A DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR A DECONSTRUCTED CITY:ALEPPO

The project area is located in the deconstructed historical centre of Aleppo, Syria. The project aims to heal the interrupted permeability of the city by showing its potentials and references at both urban and architectural scale. The proposal outlines the spatial relationship with the urban context by an articulation of architectonic spaces.

The project is not only composed of significant features that aim to propose a traditional Aleppian life with traditional characteristics such as courtyards and monumental entrance gates but also a new concept of the “Heart'' which is a monumental public space that dominates the project in every aspect and connects the project to the secret underground passage in the gate of Citadel. Initially, it is the centre of aggregation and distribution on various levels. The new concept of the “Heart” and position is critical because it determines the main axis of the project. Since Aleppo is defined with its courtyards, “connecting courtyards” was a significant motivation to guide the main axis. One of the most acknowledged and visited courtyards of Aleppo is predicted as the courtyard of the Great Mosque. Originating from the Great Mosque, the axis is proposed to pass through adjacent courtyards with various activities in a perpendicular direction to Citadel. After insertion of the main bazaar, the axis makes a drastic shift and lays parallel to Citadel. "Heart" is introduced at this point of the shift to attract people and lead them through the second axis with its monumental presence. The main building is positioned continuously to the "Heart" to consolidate continuity of the second axis. Moreover, wind towers and view towers are proposed in this axis to remark the second axis also in the skyline of Aleppo. To emphasize the monumental axes, an architectural element was utilized from Islamic architecture: the sequence of gates. Urban analyses reveal that each public building has a detectable entrance gate in Islamic cities. This reference is implemented in the project to give identity to the main axes. The theme through the East-West axis adopted a strategy of reconstruction of the historical bazaar structure that is most damaged in the war. The architecture concentrates on the redevelopment of possible activities with the identification of damaged structure and the proposal of the new architecture that harmonizes with the characteristics of the city.