MARSHES OF SOUTHERN IRAQ

Location: Southern Iraq

Design Director: Raya Ani

Company Name: RAW-NYC Architects

Category: Architecture

Year: 2013

The marshes of Southern Iraq have been an endangered natural site with an endangered culture and tradition for decades. It is on UNESCO World Heritage list of sites and it has been a site of interest for many organizations. Efforts have been made to save it and to return it to its old glory.

The design intends to provide a conceptual framework to organize the marsh communities of Southern Iraq into a modern and economically viable entity while addressing the most critical ecological concerns.

While preserving the tradition of fishing and farming, the proposal recommends technologies to produce organic food and potable water, generate green energy, and even cultivate fish. It is conceived to inspire the indigenous people to engage in restoring the deteriorated ecosystem of the marshes.

Vertically slim structures that vanish towards the sky while barely touching the landscape are interconnected within floating islands. These islands are dispersed in the landscape forming a pattern akin to the existing islands of the marshes. The four structures (living, work, water, green) have a symbiotic relationship where the survival of one is reliant on the existence of the other. They are made of lightweight, pre-fabricated components that can be erected quickly where needed with minimum impact on the environment. They  are  designed  to  enhance  the  natural  conditions  by  cleaning  the  marshes’  water,  treating  the  waste,  generating  energy,  purifying  air  and  improving  water  quality,  thus  accelerating  the  restoration  process for  the  return  of  the  people  and  the  natural  inhabitants of the marshes.