Zaha Hadid & Delugan Meissl Assossiated Architects Win 'Darat King Abdullah II' Competition in Amman

The Greater Amman Municipality announced the awards of the design schemes for the culture and performing arts venue ‘Darat King Abdullah II’.

The Greater Amman Municipality as the promoter of the ‘Darat King Abdullah II’ architectural competition credited two design proposals with the first prize. The winning offices are the Austrian architects Delugan Meissl Assossiated Architects and the British architect Zaha Hadid. The Norwegian architecture office ‘Snøhetta’ became third. A second prize was not awarded.

The competition was initiated following the directives of His Excellency King Abdullah II supported by a selected group of qualified advisers of the Hashemite Royal Office early last year. The aim was to establish a cultural centre in Jordan, called ‘Darat King Abdullah II’. The premium city center site at Ras Al Ain on the other side of the Al-Hussein Cultural Center, the former location of the Tobacco Company, was chosen for the new venue of Jordan’s performing arts.

The Municipality decided to organize an international architectural competition with top-class architects experienced in theater and opera planning, in order to achieve the best and most appropriate design for this cultural landmark. The selection committee short-listed the six teams amongst 30 applicants, because they achieved the requirements of the Municipality. The others did not fulfill the expectations in terms of the required experience.

The building will be designed to be the center of various art activities and associations, including the Amman Symphony Orchestra, the National Institute of Music, the National Folklore Group and the Amman Municipality Group of Folk Art. The ‘Darat King Abdullah II’ will additionally provide facilities and room for concerts, dance and theatre performances for local and international groups.

This new venue will consist of a large theater, accommodating 1600 persons and a small theater with 400 seats available both equipped with highly sophisticated audio systems. Training areas and public facilities, as a restaurant and a café will also be provided. The development will require a certain level of flexibility in terms of its design, construction and operation to accommodate large events and experimental workshops. ‘Darat King Abdullah II’ will arrange local community events and become the cultural hub for artistic programs and activities. The building will also offer space for learning programs, supporting education and training courses for children, youth and adults in various disciplines.

The other architects participating in the competition were Kerry Hill Architects, HLT Henning Larsen Tegnestue and Atelier Christian de Portzamparc.

International and local architects as well as technical experts, specialized in theatre, music, performing arts, acoustics, lighting and special effects were part of the competition jury board.

Prize winners of the competition

1st Prize
Zaha Hadid Architects, London/UK

Authors:
Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher
Employees and Student Trainees:
Christos Passas, Tariq Khayyat, Nils Fischer, Dominiki Dadatsi, Marya Araya, Sylvia Georgiadou, Bence Pap, Eleni Paviidou, Daniel Santos, Daniel Widrig, Sevil Yazipi
Experts:
Structure Engineers: Arup, London/UK
MEP Engineers: Ove Arup, London/UK
Theatre Consultants: Artec, New York/US

Explanatory report (abstract)
Inspired by the uniquely beautiful monument of Petra. ...We are applying the principle of fluid erosion and carving to the mass of the building for the performing arts centre.
The urban strategy pursues the maximization of open public space on the western edge of the site. The mass of the new building is therefore pushed into the eastern extension of the site to clear the wider western end for sake of creating a big public plaza. This plaza is important to activate the site and the new institutions. It is proposed a generous, diagonal underpass that emerges in the great plaza as a grand connective gesture.
The volume is opened up in the northwestern direction to communicate with the public plaza. This large, inviting opening- the multi-level public foyer- is pushed all the way through the building to connect with the south side. The internal voids open up to the roof, animating the fifth façade of the building. The Concert Theater is exposed at the end of the public void. The Small Theater is exposed overhead at the front of the building where the public foyer fuses with the public plaza.
The plaza ground outside receives the underpass coming from the GAM strip and thus cerates an amphitheater-like valley. The main access to the building is via the plaza. The interior void is forming an interior square open to public at daytime, serving as a shade gathering area, a plaza for information, ticket vending and exhibitions. From here the theaters are entered via a small buffer foyers.
The second entrance on the elevated south side of the building is used as VIP entrance with a drop off point directly at the door. The artists and staff entrance is located at the east side of the building. Here a green lounge and artist’s café is welcoming all those who actively contribute to the creativity of the institution.
Along the south side runs a continuous spine with service and supports space. On the western side of this back-spine, above the main entrance, all educational facilities are allocated.

1st Prize
Delugan Meissl Associates Architectes, Vienna/Austria

Authors:
Elke Delugan-Meissl, Roman Delugan, Martin Josst
Employees and Student Trainees:
Sebastian Brunke, Jörg Rasmussen, Oana Maria Nituica, Claudiu Barsan-Pipu, Marina Kolloch, Thomas Theilig, Xiaozhen Zhu, Peter Pichler, Jan Saggau
Experts:
Structural Design: Werkraum Wien, Vienna
Design of Open-air Spaces: Rajek Borosch Landschaftsarchitektur, Vienna
Concert Theater and Acoustics: Müller BBM Akustik, Munich
HVACR: Scholzegruppe, Vienna

Explanatory report (abstract)
The differentiated but interconnected spatial sequences of public spaces, foyers and theater halls turn the Darat King Abdullah II into a lively, discussion-rich platform for conversations, performances and societal action…
Proposed at a prime location in the heart of the Jordanian capital, the complex is planned to house all types of performing arts. Conceived as a place to rehearse, discuss, teach, study and perform, the complex is to become the premier venue for theater, music and dance performances and education.
The goal of the design is to conceive an open building that is effective as an inviting and yet powerful symbol in all directions while being permeated by generosity and openness.
In this distinctive urban planning situation, the Darat King Abdullah II forms the end point of the GAM strip, spatially envelops it and at the same time appears as a starting point for the further valley with its special qualities. “Bridges” are being erected and diverse public spaces on smaller and larger scales are being constructed for the connection of the urban areas that were previously divided by the traffic.
The three main pedestrian movements from the GAM strip flow into the public square in front of the building, which directly adjoins the foyer. The square is arranged six meters above street level and thereby removed from the traffic noise. It is bordered by restaurants and cafes and is highly attractive to visitors. With the direct connection to the bridge to the GAM strip and the newly created terraced and wooded recreation areas, this exterior space functions as a public stage for a communicative togetherness. The space forms an ideal transition to the “House of Music”, and this is increased by the inviting gesture of the exposed canopy.
The transparency and the inclusion of the location and environment as a part of the interior conception further underline the uniqueness and specific identity of the building. The differentiated but interconnected spatial sequences of public spaces permit the creation of a site that can just as well offer the quiet and concentration that is desirable for the enjoyment of music.

3rd Prize
Snøhetta AS, Oslo/Norway

Authors:
Robert Greenwood, Oslo
Employees and Student Trainees:
Kjerstin Bjerka, Peter Dang, Peter Girgis, Tine Hegli, Andreas Nypan, Julian Preiss, Erik Vitanza
Experts:
Civil, structural, services and specialist engineers: Büro Happold Ltd, Glasgow/UK
Acoustical consultant: Arup Acoustics, Winchester, Hampshire/UK

Explanatory report (abstract)
Our intention with this design is to create a prestigious, contemporary and stimulating complex for the performing arts, truly integrated into the landscape and urban context.
Connectivity and density are the key strategies for the project. The roof and the arch connect the building with the landscape; the green backdrop of pine trees, the steep hillside and the park in the GAM strip. Horizontal soft lines form a great tent covering the diverse cultural content.
The building is a dense body on the northwestern part of the competition site. The two southern expansion sites can be used for expansion, may be a car park or additional cultural and educational purposes, or even housing.
The indoor and outdoor pedestrian spaces become much more than a foyer but an urban feature woven into the context of the city, with its surrounding streets, bazaars and alleys that make up the urban fabric of Amman. This conceived covered street, the foyer, invites the citizens of Amman into the heart of the Cultural Complex. Here one will find all the elements that contribute to a lively, bustling urban experience: cafes, ticket office, bookstore, retail, education facilities and rehearsal rooms, a cultural bazaar.
The school is grouped on the eastern end of the foyer in close proximity to the staff entrance and primary rehearsal facilities.
The administration forms a compact and effective unit at the western end of the foyer. The staff canteen is located at the top of the administration under the great roof canopy providing daylight and a relaxed atmosphere.
The catering is divided into bars and cafes at foyer level and a quality restaurant at the top of the great arched wall with direct access to the park. Below the restaurant are the VIP lounges, which to enter from a bridge to the balcony level.
The two main auditoriums and rehearsal room are aligned in a linear front row with public access from the foyer and good access to all building facilities in the back row.

Further participants of the competition (not awarded)

Atelier Christian de Portzamparc, Paris/France

Henning Larsen Architects

Kerry Hill Architects, Singapore