Lanterns Of Hope – Unity and Reconciliation Center

Since the city of Port Said was a cosmopolitan city in its earlier era and was a successful example of coexistence and reconciliation, the choice of a project: UNITY AND RECONCILIATION CENTER (LANTERNS OF HOPE) was a starting point for re-coexistence and reconciliation again between different nationalities and cultures by applying the concept of UNITY IN DIVERSITY and providing a free platform for discussion and interaction among different human beings, this is supported by modern building methods, modern architectural trends and the use of media in effective ways (physical and nonphysical) to enhance communication, physical and moral acquaintance to rejuvenate the individual and then society as a whole.

CONCEPT STATEMENT

– The project should convey the message of “unity in diversity” and facilitate communication, coexistence and reconciliation between the various local and global cultures for adults, youth and young people to achieve a balanced society, outwardly different and united internally.

– The project is a platform for various people to achieve the meaning of ” unity in diversity ” all over the world.

A-         MAIN PROJECT ELEMENTS:

• MUSEUM: The MUSEUM’S role comes in displaying the history of Port Said in particular, and the rest of the public matters, where the focus is on 5 topics: language, race, land, history, and culture, where they express the private human participation (things that humans share in their origins (UNITY) and differ in its branches (DIVERSITY)), and the display takes place In modern ways that suit the current society and its directions.
• CONVENTION CENTER: For accepting the different ones, there must be a platform for discussion, free dialogue and various lectures organized by different sides, since “hope comes from understanding.”

B-         SECONDARY PROJECT ELEMENTS:

• LIBRARY AND DOCUMENTATION CENTER: There must be different sources from all nationalities and different methods of documentation (written, audio, ..) to be strong evidence of the success of the project, and there is an interactive part with different ages and races, where the “human library” is a living library that a person can borrow some people to take advantage of their experiences and then document what happens in the end.
• COMMERCIAL: It is necessary to have a commercial part as an integral component, as it works to increase the interaction between different people in entertainment matters, attract the public and tourists and meet the entertainment services.

C-         DESIGN EXPLANATION:

1. CHOICE OF MATERIALS AND COLORS: The use of a white MATERIAL to express purity, with wood which expresses nature and from the features of Port Said’s balconies ( MEMORY OF THE PLACE ), they are mixed in the project, where the base is white and wood is used on the ground floor to give a sense of nature . Glass fibre reinforced plastic (GRP) were chosen as ideal cladding materials, as they allow for the powerful plasticity of the building’s design.
2. STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS: A space Truss was used in the lantern because of its high plasticity, free from internal columns, the use of mushroom columns on the ground floor to be closer to nature with the surrounding green elements, and the use of reinforced concrete in the remaining floors.
3. LANDSCAPE TREATMENTS: Combining straight lines and curved lines (as in the square lantern base to express diversity with a circular curved extension to express unity).