Jerusalem24 – On this episode of Vibes, Saad Yaish, a fifth-year architecture student, who spoke with us about his team’s success in winning a competition to reconstruct destroyed villages, joined us. The NNU student took us through the application process, the competition’s qualifications, and the elation he felt after winning. The team reconstructed the town of Lubyeh who was originally built on a Greek village and was a prosperous town in 1948. The project took about 8 months to complete as they walked back through history to stay true to the village’s authentic structure. According to Yaish, they plotted out the town and identified where original landmarks such as the mosque, market, and olive oil factory were located. The aim of the project was to build multiple sectors that include, education, expanded housing that could accommodate around 10 thousands residents, a cultural zone, a market, and a park to meet the urban standards of modern villages. A unique aspect of their project was the mural designed in the town square to commemorate the natives journey and pain throughout their lives under the occupation. We talked about how the project required collaboration; each member of the team took on a component and worked carefully on it for eight months before putting it all together to make this incredible achievement. When asked why he entered the competition, Saad emphasized his excitement and pride in giving back to Palestine and demonstrating to the rest of the world that Palestinian talent surpasses a university’s ranking or reputation. The team is also looking forward to seeing how the locals react to their home being rebuilt and improved. We are really eager to see what this team will offer to Palestine in the future, and we are very proud of what they have accomplished!
