The fourth and final stage of the project is currently under construction, with spaces for the Palestine Association, Visual Arts Forum and Kafr ‘Aqab Club to be opened in October 2023. A social cohesion plan has been implemented to welcome the new associations and institutions to the community - and enable new connections and interactions to be strengthened. Rooftops will be transformed into safe, green, public spaces.

A place where people can live and thrive

Collaborative design is an important mechanism for achieving social reconstruction of the community – and is at the heart of creating a physical environment in which people can live and thrive. Public space and facilities are desperately needed in the Kafr ’Aqab neighborhood, where the population has soared from 25,000 in 2017 to around 100,000 in only five years.

Three community-based institutions are housed in the restored buildings and are generating a momentum of neighborhood engagement through their activities on site. Restoration work includes reconstruction of demolished walls and vaults in addition to the repair of façades and roof insulation.

Riwaq and the partnering organizations have more than 70% female membership and focus on women’s empowerment within their programs. The organizations plan, coordinate, and implement the workshops, and accommodate their events, according to local needs and engagement.

The historic center of Kafr ’Aqab was settled during the Ottoman period (early 1500s to early 1900s) due to a water spring on the site. Building materials have typically been reused on site through many use cycles including the construction of fortification walls, a church, and an oil press, and several buildings have been modified and reused as residential units. The neighborhood of two-level peasant houses was deserted for decades. The project uncovered the degraded ruins and restored them to maintain their aesthetic and historic value. Keeping building materials in the loop by improving durability, flexibility of use, and enabling disassembly and re-use decreases pressure on our resources.

Over the past 30 years, the RIWAQ-Centre for Architectural Conservation has worked to survey and preserve historical buildings in rural Palestine through associating architects, students, archaeologists, and historians. Work continues on a project to transform Palestinian literature into a braille system and build a library for the Palestine Association for Visually Impaired Persons. RIWAQ is also creating a space for the Kafr ’Aqab cubs and scouts club.

Future projects include the transformation of the rooftop of the historic center into green public space that will bind the housed institutions together through common areas. Shared spaces will enable community activation, recreation, and create social ties to build interaction. The new project will also include a play area for children that will accommodate different ages, skills and play styles.

Maximising human rights, equal opportunities and social fairness

The Holcim Awards jury for Middle East Africa led by Mariam Kamara, Principal & Owner, atelier masōmī in Niger praised the project as a “sensitive and authentic approach to salvage ancient habits and traditions” – which continues to live up to this aspiration through its ongoing construction. The project demonstrates how design and planning decisions can enable the built environment to fulfil its responsibility of enabling a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.