Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Iraq

Notes

Notwithstanding its massive volume, the building is characterized by well-balanced proportions. According to Chadirji, it was designed with a classical spirit to denote political stability and a position of authority.

The windows are hidden behind reflective opposing walls to create ambient light. The balconies projecting from the façade have different treatments yet are compositionally coherent.

The structural grid design allows the rooms to face different directions: some are oriented along the north-south axis, while other are oriented along the east-west axis. This grid generates a series of structural walls that crisscross in plan and create harmonious spaces. Chadirji carefully designed this composition of irregular structural walls in a manner that doesn’t impose a sudden rupture with the linear urban character of Al-Nidal street; instead, the shift in geometry is smooth and gradual.
 

Sources

Rifat Chadirji, Al-Ukhaydir wal-Qasr Al-Billawri [Al-Ukhaidir and the Crystal Palace], London: Riad El-Rayyes, 1991, p. 249-256.

Chadirji Foundation for Architecture and Society.

Caecilia Pieri

Process Architecture, Vol. 58, Medinat al Salam 1979-1983, Tokyo, May 1985, p. 138-139.
 

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