The Site-specific Intervention as a Transitional Phase of Reconstruction: A Syrian Context

Drawing upon my experience as a Syrian migrant from Aleppo, this practice-based research seeks to reassess the important contribution of hammams (public baths) and bimaristans (traditional ‘hospitals’) to a Syrian cultural identity and collective memory. It focuses on two historical sites in the old city of Aleppo: hammam Yalbugha and bimaristan Arghun. These structures were both badly damaged during Syria’s civil war, and are currently unusable and left to fall further into ruin. Reflecting upon the significance of such hammams for the local community – and their connection to bathing – the thesis addresses how temporary interventions within such structures might articulate questions of healing, affect and participation through the use of water (the supply of which they are entirely dependent). The contention is that these interventions would aid the processes of memory reconstruction through the reciprocal interactions they engender.

Such a proposal takes place within the context of a continuing water crisis in Syria, where the historically significant water supply infrastructure has been partially destroyed, and the supply of water has been both targeted (through acts of war) and politicised. In emphasising the importance of water in terms of its relation to rituals of bathing crucial to a collective memory, the research seeks to bridge between function and aesthetics in the design of interventions that explore the notion of usership and the application of speculative design ideas to real-world problems.

As such, the thesis not only examines these buildings as artefacts, but will research how a process of temporary rehabilitation might utilise water through mnemonic devices, while providing solutions for water collection in order to make the interventions self-sufficient. The proposed site-specific, temporary architectural interventions (as prototypes) are intended for the transitional phase of the rehabilitation process, but also aim to inform the longer-term restoration of these important cultural artefacts. The propositional design practice utilises condensation systems to collect water for the local community and those involved in the reconstruction process, and in so doing evoke poetic connections to embedded memories through sound and other sensory engagements.

The early stages of the research focus on documenting the current condition of the structures and the historical development of sophisticated water infrastructures within Aleppo. The presentation of this material – integrating maps, photographic documentation, texts and video footage – is an integral part of the practice. The later stages involve the design of the interventions, realised through drawings, models and scaled prototypes.