Bilal Hammad Associates and Bitar Associates shared the second prize in a competition for the development of the area surrounding the historical fort of Jordan’s port city of Aqaba.  The office of Faris and Faris Architects received an honorable mention for their entry, and no first or third prizes were awarded.  The competition, which was organized by the Aqaba Regional Planning Authority and in which seven architectural offices participated, included preparing architectural designs for buildings in the city’s historical palm orchard, which is known as al-Hafayer. Much of al-Hafayer had been destroyed as a result of the considerable construction activity that has taken place in Aqaba. (Top image: entry by Faris and Faris Architects; lower image: entry by Bilal Hammad Associates).