demolition in wadi saqra
This was the scene outside the SYNTAX offices last week, as captured and manipulated by the talented Jad Madi and his new camera (click to see large version)! This house is located was located behind the office building in lower Wadi Saqra street. The rubble was carried out by trucks through the gate that leads from the Wadi Saqra street to the parking lot adjacent to the demolished house.

I think this demolition is part of the Arab Bank moving into the area. Recently Wadi Saqra Bookshop, a well know stationary and toy store (famous for its Christmas-time Santa Claus), moved out of the premises they occupied for probably decades and moved 500 meters down the road.

Wadi Saqra Bookshop

I was quite sad to see them move, as the shop was a landmark by which I guided people to our office. Apparently, the Arab Bank will be opening a new branch in the area, and my guess is that they also bought the house behind the former bookshop to build a large branch.

Wadi Saqra is undergoing a lot of changes. When we moved into the street sever years ago, a lot of businesses there (mostly furniture and decor shops) had moved out or gone bust. The first sign of change came as Century Cinema opened, followed by The One furniture store. The building boom in Jordan is reinvigorating the street. Even the old Karim (or is it Kareem) art gallery, closed for years, has re-opened.

Going up the road, to the King Abdullah Gardens intersection there are at least a dozen construction sites for new office buildings. Most notably is the huge hole in the ground where the street’s biggest project will be built: The Living Wall, designed by Norman Foster and developed by DIP (the Jordan Armed forces real estate development arm).

The Living Wall is mixed-use development combing a commercial center which will house luxury car showrooms, home furniture galleries, boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops and other shopping arcades, and six towers housing residential, serviced apartments, offices, wellness center and a boutique hotel.
Living Wall, DIP, Jordan

DIP are promoting Wadi Saqra street as a hot area for real estate in Amman:

Wadi Saqra is an emerging commercial district in Amman, being the main street linking the Downtown with other commercial areas in Amman and in close proximity to Al- Abdali new, smart and vibrant Site. Wadi Saqra is witnessing major developments in upscale offices, exclusive commercial centers, luxurious hotels, and reputable hospitals.

DIP’s description of the project reflects a very ambitious agenda:

Amman Living Wall is designed to integrate the diversified needs and adopt the inherent history and ancient life nature of the area. The unique design will best utilize the site nature which is located on two different levels. Highly advanced materials will be used to benefit from the light reflections and shadows and will be used to protect the project from volatile weather conditions, in addition, it will be utilized to store appropriate temperature inside the project and create a comfortable work environment for the different Project’s tenants. The project will be constructed in a way to reflect a wall concept consisting of lively caves according to the regional topography.

Living Wall from the air
It’s pretty interesting to be in the midst of Wadi Saqra to witness its transformation.

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11 responses to “Wadi Saqra tranformations: demolition in our backyard”

  1. Massina Avatar
    Massina

    You could still tell people to go to Wadi Saqra bookshop… then 500 meters up the road. :P

  2. manal y Avatar
    manal y

    if i was you, ill beg the people to let me go on the “bouldozer” and start crushing some houses

  3. Firas Avatar
    Firas

    Wow, I’ve been jumping through hoops trying to know what they are doing near the Jordan Hospital, looks big.

    It’s not Wadi Saqra anymore, it’s Saqra only.Too bad.

  4. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Sweet. I, too, have been wondering what was going to be built in that new crater on Wadi Saqra.

  5. kinzi Avatar
    kinzi

    I had likewise wondered what the huge craters were all about, and mourn the loss of Wadi Saqra Bookstore location as it was in just the right place to get in the flow of traffic and make a u-turn…is it now?

    Maybe I’m just a paranoid Californian, but those renderings give me the big city earthquake willies. Squashed. I think it’s time to move to Fuheis.

  6. markus Avatar
    markus

    luxury car showrooms, boutiques, luxury apartments….yada yada yada, i just cant help but wonder, how many Lambo’s and Sypders and Vanquishes can Jordan handle? When are they gonna start constructing solutions for the water shortage problem, when will they create real jobs for real jordanians, instead of the phantom khaliji-jordanians with the phantom millions, or is amman gonna turn into dubai, all glitz no umph?Sorry to bother all you rich people u might consider my comments inappropriate or un-patriotic, but in fact i wanted to speak for the rest of the 98% of the poor old dis-infranchised Jordanians.

  7. B Avatar
    B

    oh wow! I live 5 minutes up the street (by the new hospital) and I have been out of Amman since September….this is news!!

    Are there any other similar big construction projects in Amman worth mentioning? I’m just kinda curious….

  8. Moe Avatar
    Moe

    Booming but for whom,and till when?

  9. Hate Jordan Avatar
    Hate Jordan

    Whatever they build in Amman ..its a trashy place to be in and the people need another like 100 years to become civilized and to know how to treat others like human beings … Wake up people …

  10. LOVE JORDAN! Avatar
    LOVE JORDAN!

    Amman is a lovely place to be in and it’s blooming nicely. You know what I love most about Jordanians? I love how they treat human being as human beings and ungrateful scumbags as dirt (referring to Hate Jordan)

  11. HU Avatar
    HU

    May be this is not so connected to the main topic but twice i found the worst service ever in this bookstore when i went to buy cards for the holidays. Well, if the guys were frustrated in their business it’s not the customer’s fault, i promised never to go back again after yesterday. They still have soooooo much to learn in customer service which i doubt it’ll happen cos first they’ll need a face implantation with big smile on it…