ALEXANDRIA CITY HALL Part 2 Project 2009 Ahmed Gamal Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport - Alexandria Campus | Egypt THE MAIN AIM IN THIS PROJECT WAS TO APPLY THE FEATURES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT, SO DESIGNING THE BUILDING BY USING LIQUID ARCHITECTURE METHODOLGIES WAS THE MOST SUITABLE METHOD.THE CONCEPT OF THE BUILDING’S SHAPE AND FORM IS DERIVED FROM SHAPES AND FORMS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA ROCKS, SHELLS AND STILL OCEAN LIFE.DUE TO THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF THE CITY HALL, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE MOST ESSENTIAL BUILDING IN ANY CITY OF THE WORLD, I TOOK INTO CONSIDERATION THE FEATURES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT; AS A RESULT THE CITY HALL IS DESIGNED AS SHOWN.THE ORGANIC FORM OF THE BUILDING AND SMOOTH TEXTURES REFLECTS LIFE AND NATURE, AND GIVES THE FEELING OF HUMANITY TO THE VISITORS OF THE CITY HALL.THE FEATURES OF THE CITY HALL REFLECT THE MODERN FEATURES OF THE LIBRARY, ALSO THE TWO PLAZAS BOTH OF THE CITY HALL AND THE LIBRARY ARE CONNECTED WITH A PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE, AND WITCH CREATES A STRONG BOND BETWEEN THEM.THIS LAND IS SUITABLE FOR ESTABLISHING THE CITY HALL OF ALEXANDRIA, DUE TO THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE LAND, AS IT IS NEXT TO THE GREAT LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF ALEXANDRIA. ALSO IT LIES A FEW METERS AWAY FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, WHICH GIVES IT A SIGNIFICANT VIEW.ANOTHER FEATURE OF THE LAND THAT IT IS NOT SURROUNDED BY ANY BUILDINGS, AND THERE ARE MANY STREETS THAT AT THAT SPECIFIC LOCATION.THE DIRECTION OF THE WIND IS NEARLY PERPENDICULAR ON THE NORTH WESTERN SIDE OF THE BUILDING.THE UNIQUE FORM OF THE BUILDING, AND CURVED SURFACE, LET THE WIND SLIDE INSIDE FROM SEVERAL OPENINGS, WHICH GIVES IT A CHANCE TO BE VENTILATED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING AT ALL TIMES. Governmental Buildings in Egypt are notorious for being very rigid and uninviting, impressions that are emphasized in more than one way through the actual dealings with the employees and the designs of the buildings themselves. From day one, the student had a vivid idea of how the city hall should look in order to be more welcoming and maintain a sense of authority as well. The problem in this case was the proximity to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which is a very prominent landmark on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The constant debate was whether the City Hall should be allowed to stand up to the Bibliotheca’s grandeur, or try to blend with the surroundings in order not to visually challenge it. It was clear that the student chose the former approach, in which he would create a second landmark, combined with the Library and the University of Alexandria, to form a triangle that is significant to the people of the city in which culture, state and education come together, theoretically and physically due to the fact that the three buildings are connected to each other via overhead pedestrian bridges.The student faced a lot of opposition at first because of the fluid and organic form that is uncommon to Alexandrian skyline. However, the opposition ceased once the reason for this type of design was revealed, which was that the building’s shape and form are derived from shapes and forms of the Mediterranean sea rocks, shells and aquatic life. Tutor(s)Prof Mohamed Gomma