ALLESTHESIA

University of Jordan, Department of Architecture, Amman, Jordan

Project idea

It is an ever lasting dilemma figuring out the purpose of the self in life. We have all immersed ourselves into the obsolete structure of life. Once someone questions these habits, they break out of that circle and they are on a quest to find themselves.

Everyone has a story. There are stories in inanimate objects, stories that vary in their emotional range, stories that bring out the best or worst of human beings that can at time psychologically change their life motion and route.

Weaving together experience, memory, and architecture. It works in favor for the natural, social and sentimental significance of the theoretical approach. Alienation leads to the need for self-actualization. The project provides unique experiences that'll spur questions and answers for oneself. It creates a community, encourage breaking out of monotony, hospitalize users to escape the alienation of the city.

Project description

This Hospitality visitor center is a tourist attraction located in the Dead Sea in place of the Panorama Dead Sea Complex. The intention is to create an exterior and interior landmark that reorganizes and enhance physical, visual and social experiences through recreational activities whilst using natural provoking elements of the Dead Sea as a catalyst for healing environment to retreat in order to give optimum equanimity and full, new and engaging experience.

The chosen name for this project "ALLIESTHESIA" is in relation to the human stimuli. It is the science of senses, the changed sensation and perception! Which is what the project is aiming to achieve for the user in order to release variations of neurochemicals that focuses upon nature and reality not as an absolutum existing only outside us, but as subject to human scrutiny, interaction, and creative participation in a phenomenological experience.

How can environment be a catalyst in the healing human environment? The project tackles multiple natural aspects whether its from nature or design implemented: Air, water ground, light and sound and galactic. These are bound to interact and discover various facets of architecture viz-a-viz human psyche thus studying the concept of sensory architecture to understand the relation of human and their environment.

Designers are the conductor of the audience's emotions. With that, user is bound to go through different scenarios as explained in the exploded diagram:

From parking lot - viewing platform - indoor / outdoor theater - gallery - hammock resting room - hiking trail
Parking – main hub – multi purpose hall – underground experience
Watch tower – windcatchers – sleeping pods – underground experience
Trolley pathway all around the project

Technical information

Plot area: 14,000 m2

The oriental architecture style of the Dead Sea is invaded by the Avant-garde take of this hospitality visitor center to follow up with the theme of "breaking from the norms" as the vanguard of the majority with the bold extrusions and architectural language of the structure.

The user will go through multiple of textures yet not too overwhelming as the design itself is bold enough to give a statement. The materials used are of concrete, glass panels and travertine stone with added vegetation and water features.