Residential developments on a grid layout, of approximately 3-5 storeys lie adjacent to the west, south and across the main road to the east.The development site is rectilinear, and lies on a west-north-west / east-south-east axis, with the south side along Mawlood Mukhless road and east side predominantly exposed to the Jordanian sun.

Configuration and concept

The aim of our project is to provide a sustainable development around an active secure inner street. One of the primary aspirations of our proposal is to promote and secure a high standard of design within an environment that reinforces Royal Jordanian Airlines ‘brand’. Our proposal addresses all requirements of the brief, specifically promoting a strong sense of place, and establishing a series of network routes and a sequence of spaces to compliment the new built form and help announce the development along the Mohamed Ali Janah main road.

Analysis of the rectilinear site suggests that two linear buildings running parallel to Mawlood Mukhless road provides the most efficient footprint configuration that would also benefit from natural daylight and ventilation. The linear buildings would shield an inner street sheltered from direct sunlight, which forms the ‘heart’ of the building, similar to the traditional Arabian ‘souk’.