Al-Hariri Highschool for Girls in Baghdad

Notes

When built, this high school was a one-of-a-kind modern building in Iraq. Allawi displays through this design a high level of maturity and rationality.
According to Khaled al-Sultany (2021), working within the bounds of an ordinary, familiar rectangular volume was a characteristic interest of the architect. The latter indulges in the design, accentuating its horizontality through architectonic tricks, such as the use of horizontal ribbon windows interrupted with vertical rhythmic elements. He further underscores this feature by dividing the openings with horizontal protruding bands, expressing the different functionalities of each opening section and revealing the number of floors. The volume terminates with a vertical block housing the administrative spaces, the service spaces, and the entrance. In terms of materiality, Allawi covered the sand bricks on the façade with beige plaster, a gesture considered distinctive at that time.
 

Sources

Khaled al-Sultany, Study on Representations of Architectural modernity in Iraq, Amman: Adib Books, 2021, p. 232-235.

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