Bridging The Divide, An Urban and Architectural Dialogue for Fostering Community and Urban Vitality.

The story of Irbid began with its location in ancient times, as it was in the middle of the northern region of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The city gained a distinguished location and became the link between neighboring countries, which qualified it to play a major role in the commercial field. Now, downtown is crowded with markets and traders, which has become an integral part of its identity.

By that time, the city downtown was exposed to urban development that caused changes in the composition and structure of the urban fabric, land use function changes, and a lack of connectivity between historical sites. The result is the loss of the city’s identity, changes in social life and communication, and the liveliness of the streets.

The northern side, “Al-Tal,” is one of the oldest man-made hills, which consists of layers of civilizations that passed through the center of Irbid. It contains important heritage houses that are active and currently in use. This district is now mostly used by institutions and devoid of a social dimension.

The southern side, “The Hashemiya,” contains a high commercial density and a social life characterized by liveliness, social interaction, and diversity in commercial stores that provide all the needs of locals.

It contains abundant heritage buildings that played a connecting role in the urban fabric of the city. Hashemite Street is a main street that comes between these two districts, which was essential for the gathering of the residents and the delivery of speeches from political figures and party leaders at that time from the podiums of the heritage buildings overlooking Hashemite Street, such as Beit Jumaa and the Al Kamal Café. The celebrations and events subsequently began on this street.

The main purpose of the project is to shed light on the separation that was formed and to rebuild a visual and physical connection between the two areas, reconnect the relationship between abandoned heritage buildings, and revive the culture of the Irbid people. by creating an urban and architectural dialogue related to the memory of the place. The selected site is located between these two districts, linked by Al-Hashemi Street. The urban and architectural strategies focused on reusing abandoned heritage buildings by returning to their old stories with a function that reminds people of the history of the city and improves their skills with workshops and exhibitions. activating the old heritage market (Sagha Souq) with its distinctive spatial experience that contains the old black Hourani Stone by adding cultural activities related to Irbid’s heritage. Thus, the site returns to residents, provides for their cultural and intellectual needs, revives the city’s memory, respects their heritage, reactivates, and focuses on the identity and character that characterize downtown Irbid.

The project also includes building an architectural building from scratch. Its function is related to the different aspects of the city, such as cultural, social, and commercial aspects. This building emphasizes dialogue and interaction between the residents and visitors and plays a magnet role to attract people and lead them to Al-Tal.