BDES1020 <Jessica Seungji Han>

Abstract

My project in second semester was to create a building that fits into the city, Jerusalem. As Jerusalem is a holy city, there are many pilgrims and tourists. Therefore I have decided to build a pilgrim hostel that has three different religions, Muslim, Jewish and Christian. Gathering different religion in one place is perhaps a little risky considering their different thoughts and culture, however what makes my hostel special is that creating interaction between different religion people by providing space for both communal and private area in secure. As the concept of my building is multi-religious society, the interaction between different religions would allow greater possibility to learn and understand each other’s culture. The basic form of the building has cubical nature, which is the symbol of order and harmony in Islamic art. Islamic art is in common for both Jewish and Muslim. The design of the building made by simple geometrical shape ‘square’ which would provide a more appealing atmosphere for pilgrim being away from their hometown. Another feature of the building, the twisted cubes in each level is roughly forming a curve in the building. The curved form of the twisted cubes has references to Christian art. The combinations of Christian and Islamic art references have provided the final form of the building, which is made up of sight specific orientation of cubes. In private space, each cube is stacked in different angles so that it’s facing different direction, so once they are in the room, they cannot be seen by next door, which would strongly support their privacy. The separation between private and communal space is necessary in order to emphasise the function of each individual private room. The circulation surrounds the courtyard and leads the way to communal and private space. Apart from the private space, the communal and public spaces such as courtyard, function rooms and the void to be used as café in front of main entrance are all for interaction between different religions. These communal spaces would help them create consensus and also it provides an opportunity to learn other cultures and understand their distinctive habit. The main communal area of the building is located in south east where the sun comes through. People from different religion and background are all welcome to join and communicate with each other. The area can be used as meeting room and event venue. Likewise, the courtyard in the middle is the main source of light in the building, it makes the whole building bright and it can be a space for outdoor activity such as BBQ which again, creates interaction. Also the void at the main entrance is an open outdoor area which can be used as café, where people can sit around and communicate in a nice sunshine. It engages people to come inside by creating friendly and comfortable environment. The final design innovation has given a great opportunity for pilgrims to stay in comfort out of their hometown by implementing design solutions mentioned.