Rethinking The Eastern Bus Terminla of NABLUS
Date
2022
Authors
QADI, BAHA'A
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The project site is located in the eastern side of Nablus which consists of an old bus terminal and a public open-market, it’s a very active area that has overgrown its capability to accommodate the users whether they’re pedestrians or vehicles.
This project aims to solve that problem and expand upon the original function of this area while showing respect to the old city of Nablus and the cultural elements of the site such as the old Hijazi train station.
The eastern bus terminal of Nablus acts as a beating heart for the city of Nablus as it feeds into all the major commercial areas of Nablus in a direct line between the terminal and the center of the city therefore this site needs to be reserved and improved upon instead of moved over into a different area of the city, this can be done initially by fixing the traffic problem which has gone so bad that you can’t tell if some areas are meant for vehicles or pedestrians, the best approach for fixing the traffic is to separate the pedestrian area from the vehicle area while making sure that the area for the pedestrians is large enough to be seen mainly as a project for the people, this was achieved by removing the main street in the project and turning it into an underground tunnel which allows connecting the southern and northern sides of the site together without worrying about a street slicing through the pedestrian area successfully seperating the street from the market.
Next step is to erect a building that both symbolizes the importance of the project without aggressively blocking the view from the old city of Nablus, this was achieved by making the building gradually rise in a stepped manor starting from the old city side and growing tall at away from the old city buildings, this way the building ends up being both efficient and respectful towards the history of the city.
At the eastern side of the building is a small court with tiling pointing towards Al-Qibla right in front of Al-Anbiya mosque creating an extension for the mosque for worshipers to pray whenever the mosque gets over crowded, and when it’s not used for prayer it works as an entrance to the project building itself.
Inside the building is everything from organized stores and open shop areas to fully functional malls and recreational areas that stand bellow a tower of offices that would make sure that the project is generating income for citizens and the city
A project in this size should work towards improving the sustainability for the area, this is done by covering all the steps that make up the building in green areas that make the building itself look like a park, the windows of the building are covered with solar panels that use up solar power to power up the project and could even generate extra power that could be used to help surrounding areas of the city.
The northern area of the project is made up of an open recreational park that is only accessible by pedestrians, this park houses the old Hijazi train station, the building of the station itself is now turned into a museum to show the new generation what this station looked like and how the city of Nablus had a train track decades before they were born, this serves to show pride in the heritage of the city.