By Global Creative Graduate Showcase
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Coalescence - Past and Future Coming Together by Nour Rouhana 9 (2020) by Nour RouhanaGlobal Creative Graduate Showcase
Coalescence - Past & Future Coming Together - Cultural hub
Designed by Nour Rouhana, 'Coalescence' won the Architecture Category in the Global Design Graduate Show in collaboration with Gucci 2020.
Post globalisation and rapid development, the UAE lost its identity to westernisation and is, bit by bit, burying its roots on the expense of local architecture. Consequently, ancient structures, such as fortifications, are being alienated.
Coalescence - Past and Future Coming Together by Nour Rouhana 6 (2020) by Nour RouhanaGlobal Creative Graduate Showcase
Having served their purpose of protection in the past, it is their time to be celebrated and embraced today. Coalescence is a ‘recreational cultural hub’ that aims to strengthen the existence of heritage in the UAE.
This is done by highlighting the historic fortifications at the top of the Dhayah mountain. Located in Ras Al Khaimah, the site is exposed to four different landscapes: gulf, mangroves, mountain range, and desert, all of which influence the architecture.
Being disconnected from the urban fabric and from the views, Dhayah mountain is used as a tool to build this connection, physically and non-physically, between the forts (heritage) and their surrounding (the city).
Coalescence - Past and Future Coming Together by Nour Rouhana 4 (2020) by Nour RouhanaGlobal Creative Graduate Showcase
The project is comprised of multiple masses inserted within the mountain, housing different activities that relate back to heritage; pearl diving, bird watching, and mountain climbing are among such activities.
Coalescence - Past and Future Coming Together by Nour Rouhana 7 (2020) by Nour RouhanaGlobal Creative Graduate Showcase
The aim to learn and practice what local ancestors did for a living is a way to rejuvenate the past and surface it back to our present and future.
"Graduating in 2020, during COVID-19, opportunities were very limited. As soon as I submitted my final thesis, I enrolled myself in an MBA program at the American University in Dubai."
Coalescence - Past and Future Coming Together by Nour Rouhana 8 (2020) by Nour RouhanaGlobal Creative Graduate Showcase
"It has widened my scope in business administration and taught me how to incorporate business ideals in design and architecture."
"My final thesis has been published worldwide by multiple magazines and newspapers worldwide including Compasses Architecture Magazine, Abu Dhabi’s Cultural Foundation Magazine, Khaleej Times, and Gulf Today."
"Also, I have professionally explored different aspects of design, such as product design, and participated in international competitions, such as the design of the Legacy Garden at the London School of Economics, for which I have earned third place among hundreds of entries."
"Today, I am working at a startup lighting design company, called Monarca, which specialises in luxury hotels and residential accommodation in Dubai." - Nour Rouhana
FIRST NAME: NOUR
LAST NAME: ROUHANA
UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN DUBAI
COURSE / PROGRAM: ARCHITECTURE BARCH
GRADUATED: 2020
SPECIALISMS: ARCHITECTURE / SUSTAINABLE DESIGN / MODELMAKING
WEBSITE: Coalescence by Nour Rouhana