Aqaba Housing Competition:  A Competition for the Design of a Model Water- and Energy-Efficient Low-Income Expandable Housing Unit in Aqaba, Jordan

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Appendix 7:  Clarifications and responses to inquiries received from registrants

I.  Partnership

According to the rules and conditions of this competition, non-Jordanians and non-residents of Jordan can only participate in collaboration with a Jordanian partner (individual or institution) or with someone residing in Jordan.  Since we had received a number of registration forms from non-Jordanians and non residents of Jordan who could not locate local partners to collaborate with, we have decided to post the contact information of these registrants on this section of the CSBE web site so that Jordanian registrants or those residing in Jordan, who wish to collaborate with non-local individuals or institutions, can contact them.  Also, we have decided to include the contact information of Jordanian registrants or registrants residing in Jordan, who are interested in this issue of partnership.  If you wish to include your contact information under any of these two categories, please send an email to competitions@csbe.org or a fax to (962) (6) 461 5297.  Also, if your contact information is already included and you want it to be removed, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Please note that CSBE will not be involved in any communications between the different parties who wish to collaborate with each other in this competition.  

Participants from Jordan and outside Jordan who wish to collaborate with each other can use the ArchNet Group Workspaces, which are accessible from the ArchNet web site (http://archnet.org), to communicate and develop their joint designs. 

Non-Jordanians and non-residents of Jordan looking for Jordanian partners or partners residing in Jordan:

abualdwair@yahoo.com, The United States of America

budijatmiko@lycos.com, Indonesia

fvisser@iae.nl, The Netherlands

httm79@hotmail.com, Bahrain

karim.elgendy@ntlworld.com, The United Kingdom

richard.kroeker@dal.ca, Canada

romarch02@aol.com, Puerto Rico

shrutiak@yahoo.com, India

wonderland@noos.fr, France

Jordanians or residents of Jordan wishing to collaborate with non-Jordanians and non-residents of Jordan:

ronaldv@accessme.com, Canadian 

diaahalasah@next.jo, diaahalasah@hotmail.com, and diaa_halasah@yahoo.com, Jordanian residing in Aqaba

II. Questions and Answers

Questions and answers on eligibility for participation:

1.  How many registrants are there in the competition, and from which countries are they?

Over 70 people had registered in the competition.  Registrants include people from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.  There are a few registrants from other countries, such as Bahrain, India, the Netherlands, France, Indonesia, and Puerto Rico, but their participation is dependent on locating local partners. 

2.  Can two registrants join together as a team?

Yes, any registrants can join together as a team.  Also, any eligible individuals or institutions that had not registered in the competition are allowed to participate in collaboration with any registered party before the entry submission deadline of March 18, 2004. 

3.  Can I participate as a member of a team and as an individual?

No, no individual or organization is allowed to participate in two different capacities.

Questions and answers on submissions:

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4.  Should participants from outside Jordan send their entries by “snail mail” or by a courier service? 

Participants from outside Jordan can send their entries by “snail mail” or by a courier service.  Entries submitted by “snail mail” should be postmarked by March 18, 2004 at the latest.  Entries submitted by a courier service should include the date of posting on the form attached to the sent package, which should be March 18, 2004 or earlier.  However, in addition to being postmarked by March 18, 2004, the entries should arrive by April 8, 2004 since the juries will take place soon after that. 

5.  Would you accept a report longer than 1,000 words, since the 1,000-word report might be too short to cover the description of architectural solution and the relevant engineering calculations?

We think a 1,000-word report would be enough to include the basic concepts of the design solution and the main results of any relevant calculations that the participants may perform.  

6.   Is it acceptable to arrange drawings on each drawing board vertically (in portrait format) while maintaining a horizontal arrangement of the 4 drawing boards?

Drawings should be arranged horizontally (in landscape format) on each board, and the 4 boards should be arranged horizontally as well.   

7.  Would you illustrate what should be presented on the site layout for the whole block?

A site layout for the whole block (scale 1:250) should show the expanded building’s footprint, i.e. the silhouette of the ground floor plan for the fully expanded building, on each of the 14 plots. 

8.  Should participants provide detailed designs for the future expansion of the housing unit, or should they only provide the outline of the expanded unit? 

Participants can provide whatever drawings they deem necessary to illustrate how the building might expand incrementally to reach the maximum gross built-up area (floor area) of 272.6 square meters.  Therefore, the design for the expanded building should include more details than a mere outline, but, possibly, less details than that which is required for the starter unit. 

9.  Should the submittals include details of mechanical systems, such as water supply, drainage, … etc?

No, they should not, unless there is a unique feature in such systems that the participant would like to illustrate. 

10.  Would you clarify on how participants can obtain the code numbers that should appear on the drawings, report, and declaration form?

Participants should not include any code numbers on their submittals.  The code numbers mentioned in the competition announcement are for the internal use of the competition staff only.  The purpose behind using these numbers is to keep a record of the works submitted by the different competitors while assuring that the competitors’ identities would remain hidden from the jury members until after the jury has made its final decision.

Questions and answers on resources:

11.  Will the material of the competition remain posted on the CSBE web site throughout the competition?

Yes, all the material relating to the competition will remain posted on the CSBE web site.  Currently, there is a link to the competition materials from the homepage of the CSBE web site and another one from the activities section of the CSBE web site.  The link to the competition material from the CSBE homepage eventually will be removed, but the link from the activities section of the CSBE web site will remain.  

12.  Can you provide any information or resources concerning the traditional and current regional building materials and construction practices in Aqaba?

Unfortunately, there are few little resources about the traditional or modern architecture of Aqaba.  However, the current construction practices of Aqaba are not unique in any way, and what you find today is a confused mix of materials and techniques.  The traditional construction materials and techniques of the city are connected to the region of the Hijaz and rely considerably on mud and brick.  Among the very few works that have been published about the architecture of Aqaba is the latest Aga Khan Award publication that features Jafar Tukan's SOS Village in Aqaba.  The project, which won an Aga Khan Award, showed considerable sensitivity to the setting of Aqaba on more than one level.  (See Kenneth Frampton, Charles Correa, and David Robson, Modernity and Community:  Architecture in the Islamic World (New York:  Thames and Hudson, 2001), pp. 113 – 124).  Much of this information also is available on the web site of the Aga Khan Development Network (http://www.akdn.org).  Another resource is the web site of Jordanian architect Ammar Khammash (http://www.khammash.com/).  This site includes a link to a selection of older photographs of the city. 

13.  Can you post the Jordanian building codes on the CSBE web site?

We are sorry in that we are not able to post the Jordanian building codes on the CSBE web site.  Undertaking such an activity is too complicated and CSBE does not have the financial and human resources to do it.

Questions and answers on the design brief:

14.  What is the average relative humidity in Aqaba?

The yearly mean relative humidity in Aqaba is approximately 50 %. For more detailed information on climatic conditions in Aqaba, see the web site for Jordan Meteorological Department at http://www.jmd.gov.jo/climate.html and that for the Department of Statistics at http://www.dos.gov.jo/env/env_a/index.htm. 

15.  Does the term "local building materials" refer to the materials available in the Aqaba area or in Jordan?

The term refers to building materials local to Aqaba as a first priority, and to Jordan as a second priority.     

16.  Does the 7-meter maximum allowable height include rooftop equipment, such as water reservoirs, solar panels, … etc., or does it apply only to the structure itself?

The 7-meter height applies to the structure only. 

17.  Although entries should be presented on drawing boards, are entrants allowed to use digital technology, if so what packages are allowed?

Yes, participants are allowed to use digital technologies for the design and presentation phases, and they can use whatever packages they prefer.  However, the final entries should be presented on drawing boards. 

18.  Are we allowed to re-arrange plot divisions and streets in order to make better use of contour lines and allow wider building frontage?

No, participants are not allowed to make any changes to the master plan of the area.   

19.  Should each unit be designed as completely independent from its neighbors in terms of its construction and/or the employment of any shared environmental system? Or can it be assumed that a cluster of housing units would be erected at the same time, in order to benefit from any potential economic, social, or environmental advantages?

Most probably, each of the units will be constructed separately.  Therefore the units should be treated as being independent from each other. 

20.  What is the area of the land that should not be covered with buildings?

As stated in the design brief, the total area of the plot is 340.75 square meters and the maximum allowable built-up area on the ground floor is 170 square meters.  Therefore, whatever designs participants will come up with, a minimum area of 170.75 (i.e. 50% of the total area of the plot) should not be covered with buildings.  

As stated in the design brief, the expanded building might include anywhere from one to three units.  This means that each participant has the freedom to decide about the kind of expansion he or she would provide.  For example, one participant might choose to expand the starter unit by adding rooms so that the unit reaches the gross built up area of 272.6 square meters; another might choose to expand the starter unit to reach a certain area, and then add a second unit; a third participant might choose to keep the starter unit as is and add two other units.  These three scenarios as well as other scenarios that participants might come up with are acceptable. 

22.  Is it acceptable if the expanded building would include three housing units on the ground floor, each of which has an area of 80 square meters, in addition to a staircase?

No, this scenario of expansion is not acceptable, as the maximum allowable built-up area on the ground floor (i.e. building footprint) is only 170 square meters.

23.  Is it acceptable if the expanded building would include two housing units on the ground floor, each of which has an area of 80 square meters, and an 80 square-meter unit on the first floor, in addition to a staircase?

Yes, this scenario is acceptable as long as the built-up area on the ground floor does not exceed 170 square meters and the gross built up area is 272.6 square meters. 

24.  Is it a must that the fully expanded building reaches the maximum gross built up area (i.e. 272.6 square meters)?

Yes, it is.  However, a tolerance of less than 10 square meters below the maximum allowed built-up area is allowed. 

25.  Should the starter unit expand horizontally or vertically?

There are no restrictions concerning the direction of expansion to the starter unit other than that dictated by the maximum allowable built up area on the ground floor. 

26.  Are there any restrictions on sharing party walls between housing units?

No, there are no such restrictions. 

Since this is a private residential project for which the units will be built separately and individually, it is not required to make provisions for disabled access to the unit. 

28.  What is the maximum number of occupants for the unit?

Participants may provide their own assumptions for the number of occupants for each unit.  According to the Department of Statistics, the average family size in Jordan is 6 persons. 

29.  Would you provide a description of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDC) design standards, since I think these standards will affect the cost estimate for the project?

HUDC design standards should not affect the cost estimate participants are supposed to submit.  These units were not intended as water- and energy-efficient buildings, and thus should not be considered prescriptions for solutions for the Aqaba Housing Competition.  The only reason we refer to HUDC designs in the context of this competition is to help in familiarizing the competitors with current low-income housing practices in Jordan. 

30.  A target unit cost of 100 JD per square meter has been established for the construction of the building.  Does this cost include the cost of landscaping as well?

Yes, landscaping is included in this target unit cost.   

31.  Would you give a maximum acceptable cost for the construction of the starter unit, or state a certain period during which the increase over the target cost should pay off through the building’s operation cost?

The cost of the construction of the starter unit should be in the vicinity of 8,000 JD (around 11,500 USD) and all efforts should be made to work within a budget that is as close to that figure as possible.  For the purpose of this particular competition, we prefer not to state a maximum budget or a certain pay-off period especially that the low cost of the building is included in the criteria for evaluation of entries.  In any case, the participants should bear in mind that this competition is supposed to illustrate the affordability of water- and energy-efficient housing. 

32.  The simultaneous construction of 14 starter units would reduce the construction cost of the starter unit.  Would you clarify if this issue should be taken into consideration in the cost breakdown?

Since these units most probably will be built individually and separately, the required cost breakdown should consider the construction of one starter unit.

33.  What is the average wind speed in Aqaba?  

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The mean value of the wind speed measured between 1991 and 2000 at the Aqaba Airport Meteorological Station at an approximate height of 10 meters is 5.46 m/s.

34.  Would you describe the water course that appears on the AutoCAD site plan for the Shamiyya area?  Is it a natural water course or an artificial one; open or closed?  

The water course is natural.  At the mean time, it is open.  However, it may undergo some changes in the future, such as the construction of an embankment bordering it.

35.  Will the site be eventually linked to municipal water supply and sewage systems?  If so, where would the nearest proposed or existing connection points to these systems be located?

Yes, the site will be linked to municipal water supply and sewage systems.  The connection points are located only a few meters from the site.   

36.  Will the site be linked to the electric grid?  If so, where will the closest electric substation be located?  

Yes, the site will be linked to the electric grid.  The electric substation that will serve the area will be located about 500 meters from the site. 

37.  What is the predominant soil type in the area? 

Sand is the dominant soil type in the site. 

38.  What is the soil bearing capacity in the area?  

The soil bearing capacity in the site is 1.5 Kg/cm². 

39.  How far down is the bedrock in the area?  

The bedrock is at a depth ranging from 2 to 2.5 meters below ground surface. 

40.  Would you provide information on the water table in the area?  

The water table in the area is more than 6 meters below ground surface.   

41.  Upon completing of the project, how many housing units are planned?  

We cannot tell how many units will be on the Shamiyya site when the project is completed, since the plots of land most probably will be sold individually.

42.  Does the 7-meter maximum allowable height include the parapet wall?  What is the maximum allowable height of the parapet wall?  

Yes, the stated height includes the parapet wall.  The maximum allowable height of the parapet wall is 1.20 meters.

43.  Is it permitted that certain elements, such as wind towers, rise above the 7-meter maximum allowable height? 

Yes, such an arrangement is permitted.