A Thesis into the Linguistic Model in Architecture “ARCHITECTURIZING THE POETRY OF GEOMETRY AND THE GEOMETRY OF “CLASSIC ARABIC”

Project idea

The intention behind this endeavor is to materialize and spatialize the syntactic structuralist aspect of “Classic Arabic” poetry into an organizational archive that commemorates and preserves the legacy of “Classic Arabic” poetry, deemed the jewel of Arabic culture and a valuable legacy practiced by Arabs ever since pre-Islamic times.

Project description

Thesis I has aimed to examine the linguistic paradigm as a valid architectural model. As such, the goal was to systematize the linguistic analogy and deal with architecture not only as an analogue to language, but a language on its own, communicating ideas. The research was later narrowed down to a very relevant exemplifying genre that is “Classic Arabic” poetry.

Hence, Design thesis II is an architecturizing/ materialization/ spatialization of the poetry of geometry and the geometry of “Classic Arabic” poetry translating it into a full-fledged spatial experiential scheme that is an embodiment of the structuralist grammatical aspect of this poetry, governed by valid solid rules that have been utilized by Arabs ever since pre-Islamic times. As for the architectural dimensions of this spatial entity created, it is designed to complement its immediate site, at the confluence of the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, each a poetic stretch of water acting as two hemstitches of one verse, within its wider context, Iraq, where the golden age of poetry among other humanist fields developed during the Abbasid Caliphate. Also, not only is the contextual aspect fulfilled in here, but all other dimensions (functional, tectonic, structural, and even the didactic performative aspect) to engage visitors and act as a beacon of knowledge/ testimonial statement to the grandeur of this jewel of Arabic cultural identity and contributions to world culture and humanist heritage.

Technical information

The building is meant to look like a beacon of knowledge at the tip of the island, invoking an image of an inverted tower of Babel or a ziggurat. Hence, it take the red color of the tower of Babel, being constructed with corten steel. In addition, the arms of this central archive are plated with copper granting them a golden color that references the golden age of poetry in Iraq. Moreover, the bridge that links the two river banks serves as a musical scale that guides the movement of the arms which are dynamic; they slide and shift to form the structure of the metre of the poem recited by an amplifier in the building. The bridge, spanning around 500 meters is supported by massive concrete piles that transfer the weight of the bridge down to the bedrock.