332_Rana El Dakkak: Soul Treat
Rana El Dakkak from Palestine; “I am Rana El Dakkak, Palestinian born in Lebanon on September 12, 1996, and currently living in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I’m an ambitious freshly graduated architect who has the passion and responsibility I had at the very beginning. I’m committed to my major and I hope to become an artist of architecture who will design spaces that are highly attached to the environment and will light the eyes of people. Music can be the most important and powerful element that touches everybody’s life who listens to or plays it. Music and architecture are both forms of art that are based on rhythm, proportion, and harmony and share a charming relationship.”
University: Abu Dhabi University
Professor(s): Mohamed Elkaftangui
Instagram Username: @rana.dakkak96
Name of Project: Soul Treat
Project Description: The design concept of the project was mainly inspired by a natural element as nature has a strong relationship with the human’s well-being. The natural inspiration for Soul Treat design concept was the tree leaves. The project’s site has different types of trees and each tree has different leaves shape; this triggered the idea of the natural inspiration for this project. Furthermore, nature is one of the most important elements for human’s well-being, hence, integrating part of the nature in the design emphasizes the importance of nature for human’s well-being.
Despite the linearity of the site as it was the main challenge in the project, the site has a large view on the sea which is extremely necessary for most of the project’s functions. The leaf shape was the most useful shape for this project as it's long-form helps in providing a large scenic view for the visitors whether it overlooks the waterfront or the park. Moreover, the leaf form can be interesting as it can have different sizes, heights, and form. The main idea of the design concept was to arrange the components of the project in a way that create open spaces for visitors to socialize and relax.
