Kikuma Watanabe is an associate proffessor at Kochi University of Technology in Japan and is responsible for the overall design of this project.

QUSAYR AL-JAWASREH is a community center for the Al-Jawasreh Society led by a group of local ladies, located in South Shounah near the Dead Sea in Jordan. It is a public facility open to the local community, where educational and vocational programs are provided.

It has three architectural components: Jordan's traditional stone building, modern reinforced concrete, and earthbag building which draws attention as ecological architecture. These three components are integrated into a "jewelry box" which reminds the people of old feelings and new dreams. Thick stone walls have high insulation efficiency. Reinforced concrete enables creative design of roof and large and bright opening section. Earth-bag building can be made by anybody with the earth, and it is absolutely eco-friendly and strong.

A passive solar system using solar energy makes a comfortable environment inside the building, cool in summer and warm in winter. A large opening section in the south area keeps whole rooms well-lit throughout the year.

Based on the secret of Japanese garden, "dray garden style" (karesansui), a mysterious garden is designed in the south area by using modern techniques of environmental engineering. Depressions/Dips in the center carve memories of people who dig the earth to fill the earth-bags. Deciduous trees signify the change of seasons, protect the building from strong sunshine in summer, and allow the sun through in winter.
Colorful flowers and herbs bloom in pots set in the garden.

At QUSAYR AL-JAWASREH you can get traditional hand crafts made by the ladies of Al-Jawasreh village. It is a design of the traditional stone building, leading toward the future.

The garden connects Jordan and far away Japan, and enriches its ground as a glamorous and mysterious landscape.

QUSAYR AL-JAWASREH is the bellybutton on the bottom of the earth. It connects its people with the mother earth, and receives power of the father sun. Rich and strong messages from the people are delivered to the rest of the world.