PROJECT Pocket Ecologies
LOCATION Baghdad, Iraq
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 5/4/2016
PROJECT CATEGORY Graduate / Beginning Design
PROJECT TYPE Studio
ENTRANT Jennifer Chorosevic
TEAM MEMBERS
SCHOOL University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
FACULTY SPONSOR Madlen Simon, Associate Professor / Architecture
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
This studio aimed to bridge the cultural gap between Iraq and the United States. The studio brought together American graduate architecture students with fifth year Iraqi architecture students in a collaborative studio. The studio worked together on a master plan for Tahrir Square in Baghdad. Each individual student designed a piece of the proposal in detail over two weeks. Pocket Ecologies is aimed at reactivating the Tigris Riverfront through habitat revitalization. Currently, people cannot interact with the river’s edge. Pocket Ecologies looks at the ecological context of the river, recognizing that the marshes that once existed along the Tigris are disappearing. The design envisions a brighter future for Baghdad which reconnects the people of Baghdad with the river through pavilions along the Tigris. People of all ages will enjoy life at the water’s edge while appreciating the natural beauty of the Tigris’ marshes.
STUDENT'S STATEMENT
The final project for this collaborative studio in Baghdad, Iraq called for a small architectural intervention near Tahrir Square which would envision a brighter future for the site than the heavy realities it currently faces. Many students in Baghdad expressed the importance of the Tigris River, yet the river has taken a backseat in the development of Baghdad. Therefore, nature and landscape should serve as a means of reactivating the Tigris Riverfront and Tahrir Square.
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1: Pocket Ecologies_high res image1.jpg, Model photo, photo by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 2: Pocket Ecologies_high res image2.jpg, Final rendering, image by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 3: Pocket Ecologies_image3.jpg, The southern marshes of Iraq are disappearing, highlighting a need for Iraqis to get serious about conservation, diagram by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 4: Pocket Ecologies_image4.jpg, Opportunities for pockets of diverse ecologies along the newly proposed riverfront promenades, image by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 5: Pocket Ecologies_image5.jpg, Section through final pavilion design, image by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 6: Pocket Ecologies_image6.jpg, Conceptual sketch of pavilion's form and relationship to the marshes, sketch by Jennifer Chorosevic
IMAGE 7: Pocket Ecologies_image7.jpg, Ideogram explaining how people and wildlife will be attracted to the new marshes created along the riverfront, image by Jennifer Chorosevic
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Pocket Ecologies
Category
AIA Maryland Student Design Awards > Graduate > Graduate / Beginning Design
Winner Status
- AIA Maryland: Graduate / Beginning Design - JURY CITATION
Share