Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

War conflicts usually generate empirical zones out of the cities where various design methodologies are debated in order to make decisions for their future. Focusing on the rebuilding process of Aleppo, whose architectural heritage is damaged after Syrian Civil War, this research introduces a critical approach to reconstruct the historical centers of postwar cities. Based on the historical and urban analyses, the damage report of Aleppo and the study of reconstruction strategies, this paper describes a creative process which emerges from the recognition of the typological aspects of Islamic and local architecture. The further phase requests a research of architectural references to provide a comprehension of the meaning of each architectural space and rules of relationships that combine them. This step is followed by the identification and representation of a precise theme with the logical synthesis of various architectural elements, that are detected from relevant references. Considering the emergent neccesity for the recovery of the architectural heritage, this paper identifies a methodology for redrawing the principle ideas of Aleppian space in order to generate a single architectural complex in the deconstructed center. The goal of this work is the development of a rethinking process which encourages to define some criterias about the reconstruction theme. Procedure of this study is based on the enhancement of the future urban policies, after which the exploration of the unique architectural characteristics of this system and finally the proposal of a particular strategy which closely integrates with the tradition and culture of the prewar architecture.