The project „Baynetna.Between Us. The new Arabian Library“ has been awarded second prize at polis Award Campus. Hasan Moaita, who is trained as a draftsman in the Essen office KZA, has worked on it. At the polis convention in Düsseldorf, he accepted the award on behalf of all project participants.

„Baynetna.Between Us“ was launched in winter semester 2016/17 in the department of design and construction of the Technical University (TU) of Berlin. Students of architecture designed and built a furniture system for a library there, together with Syrian guest students.

The idea: a place that promotes intercultural exchange. At the beginning of 2017, the venue was opened as the first Arabic lending library in a Berlin refugee camp. Meanwhile, the project is housed in the Central and Regional Library in Berlin.

„Working on the library was a lot of fun,“ says KZA trainee Hasan Moaita. After his trip from Syria to Germany, the 23-year-old student first came to Essen in October 2015. From here, he applied as a guest student at TU Berlin – and in autumn 2016 became a member of the construction team for „Baynetna.Between Us“.

For one semester, students and guest students worked together in teams of four. They constructed furniture that could adapt to different requirements. The library is also used for exhibitions, lectures and yoga classes.

Hasan Moaita says he has learned a lot, especially with regards to furniture manufacture. „Implementing the designs was often difficult and at the same time a special challenge. For me, it was clear that after my time in Berlin I absolutely wanted to continue working practically.“

Moaita therefore applied for training at KZA – and was successful. Since autumn 2017, he has deepened his expertise in the Essen architectural office. „There are some things that I already know from my studies in Syria, but it is often difficult to translate the knowledge from Arabic to German in my head.“

Since 2016, the polis Award Campus has been awarded to young students from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, as well as urban and spatial planning. It is meant to promote visionary ideas of the „future generation“. Further information about the award can be found here.

Further information on “Baynetna.Between Us” can be found on the website about the project.