X-Architects has won a competition to re-masterplan Mecca. As designMENA reports, the UAE-based practice has proposed a number of safe and streamlined pedestrian routes to "enhance the movement during the 'Nafrah,' the ritual of moving from Mina to Haram and vice versa" during the religious Hajj. The plan also includes a proposed mixed-use development adjacent to Hima Al Masheir (the holy ritual territories) that would provide service and facilities to those taking part in the pilgrimage.
“The rough terrain of the Mina valley, the lack of space and the strict (religious) regulations not to build permanent structures inside Hima Al Masheir makes it difficult to provide sufficient services and facilities to the pilgrims during their permanence in Mina,” explains a statement by the architects.
“We proposed a complex network of pedestrian routes on different levels to enhance the movement during the 'Nafrah'... The design allows for a smoother transition from Al Jamarat plaza to the existing pedestrian bridge and the future pedestrian tunnel. The surrounding roads have either been bridged or tunneled so as to strengthen the pedestrian tissue. This will solve the current situation of the constant crash between people and vehicles... The result is a smooth transition between different scales."
Stay tuned for more images of the 821,000 square-meter masterplan.
News via designMENA
