Rewriting the Riverbank

Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, was glamorous in its history. Regrettably, it suffered massive destruction after the Civil War, which caused enormous ruins. Therefore, Mosul urgently needed the city's reconstruction, involving the historic heritage and modern urban facilities. Based on the rewriting technique we apply, the design research aims to design new constructions that can recall some constants and features of the previous settlement, involving in the design process permanence, traces, absence, etc., while giving the site a new appearance and meaning in the contemporary context.

For Mosul's postwar reconstruction design, the facing riverbanks are the site we chose. On the urban scale, we focused on reviving the absence/presence of city walls, monumental buildings, and urban infrastructure, using those traces and permanence to improve accessibility, develop the space quality, and enrich the functions on riverbanks. Then, we zoomed in on the scale to deepen two crucial sites: the bridge and the Citadel Museum. The bridge is over the old citadel, the first bridge in Mosul. Historically, it was a pontoon bridge made of upturned boats and wooden panels connecting Mosul and Nineveh. Our proposal aims to rekindle people's memories of this significant bridge. We are committed to preserving its rhythm and maintaining a solid connection to the city's past. The museum, once the site of the citadel, is considered the main gate to old Mosul. Our strategy is to establish a Citadel Museum here as a hub for learning history and culture, as well as creating high-quality public spaces that foster a sense of community. According to the urban tissue, we followed the main axes of the city to shape and adjust the building blocks to organize the museum's main body while we rotated the two blocks at 45 degrees to provide sufficient space for entrances. A stripe system was inserted to approach the Tigris River according to Mosul's love for the river. We kept the style of the façade and rooftop consistent with local architecture's atmosphere to reach harmony with the surrounding environment. For materials, the prevalence of brick use in Islamic countries allowed us to apply it to most facades. Owing to the rich resources of alabaster, we used it for the walls with small holes. In addition, we also utilized concrete for the roofs and slabs.