Um Al Rasas Presentation
& Preservation Center

Building Beside History
at Umm ar-Rasas

Umm ar-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) is one of Jordan's most significant archaeological sites — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004, celebrated for its remarkably preserved Byzantine and Umayyad-era ruins, including the Church of St. Stephen with its extraordinary mosaic floor depicting cities of the region. CEC was engaged by the Department of Antiquities, under the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, to construct a Presentation and Preservation Center at the site — a facility designed to support visitor interpretation of the ruins while contributing to the long-term conservation of the site's fragile mosaics and structures.

Construction at an active UNESCO World Heritage Site is governed by a fundamentally different set of priorities than ordinary building projects. The new center could not be allowed to visually or physically compete with the historic remains it serves — it had to be sited, scaled, and detailed so that it complements the archaeological landscape rather than dominating it. At the same time, every excavation and groundworks operation on site carried the possibility of encountering previously undocumented archaeological remains, requiring construction sequencing built around archaeological oversight rather than the other way around.

CEC's work at Umm ar-Rasas reflects the company's capability to operate within the additional constraints that heritage and cultural sites demand — coordinating closely with antiquities authorities, adapting construction methods to protect what lies above and below ground, and delivering a building that serves visitors and researchers for decades while leaving the historic site itself undiminished.

Engineering Challenges

Building a modern presentation center within a protected archaeological landscape introduced constraints rarely encountered in conventional construction:

• Archaeological monitoring during earthworks: All excavation and foundation works were carried out under the supervision of Department of Antiquities archaeologists, with construction sequencing designed to allow work to pause immediately if any new archaeological feature was uncovered.
• Heritage-sensitive siting and massing: The center's location, height, and footprint were carefully constrained so the new building would not visually intrude on views of the ancient ruins or alter the site's historic character — a design discipline that shaped every aspect of the construction sequence.
• Low-impact construction methods: Heavy plant movements, material storage, and access routes across the site were planned to avoid any vibration, ground disturbance, or surface damage near the protected mosaic floors and standing ruins.
• Climate-controlled display and conservation spaces: Interior spaces intended for the display and storage of conserved artefacts and interpretive materials required stable temperature and humidity control — a specialized environmental engineering requirement layered onto a remote desert site.

Scope of Work

CEC's construction scope at the Um Al Rasas Presentation and Preservation Center covered foundations and structure for the visitor and preservation buildings, designed and sequenced in coordination with on-site archaeological supervision; building envelope and finishes selected to harmonize with the surrounding landscape and historic materials palette; climate-controlled interior spaces for exhibition and preservation functions; visitor circulation routes, viewing platforms, and external pathways connecting the center to the archaeological remains; and site infrastructure including power, water, and wastewater systems appropriate to the site's remote location and heritage status.

Quality & Safety

Quality management on this project extended beyond conventional construction standards to encompass the protection of an irreplaceable cultural asset. Every groundworks activity was documented and coordinated with antiquities supervisors, construction materials and finishes were reviewed for compatibility with the heritage context, and site safety procedures accounted for the presence of archaeological staff and, at times, visiting researchers working alongside the construction programme. The completed center now stands as a working example of how new construction can support — rather than compromise — the preservation of one of Jordan's most important heritage sites.