Convergence

Project Name: Convergence- Cultural Park

Location: Jebel Ali Religious Complex, Dubai, UAE

Function: Cultural Centre and Park

Plot: 50,000 sqm

Thesis Summary

This thesis takes a theme that studies cultural diversity in Dubai and the community’s response to it. Where more than eighty-five percent of Dubai’s total population consists of expatriates and migrants, they were the base for the innovation and development that Dubai witnessed in the past thirty years. This thesis tackles how the diversity of cultures, especially in highly populated areas, help the overall community tolerance and development. The thesis intends to reveal the potential links that will amplify the individual’s expression in the physical world influencing the community’s interconnectedness through both cultures and culturally shared architectural elements. The overall aim of this thesis is to investigate the ability of architecture to respond to Dubai’s cultural diversity and help its people find a sense of unity while having variant costumes, cultures, senses of place, and memories.

Project Site

To reflect this study, the chosen site for the proposed project is a plot in Dubai Jebel Ali Village, better known as Jebel Ali Religious Complex. The site is visited by hundreds of different ethnicities along the year. Although the main purpose of the site visitors is worship, the site was considered as one of the most tolerant places in Dubai in 2019. Upon completion, the design will help the already existing complex become a catalyst of cultures were worships of different cultures, traditions and religions can interact after performing their faith.

Jebel Ali Village near Ibn Battuta Mall was a much-loved community built in 1977 to house some of the few expatriates who lived in Dubai at the time. Located next to the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) that was created In 1985, the hill at Jebel Ali Village was the setting for a significant moment in the history of Dubai’s development. There, Sheikh Rashid stood and announced his plans to build Jebel Ali Port in the early 1970s. Jebel Ali Village 1978 was not intended to be permanent but as Dubai expanded towards Jebel Ali, JAV continued to attract xexpatriates as a desirable and economical place to live long after the Construction Staff had left. Eventually JAV land became highly valued as JAV being demolished and replaced by expensive accommodation.

Site Analysis

Several factors were considered prior to deciding the site in relation to Dubai city. Some of these factors concentrate on the site intangible aspects like ethnic diversity and population density. Other tangible factors were studied for how the proposed project is to be structured. Some of these are related to the existing Religious complex buildings accesses in relation to the existing pedestrian and vehicular circulation in the complex.

The outdoor space to be created will host the Religious Celebrations of the complex churches and temple; it will house the excess number of worshipers. The design is to form a connection between these religious buildings via both outdoor spaces and the program indoor spaces that will house conventional halls, exhibition galleries, educational spaces, and leisure related spaces.

Site Views

Religious Complex

The Religious complex within the site is composed of eight religious buildings, seven churches and a Sikh temple. The proposed project considers each of these buildings accesses in the concept development. Their main accesses will form the focal points of the connection factor of the project; connecting the existing buildings with the proposed ones, and connecting the North access to the South access via ground level and elevated levels.

Concept

Although all the religious buildings in Jebel Ali Village fall under one name that is the religious complex, the site lacks the sense of unity within the complex itself, and the connection between the complex and its surrounding. The project objective is to connect the Jebel Ali religious complex with its surrounding and create a unity between the existing religious buildings. Instead of an isolated island of religious buildings, the project will form a series of connections between one building and another, and between the complex and its adjacent surrounding. Here, the concept is converging the religious buildings considering the ‘in between passages’ under the canopy theme. This will be achieved through enhancing these passages by integrating culturally shared architectural elements, and by elevating the passages, so connecting the complex with the new cultural park. A public space for all is to be designed where the visiting worshipers can interact and culturally link and interconnect with each other, all under the roof of a culture center within the religious complex. The proposed program will host several functions the are occupied both indoors and outdoors enhancing the public spirit of the concept. Both the extended site with its program and the existing religious complex will be further unified under the canopy strips that are adapting to the existing site geometry.

Design Process

Program

The project program is divided in to three categories. The first category is the main cultural centre compound building that is the main permanent structure, and the proposed mosque. Considering the ethnic diversity of the site visitors, and potential proposal of creating a cultural park for all, integrating a mosque was essential considering the residence surrounding the site. The second category is the transient buildings that vary between three types in relation to the functions they are hosting. The last category is the outdoor park. This holds several functions that are designed specifically for the popular time visits of the complex. As the site is visited regularly by hundreds of different worshipers, the park theme is reflected in this category of the program. some of the functions that are included here are kiosks zone, bicycle path and bike rentals, intermediate boulevard, outdoor exhibition stalls, Murals, and the labyrinth park.

Outdoor Functions - Transient Structures

Canopy

An essential aspect of the project concept is the canopy. This is composed of twenty strips that defines both the permanent structure form, and the outdoor shaded areas. The shading system in the site is controlled by the different heights of these strips. As the canopy's strips height varies from one to another, so is the interior building functions, and the outdoor shaded functions. The more elevated canopy strips are featured by the greenery that they host, and so their height is decided by the greenery soil depth. Sections AA and BB clearly shows this height variation. Canopy strips that are hosting the elevated passages are featured with recycled aluminum pipes that perform as wind chimes as the gentle North West wind blows through the passages. This is one of the culture elements that are integrated in the design.

Canopy modules