Vista Saltus

University of Petra

Project idea

The project is an adaptive re-use and expansion of an old prison that goes back to 1935. The idea of the project is to transform the old prison into a social hub through links and additions. The prison now is owned by The Greater Municipality of As-Salt and is proposed to host multiple functions; visitors' center, boutique hotel, gallery, and workshops.

Project description

The location of the project is on the gate of As-Salt city in Jordan. As-Salt city is listed under the heritage conservation of the UNESCO. It is famous for its beautiful yellow stone +100 year old buildings. The mountain nature of the city provides amazing views, that's where the name ''vista'' comes from. The project is on a steep cliff and linked with a narrow street from the highway down the cliff. This made the prison isolated for security purposes. On the next side of the highway is a local market that attracts a number of people each weekend. The Greater Municipality of As-salt, a big grocery mall, taxi parking and a bus parking is also near the site which makes it in a very active urban node. I wanted to link the isolated prison with the urban node, the tunnel that connects the Friday market with the street plaza makes it possible to reach the living wall (with vertical and horizontal movement), the living wall that includes the cafes and restaurant terraces turns the obstacle -cliff- into an opportunity. The terraces of the living wall provides views towards the mountains of As-Salt and its most important landmarks including the first school built in As-Salt (High School of As-Salt). A double-layered plaza provides a public park for the local citizens and visitors. multiple functions such as cafeterias, galleries, social-stair, and a climbing wall are held in this plaza. The old prison turned into a visitors' center, a restaurant, and a museum. This is how the old isolated prison becomes a social-hub with various activities and source of income for the local citizens.

Technical information

Old prison was constructed of reinforced concrete in 1934.