend time in. The site is divided into an outdoor gym, a football field, a basketball court, a children’s play area, a resting area, and a running track that goes around the park and varies in elevation. The park has three main entrances. Two of them are connected to the sidewalk of the highway and one entrance allow ac-cess directly from the pedestrian bridge to the park.

LOCATION OF SITE

BOURJ HAMMOUD

PROPOSED DESIGN PLAN

0 25 m12.5 m 50 m

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S1

S3

S3

S1

S2

S2

Highway Sidewalk Stadium 1

Football Field Running Track

E1

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

Running Track

Running Track

Outdoor Gym Football Field Seating Area Basketball Court Kids Play Area Outdoor Cafe

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Stadium 2 E1 Stadium 1

SECTION 3

1 CHILDREN’S PLAyING AREA

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2 OUTDOOR Gym

KEy mAP

PLANT SELECTION

Plant selection depended on different factors that create the general mood of the park. In some areas where people needed to rest, it was important to select evergreens that create shade. Fragrant trees were selected in various areas to give a pleasant atmosphere for the walked. It was also important to choose plants according to the foliage each creates to bring life to the park. Hedges were used to sepa-rate the children’s play area for safety purposes.

Ficus nitidaLEGEND

Pittosporum tobira

Vinca minor

Tipuana tipu

Acacia retinodes

Magnolia grandiflora

Citrus japonica

Thuja orientalis

Laurus nobilis

Cupressus sempervirens1

2

30

3130

CONCLUSION

This project encompassed various issues that are usually found in densely urbanized environments, and it was important to learn how a Landscape Architect would tackle those issues and find solutions. The project was a great example that showcases how Landscape Architecture designs for people in the first place. I learned that a public space could never be designed without studying its history, this history that is created by the people. Knowing what people need and how they would use an open space are essential factors any Landscape Architect should think about and take into account while designing a space.

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INSTALLATIONS

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GREEN VERTICAL WALL1 A GREEN WALL FROM REUSED MATERIALSINTRODUCTION

The green vertical wall installation promotes reusing materials to create green spaces. Simple materials that could be found in any house were used following easy steps to create the green wall. A drip irrigation system was also designed that col-lects the water in a pipe at the bottom of the wall and reuses the water again. Follwoing very easy steps to build this green wall, the main objective of this project is to create a prototype of what could be done from simple reused materials in an at-tempt to encourage sustainability.

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STEP 1

STEP 5 STEP 6 STEP 7 STEP 8

STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

Plastic container usually used in kitchens

Filling container with a mix of soil and fertilizers

Striped plastic separators that allow water drainage were used to define planting spots

Wrapping container with green fabric usually used in construction sites

Fixing separators together and perforating the walls of the container to fix the separators to the container

Fixing fabric to the walls of the container

Using steel wire to connect separators to the container

Creating wholes in the fabric and planting the plants

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Fixing the container to the wall

Pipes for drip irrigation

One pipe above each unitSecondary pipes extending from the main pipe for drip irrigation

Final result - Green wall made oF reused materials

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A S P A C E I N S P A C E2 A CONNECTION FROM EARTH TO THE SKYINTRODUCTION

This installation was the result of a land art studio. It was in-stalled in the university campus on one of the bridges that con-nects two buildings. The inspiration came from the function of the bridge, being “to connect two places”. As a result, the aim of the project was to give people the feeling that they are connected to the sky through projecting one of the constella-tions to the bridge. 88 constellations are identified by the UFO, each constellation resembling a different story. The constella-tion chosen for this project was the Draco constellation, which resembles a dragon that used to guard an apple tree that had gold under it. The reason for choosing this constellation is to emphasize the importance of preserving a tree. Not always do we have gold under our trees, but sometimes what we get from a tree is more precious than gold.

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CONCEPT

ConCeptual diagram Projection of Draco constellation to the briDge

The projection of the constel-lation took two dimensions, the horizontal surface of the bridge and its vertical walls emphasizing again the con-nection between the Earth and the Sky. Cardboards painted with very bright yel-low color were used to re-semble the stars connected by mulches painted in blue. Apples were dangled above the constellation reviving the memory of the apple tree that was guarded by the dragon of the constellation.

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THE POWER OF SKETCHING

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Thank You For Reading