Ammar Khammash (born 8 October 1960) is a

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

ian architect, designer and artist. His work is based on the integration of building designs with nature and the surrounding environment. His projects helped revive Pella and Jordan Valley by creating two rest stops. He has participated in many art exhibits and was tasked to design some of the most prominent buildings in the region. He was given an award for his design of the Nazareth mosque, which was controversial because of its proximity to the Church of the Annunciation. One of his most famous projects is the reconstruction of

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

and the Jordan Valley; he built a rest stop near the museum, one in

and the other in

Um Qais Umm Qais or Qays ( ar, أم قيس , , Mother of Qais) is a town in northern Jordan principally known for its proximity to the ruins of the ancient Gadara. It is the largest city in the Bani Kinanah Department and Irbid Governorate in the extreme ...

Work

After studying architecture and ethnoarchaeology at the

University of Southwestern Louisiana The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

in the United States of America, Ammar Khammash started his career with restoration projects in Jordan. Many of his early projects showed already Khammashs focus on local building traditions and craftsmanship, ecological and social sustainability, innovative design and usage of recycled materials. With the restoration of Dana village and the new guesthouse for the Dana nature reserve he revived an abandoned village and, together with the

Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature The Royal Society for The Conservation of Nature (RSCN) is an independent voluntary organization that is devoted to the conservation of Jordan's natural resources; it was established in 1966 with the late King Hussein as Honorary President. RS ...

created one of Jordans first eco tourism sites. Since then many other projects with the RSCN followed, including the Wadi Feynan ecolodge and their landmark 'Wild Jordan' Visitor Center glued to a hillside in central Amman. Besides architecture Khammash is active in painting, archeology, designing jewelry and photographing the natural and cultural heritage of his native Jordan. In his work he strives to preserve Jordans desert environment and revive the traditional Jordanian building techniques, mixing them with modern materials and design. He was asked to restore and rebuild Hisham's Palestinian Palace, near

Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...

which he designed with light paper walls. Khammash is also a writer, and has become an influential force in demanding that Jordan be both a cultural home for native Jordanians, but also a place that attracts tourists and travelers.

Interest in nature

Besides his work as an architect and painter, Ammar Khammash has a strong interest in the natural history of Jordan and its desert landscapes, geology, flora and paleological past. His work often centres around nature or integrates natural materials, especially different stone types. In 2016 Khammash created a 'Desert Sound Instrument' as an art project from hand picked flint stones that where arranged in order of their tone when tapped.

Important Projects

Feynan Eco Lodge with slats to keep the walls in shade

Dana Biosphere Reserve Dana Biosphere Reserve is List of nature reserves in Jordan, Jordan's largest nature reserve, located in south-central Jordan. Dana Biosphere Reserve was founded in 1989 in the area in and around the Dana, Jordan, Dana village and Wadi Dana comp ...

Visitor Center and Guesthouse, Dana Village and Valley * Darat al-Funun Art Center, Amman * Wild Jordan, Main Information Center for Jordans Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) * The Jordanian Royal Film Commission building, Amman * Movenpick Resort, Dead Sea * Bedouin Cultural Center, Southern Jordanian desert *

Jordan River Foundation The "Jordan River Foundation" was founded earlier by Queen Nour Al Hussein, the wife of the late king of Jordan Hussein bin Talal, after the death of king Hussein, queen Nour left her position as the Chair person of "Jordan River Foundation" and t ...

, Amman * The White Mosque --

Nazareth Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...

* RSCN Royal Academy for Nature Conservation, Ajloun, Jordan * Graphic design for the 4th edition of the Jordanian paper currency

Awards and honours

* First Arab architect to win global sustainability award. * AGA Khan Award For Architecture Shortlist. * Global Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2019. * Guardian-Observer "Ethical Travel Award" for the Wild Jordan Nature Center in Amman, 2010

Project gallery

Pella from Above (Decapolis).jpg, Museum, guesthouse and painters house overlooking the ancient roman city of Pella, Jordan Madaba Apostles Church JO 1.jpg, Church of the Apostles at Madaba archaeological park Church of the Apostles (Madaba).jpg, Church of the Apostles at Madaba archaeological park Mosque in Dana village, Jordan.jpg, Restoration of Dana village, Jordan 01 Rummana Mountain Trail - At the Entrance of the Dana Biosphere Reserve - panoramio.jpg, Entrance to the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan 01f Dana Feynan Trail - View From Dana Viewpoint - panoramio.jpg, Viewpoint overlooking Dana biosphere reserve 01a Dana Feynan Trail - The Dana Lodge - panoramio.jpg, Dana Lodge at Dana biosphere Reserve Darat Al Funun 224.JPG, Restoration of Darat al Funun Arab Arts Center in Amman, Jordan Amman Darat Al Funoun Library.jpg, Restoration of Darat Al Funun Library, Amman Le Darat al Funun (Amman, Jordanie) (38996758462).jpg, Restoration of the blue house at Darat al Funun Arab Arts Center in Amman, Jordan Mujib Chalets Wild Jordan.jpg, Wadi Mujib guesthouses 03 Wadi Mujib Malaqi Trail - Visitors Center - panoramio.jpg, Entrance to the Wadi Mujib biosphere reserve 07 Wadi Mujib Siq Trail - You Cannot Enter the Reserve without a Life Jacket Which Is Provided - panoramio.jpg, Entrance building to the wadi mujib biosphere reserve with passive cooling pipes Royal Academy for natural Reservation at Ajloun.jpg, Royal Academy for Nature Conservation in Ajloun, Jordan 32 Dana Feynan Trail - The Feynan Lodge - panoramio.jpg, Fenan eco lodge

References