GHASSAN ALSERAYHI
MSc. Arch, M. Arch, B. Arch, Assoc. SCE

ARCHITECT + EDUCATOR + RESEARCHER

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ACADEMY OF ARTS
JEDDAH CRAFTS
AND ARTS INCUBATOR
SUBJECT: ‘EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS’  
TYPE: DESIGN STUDIO
INSTRUCTOR: DR. FAROOQ MOFTI+DR.MOHAMMED ISMAEL
DATE: 2014
Because almost all projects in Saudi Arabia lack tangible and palpable connectivity, people become subconsciously isolated from their built environment. Thus, they have lost the appropriate level of engagement with the urban context, which prevents them as perceivers from distinguishing and realizing architecture instead of just seeing buildings. This phenomenon causes an incapacity in reading and criticizing their built environment. This project examines and challenges the awareness level of the 'Project vs. Practice' theory adopted by Peter Eisenman to help realize the existence and presence of architecture through three levels of engagement: dialogue, curiosity, and exploration.

Can these levels be translated into a physical product? Part of the answer is associated with the discourse that fascinates me: 'Structure forms space versus space forms structure.' Architecture doesn't have a strict doctrine; there's nothing right or wrong. This idea motivates me to consider the two approaches synchronously in the design process and explore the final product.