Mignon Kang 
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Siwa Performing Centre
2023 Young Architects Competition “Performing Oasis”
Honorable Mention

- Location: Siwa, Egypt
- Type: Cultural Centre

Collaborator
- Suyi Jeong, Minjae Rhee, Yechan Koo


Back to Home Interaction of Disappearance and Survival

Siwa is the stage of the law of nature where “disappearance due to weathering” and “survival through overcoming the environment” coexist. The apparent contrast between life and death, desert and palm forest, clear water and salt basin make this law of nature visible. Shali Fortress is the monumental place that shows it most precisely in Siwa. The construction logic called “Kershef” make Shali function as “life,” but it is critical to weathering, and this phenomenon is definite when observed from a diachronic point of view.

However, this fragility allows for showing the distinct law of nature. Therefore, this project expresses the results through the time change as a synthesis. Bare traces of the weathered Shali and new faces after the disappearance of the fortress are tools to explain life after death. The following elements are used on the underground level to achieve this purpose; covered and uncovered spaces are mingled owing to “light wells” traced from the original fortress. The Kershef walls that compose the “light wells” not only serve as a background for exhibitions and performances but also form Shali’s unique light. Each of the three openings faces a different view along the original fortification wall. The four rectangular shapes that dominate the overall mass are metaphors for the new life that has been reborn after the death of Shali, suggested by the complicated and organic shape of the entrance part.





The remains of Shali would be exposed to weathering in the future, but the “light wells” are protected from weathering due to the solid material. The difference in pace of weathering, disappearance, and survival would intersect continuously. Ultimately, this project dramatically shows the face of Siwa through the Shali fortress and new penetrating buildings. It is not just a mere discussion about the problem of preservation of ruins and further development, but the sincere story about Genius Loci of Siwa. It would be the respecting attitude of Siwa and Shali.