Between Mankind and Earth : Al Galala Geology Museum and Research Center

Al Galala is located along the western side of the Gulf of Suez. It consists of two main natural elements of the Red Sea, and Al Galala mountains with an elevation of 3,300 ft above sea level, providing many resources for extraction and acting as a point of attraction for tourists. Although located upon such treasures valued by Egyptians, the built environment in Al Galala show a significant disregard to the beauty of its surroundings. The importance of the precious geo natural elements is hindered with the lack of harmony between built spaces and the context, creating a disturbance; lack of identity.
Moreover, the issues to tackle include bringing people closer to their natural context, through social, physical, and environmental strategies, making them more connected with the geo natural surroundings of Al Galala. In addition, helping them understand the geological formations of the context in order to value its existence in many ways, rather than allowing Al Galala Mountains to stand as a background to other activities that take away from its beauty. There is no one specific identity to a place, rather it is the sum of layers, experiences and memories that comprise what it has become today. In this particular context, there are two main lenses to which I focus on, the human lens (Egyptian identity) and the earth lens (contextual identity).
I aim to interconnect the forces that shape buildings, with those that shape the earth’s surface. To rediscover a connection between humankind and earth, through form function and experience, to bring people closer to understanding where they lie, within the heart of the mountains, growing a spiritual chain to their surroundings, while reviving the identity of Al Galala Mountains. Thus, the functions comprising and embodying this scenario are fostered in Al Galala Geology Museum & Research Center, which include functions as research facilities, museum, educational facility, auditorium, temporary residency, library, social spaces, and spiritual nodes.
The tectonic language that will give form to this scenario will thus embark users on a spiritual journey through the origins of the mountains around them and help in building presence. In order to achieve this, the building will express the process of origin of Al Galala Mountain formation, from the starting point of impact where tectonic plates collide, to the three following geological sequences that comprise what it is today, expressed through form, function, and experience.
The movement of tectonic plates due to forces and heat within the earth’s inner surface results in collision of the earth’s crust. This convergence of tectonic plates leads to the buckling of mountains along the line of collision. These tectonic forces create further repercussions of geological sequences, that in turn form Al Galala mountains that we experience today, determined using two main contextual parameters: contour lines, and mountain skyline. This forms a mega structure that in turn molds volumetric spaces that unfold a narrative of the origin of the context, speaking different languages. Given the complexity of the structure, a clear structural hierarchy is developed to stabilize the form due to its bold cantilevered structures and suspended volumes.