DOME X OPEN MARKET — A Contemporary Architectural Design for Aleppo’s Revival

Rebuilding Through Contemporary Architectural Design

In the heart of Aleppo’s Old City—an urban landscape shaped by centuries of trade, faith, conflict, and collective memory—the project Dome x Open Market proposes a new beginning. Rooted in contemporary architectural design, the intervention combines two essential spatial elements: a sculptural dome that anchors the site, and an open market that evolves continuously with the life of its people. Together, they form a civic catalyst for healing, remembrance, and renewed social vibrancy.

The proposal acknowledges that the Old City once served as Aleppo’s cultural and commercial engine. Its markets, squares, and narrow routes shaped patterns of everyday life. By introducing a new architectural language that draws from tradition while embracing innovation, the project aims to rekindle the city’s identity and re-establish a community-driven urban rhythm.

Project by Zsolt Vasáros DLA, Botond Fülöp, Ilona Veres, Maria Ilona Kasza, Csilla Fehér

An Architectural Gesture Rooted in Memory

The dome stands at the intersection of heritage and contemporary form. Its geometry is inspired by traditional Syrian beehive structures—timeless volumes associated with shelter, endurance, and vernacular craftsmanship. Yet in this reinterpretation, the dome evolves into a modern landmark, defined by dynamic curvature and perforated openings that cast shifting patterns of light.

This transformation is not merely sculptural; it is symbolic. The dome becomes:

• A memorial space, where the upward draw of the form encourages visitors to reflect and remember
• A civic gathering point, connecting citizens across backgrounds
• A visual anchor, marking the beginning of the city’s revival

By inverting the shape of traditional residential architectural elements, the design creates a space that is both familiar and forward-looking—an emblem of continuity and renewal.

A Market That Grows With the Community

While the dome provides spiritual and emotional grounding, the open market activates the everyday life of the district. Instead of recreating the historical bazaar as it once existed, the project introduces a modular, evolving system that adapts over time with the needs of local communities.

The strategy unfolds in phases:

1. Perforated walls are built first, creating shaded, breezy pathways that define the initial urban fabric.
2. Modular market units—lightweight, economical structures—are later attached to the walls.
3. The units open during the day as shops and fold into secure storage at night.

This method ensures affordability for sellers, flexibility for expansion, and ease of construction in a recovering city. As more units appear, the market becomes a living organism—an urban system shaped by participation, not prescription.

Transparency, Memory, and Social Connection

The design prioritizes human experience and local empowerment. Across diagrams, spatial studies, and renderings, several consistent themes emerge:

• Meditative qualities created through filtered light within the dome
• Landmark presence that establishes identity and orientation
• Transparency in circulation to encourage openness and safety
• Spaces for citizens, where daily rituals and spontaneous encounters can unfold
• Memory, not as a static object, but as a guiding force for rebuilding

The typology of the market blends the boundaries between public and private space. Vendors, families, children, and travelers meet naturally within shaded corridors and communal nodes. Through gradual development, the district becomes a setting for social reconnection—a foundation for long-term urban resilience.

Urban Context and Site Strategy

The site sits adjacent to the Aleppo Citadel, one of the region’s most significant ancient fortresses. The positioning of the dome and market carefully considers:

Historic density and circulation patterns

Before modern interventions, this part of the city had a lower density and a rich network of walkable routes. The proposal restores these characteristics through permeable edges, open courtyards, and pedestrian-first planning.

Evolution of the market

Diagrams show how the system expands outward from a central nucleus, gradually stitching together disconnected pockets of urban tissue.

Relationship with topography

Staircases, terraces, and descending platforms create transitions between the elevated public square and the surrounding neighborhoods, offering moments of pause and observation.

Cafe x Memorial Space: A Layered Interior Experience

Inside the dome, the Cafe x Memorial Space integrates two essential architectural narratives—gathering and remembrance. Visitors from the market’s narrow alleys emerge into a spacious sunken plaza, where they can settle, reflect, and enjoy moments of respite.

The dome interior provides:

• A meditative atmosphere, where eyes follow the rising curvature
• Soft daylight, entering through patterned openings
• A communal setting, ideal for events, conversations, and cultural exchange

Together, the market and memorial cafe ensure that the site serves both economic and emotional functions—each vital to Aleppo’s rebuilding.

Sectional Logic and Environmental Comfort

The height and form of the dome generate natural ventilation by pulling cool air upward, creating a shaded microclimate for the square below. In a city known for its warm, dry climate, this architectural strategy strengthens both comfort and sustainability without relying on mechanical systems.

The section reveals how:

• The dome’s open base invites airflow
• Light wells create visual rhythm
• Circulation pathways wrap around the inner volume
• The structure becomes a beacon, visible from multiple vantage points of the Citadel

A Landscape of Reinterpreted Geometry

Surrounding the dome, a sculptural field of geometric forms reconstructs the spatial memory of the old bazaar. These triangular rhythms reference lost urban patterns while offering a modern reinterpretation that guides circulation, framing views, and carving out micro-spaces for gathering.

The interplay between solid and void becomes an architectural language of renewal—an environment where heritage is acknowledged but not replicated.

A Vision for Aleppo’s Future

Dome x Open Market is more than a building— it is a contemporary architectural design that proposes a process of healing.

By blending memorial space, cultural marketplace, and civic landscape, the project restores vitality to Aleppo’s historic core while embracing the adaptive needs of a recovering city. It invites locals and visitors alike to participate in shaping the future, offering a new identity grounded in memory, resilience, and community.

Through its evolving market, symbolic dome, and human-centered urban fabric, the project positions architecture as an instrument of hope—an active agent in rebuilding not only physical structures but the emotional and social foundations of a city.