Building Arabia. Expanding the Limits of Architecture

The book records and analyses the state of the art of contemporary architecture in the Arabian Peninsula (except United Arab Emirates which have been the focus of a previous separate text) which has been recently terrain for huge development and transformation. The research going through a consistent number of case studies classified according to building program and urban planning, reveals that the long lasting debate between innovation and tradition which has characterized Arab architecture since the XIX century has acquired a new sense towards sustainability issues. Challenging climatic conditions have in fact been addressed through an examination of the history of Islamic settlements and the solutions, as in the spontaneous local architecture, are found in limiting energy and resource consumption. Modernity will be achieved by retaining the compact fabric of the cities and the courtyards and the cooling systems of the Arab houses. The re-interpretation of tradition that can be seen in these new developments and in many of the buildings, proposes an approach to the use of public space and models of sociability whose origins are found in the Arab culture. Other projects pay homage to the local culture through various decorative and Arabic features; elegant replicas of textile artisanship, screens for shading the sun’s rays or through the use of historical symbols such as the Bedouin tent or the oasis and desert vegetation. The new architecture of the Arab Peninsula is far from immune to the power of communication or visual attraction; the different states of the Gulf have not escaped the perverse fascination with the superlative and reaching records at any cost, as is the case in Dubai. The books highlights the typological characteristics of the projects with a special focus on technological aspects concerning both the techniques and materials used and the construction processes related to the economical cultural and geographical context.