maisam participated in the World Architecture Festival (WAF) which took place in Barcelona during the period 4 – 6 November, 2009 and was among the shortlisted companies that qualified to the final stage of the Future Projects competition, for its Aqaba Bus Terminal and Plaza project which was chosen out of 600 other international projects.
The participation came in line with maisam's standing policy to bring to the fore (at the international level) Jordan's accomplishments in the field of architecture, and to gain insight on the key issues facing the global architecture community, and the accelerating developments in the industry.
The highly contextual project was designed to be located well at the arrival point of the Red Sea gateway, with a dramatic sweep of the roof plaza which provides uninterrupted views of the Aqaba Bay. It responds strongly to the need for a landmark at the Aqaba city's portal, becoming a welcoming statement of arrival, both from land and from air.
Founder and Principal Architect of maisam, Ms. Meisa Batayneh Maani, presented the Aqaba project in the WAF, before a jury of internationally renowned architects. She noted that design of the project remains true to its context by borrowing from the sheer mass of the mountains and the expanse of the water body.
The design's sculptural quality straddles the site with a powerful surge of architectural energy that seems to manifest itself from the very earth of Aqaba. The mountain formations seem to constantly extend towards the edge of the water body; this phenomenon is captured in the shape of the terminal building which, in turn, commands uninterrupted views towards the sunset and waters of the Aqaba bay.
Upon her participation in the annual event, Ms. Batayneh said, "The event was remarkably informative, noting that our entry in the Future Projects competition has helped us, to a great extent, to draw the attention of the participants of such stature, to Jordan's developed march, despite all the challenges and the scarcity of resources. We have succeeded in exhibiting the Jordanian human resources as an asset to capitalize on through the architectural talents and know-how of the Aqaba project, with an eye on the future prospects."
It is worth noting that the World Architecture Festival is an annual event for architects worldwide. The Festival holds the world's largest architectural awards program, where all shortlisted architects present their work to juries and audiences at the event. Winners will have to present their work to the public, in an open-air competition to win the top architectural award.