Cafeteria

AL DANA

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WHAT

Community hub

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WHERE

Doha

WHEN

April 2021

Introduction

Issue

This community hub aims to help children of divorce integrate successfully into society, and improve their mental and physical well-being. This is by providing them with spaces that help them target the issues caused by divorce. The spaces are designed to allow children seek shelter within them, where they engulf the children. The spaces, allow them to form a community and interact with other children with the same experiences as well as help them to heal in a safe and accepting environment.

Divorce dismantles families and threatens the communal society, children who grow up with divorced parents develop poor behavior outcomes such as getting into fights and having anger issues, lower academic achievement and problems with establishing healthy relationships and emotional connections.

“An organic community hub, where children

of divorce can steadily learn to rebuild their

mental and physical well-being in a secure

environment.”

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The proposal uses the pearl and oyster as the main inspiration,

influenced by pearl diving in Qatar, a tradition that has shaped the

country to develop into what it is today. Extracting the organic

curved forms, the various sizes, layers and textures as well as the

abundant colors found in the pearl and oyster, determining the

forms, color palette and character of the design.

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Conceptual Phase

Schematic Phase

The spaces are designed to allow the children to seek shelter within them, where they engulf the children, inspired by the formation of the pearl where layers of nacre engulf the grit to form the pearl. The space is organic in its forms, like the pearl, with the courtyard breaking the flow using a grid like structure, putting forward the idea of contrast.

Choice & Control

The design of the spaces allows the children to chose and control the paths they take, providing them with multiple options in terms of circulation, to access the same space. Each path offers a different experience, through light, color, textures and movement, this is by utilizing different materials, ranging from smooth, translucent to rough and opaque materials. Using different sources and intensities of light, natural sunlight and artificial bright and dim light.

A Sense of Autonomy

The pathways constructed in the courtyard allow the

users the sense of choice and control over their

circulation and the paths they chose to take. The design

in the community hub aims to create a sense of

autonomy, empowerment and control, where the

children feel they are in control of their environment

and decisions.

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Lighting

Utilizing maximum amounts of sunlight in the space, as it improves the psychological wellbeing of the children as well as increases their productivity, well-being and mood.

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Circulation

The circulation follows the same organic forms of the walls. The diagram shows the different routes offered, as there is an alternative path to every space.