The site contains ruins that form part of the UNESCO Pearling Path. The entire building functions as the entrance to the cultural heritage and the foyer for the medina. It is an urban room for the people of Muharraq with the scale of a public park. Concrete elements are placed along the property boundary to form a new locus in the dense city. A large space is created in which a forest of columns and wind towers hold a horizontal plate 10 meters above ground. A roof, understood as an archaic gesture, donates vital shadows for the people of Muharraq in this very hot climate and produces a new and unique situation through its different scale. Slightly set back in the shadow is an enigmatic house in which the museum of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage is located. As a totality the building creates a universe in itself that is the entrance for the Pearling Path and the city beyond.
Article source: Noura Al Sayeh and Leopold Banchini Architects
The house for Architectural Heritage is a centre that houses the archival collection of sketches and drawings by the architect John Yarwood, as well as serving as an exhibition space dedicated to architecture. John Yarwood resided in the city of Muharraq between 1983 and 1985, while he was serving at the Head of the Urban Renewal Department at the Ministry of Housing and fell in love with the city. His affection for exploration and documentation found an excellent opportunity in the abundant architectural heritage of the city. Today, his hand drawn sketches and drawings as well as his photographs remain one of the most extensive sources of documentation on the architectural heritage of Muharraq of which unfortunately much has been destroyed since the 1980s.
This being an ocean facing plot, the client’s top most priority was the sea views, with lot of prominence to entertaining family and guests. He is also a good cook and wanted all extra kitchens (tepanyaki) and dining areas to be planned on the top most level as well to enjoy the views of the waters. The Master suite had to be well-equipped, multi-functional, multi-spatial, area with the best view of the ocean. The architecture and interior spaces had to be modern, technologically advanced and seamless. The Interior spaces should be flexible (as in open spaces to become private and vice versa). Privacy from neighbors and roads was a priority. This home is designed on a linear plot with attached homes on south and north sides and is opening to the sea on the west side and the road on the east side. Because of its location, it comes under high value properties of Amwaj, Bahrain. The plot covers 809.2sqmts and the total built up is977sqmts.The two side boundary walls looked like two imposing retaining walls and the home had to be designed within these walls. Because of the attached home layout covers the built up space could touch the two longer sides (south and north boundary walls) without any windows (so no light and ventilation) and views either.
Lithos Design is among the companies that the architects’ studio MAS has selected for the refurbishment and renovation project for the exteriors of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bahrain.
The aim of the refurbishment was to extend the food & beverage area with an ensuing greater recreational offering for guests in the outdoor area, spanning 9,000 m2. To achieve the objective set by the customer, MAS architecture worked on the connection between the central part of the hotel and the beach, removing all physical obstacles and using architectural elements whose finishes were able to enhance the value of the atmosphere and the soft and relaxing colours of the new landscape.
In an altitude of deliberate self appraisal, the house situated in the north western part of Bahrain in an area called Hamala shoots up from its entry point at western side and forms almost an iconic structure of twin slopes , recognizable from far away . The western side protects it from the extreme sun in summer.An extension on the north eastern side houses a few bedrooms+deck .The landscape is well integrated with the various changing levels of the inside, designed on split levels where nothing is very far away, and every level opening into its landscaped area and part of the house is dugged in to escape the summer heat and part of the house sits a top the ground with lots of glass to enjoy the winter .The service areas are arranged in the centre of the house and all the living areas and bedrooms are in the peripheral areas to make maximum usage of light, ventilation views,etc.
One of the few existing public spaces in Bahrain, the Bab al Bahrain square has been progressively turned into no more than a roundabout traffic intersection, mainly dominated by the car. Still, due to its historical importance and its centrality within the island, it holds the potential to become a lively urban public space. Located at the entrance of the Suq it has the advantage of belonging to a tight urban structure which still benefits from a natural pedestrian network. Although it was once located a stone’s throw away from the sea, the square is today physically separated from it due to the ongoing land reclamation projects which have taken place since the 1950s.
Bab Al Bahrain Urban Oasis explores the value of the cultural and natural landscape inheritance as a design opportunity to address climate issues in public space, while catalyzing the urban potential of the site in the emerging new city urbanity. Urban Oasis is called to be the most important public space of Manama, embodying its dynamic character and showcasing its new sustainable identity.
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