Noor Marji, German Jordanian University, Amman, Jordan

The seed from which the idea of “SQUARE ONE” emerged was the need for total reform, not only of the deteriorating educational system in Amman but also the social structure of the city and the people’s perception of “the other”. It is the idea that challenged the concept of the “connection”, literally and metaphorically, stitching together the edges of the urban fabric while also bringing people together and shedding light on the educational problems that the library addresses. Rebuilding the mountain and restructuring the society around it was the analogy.

Following the international exposure that my project has received, great interest was shown in the idea of actually realizing the project. It has since then been presented to multiple official authorities including the Greater Amman Municipality and the Latin Patriarchal Authorities represented by the Bishop, who is, in fact, the owner of the land on which the project was designed. Through those discussions, the central questions that arose were “If this project were to be built, will it generate revenue? Will it be cost-efficient? Will it be environmentally, financially, and socially sustainable?”

Sustainability in building is rapidly gaining significance in the Middle East Africa region – particularly among female professionals and young graduates in architecture and engineering. This was clearly seen at the prize-handover ceremony for the regional Holcim Awards in Nairobi, Kenya. The majority of the 11 prize-winning projects dealt with education and the contemporary promotion of traditional manual skills.

Is it a building, an infrastructure, or a patch of landscape? As a matter of fact, “Steps of Amman” in Jordan is a proposal for a hybrid structure, one simultaneously taking on architectural and infrastructural traits at once, while restoring a piece of the city’s undulating terrain. The structure furthermore combines a range of public functions: an urban square in form of a stair and an urban library embedded within one of the city’s hills. More than just a project for a building, the design makes a plea for reinforcing the civic role of architecture in contemporary culture. Though monumental in its scale and mass, the building is hardly noticeable as a structure in its own right, for it seamlessly merges with the city’s topography. Below ground, users discover another world, one dedicated to the promotion of culture as public good.

Culture, as a form of interaction and key activity of civic life, evolves as the central theme of the design proposition. It is in this regard that the jury enthusiastically applauded the architectural and spatial qualities of the structure as a carefully crafted piece of civic architecture within the city fabric of Amman. Of particular importance is the sequence of public spaces both on top and below the stair, the latter potentially to be read as an amalgam of the Spanish Steps in Rome (though less lavish) and the Villa Malaparte in Capri (though less sculptural in its appearance). Additionally, the jury valued the beauty of the drawings that truly empower architecture as an art in its own right.

Celebrating the Ammani stairs

Coming from the notion of public stairs as the original Ammani public spaces as well as the main connection between the upper and lower edges of the hilly downtown terrain. The project serves as a mediator between the edges, connecting them all together in one point despite their contrasting qualities. By using the same language as the city of Amman, the project is very sensitive to its surroundings and blends in seamlessly. The project provides a green lung for the area as well as public plazas and spaces for meeting and gathering. The indoors are brought outdoors through activities such as book fairs, sports, and outdoor classrooms. It creates a common ground and initiates dialogue between the edges, which can in turn become a positive starting point for change and reform.