Facts About Modern Architecture in the Middle East

The Middle East's architectural community is undergoing a massive transformation, as residential and commercial development continues at a rapid pace. Many Arab countries have embraced modern architecture over traditional building designs as they vie for tourism dollars and change existing laws to accept foreign ownership of property. Each country, however, has pursued independent paths on how it executes architectural standards.

Background

Arab countries prior to 2000 employed conservative architectural design in commercial and residential buildings. Arab architects, who are mostly trained in the West, followed traditional design methods that ensured that buildings retained cool air through extensive use of ceramic tiles, natural ventilation, limited-sized windows and high ceilings, so heat could rise to the top, according to Asiarooms.com.

Western Influences

In the past decade, Middle East countries sought to provide better housing for expatriate workers and build more attractive commercial districts. Arab countries invited Western architectural firms and construction companies to bid on projects to bring in modern architectural and construction techniques, report Saudiaramcoworld.com and Construction Week magazine.

Different Paths

Some countries have fully embraced modern architecture, while others prefer traditional design or a combination of both. Dubai, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, has eschewed traditional architecture for modern design with a focus of making Dubai a tourist destination for Westerners. But neighboring emirate Abu Dhabi has decided on traditional Arab design. Oman and Qatar seek traditional Arab influences, while Kuwait and Saudi Arabia employ both schools of design, according to Iqrasense.com.

Burj Dubai

Dubai embraced modern architecture on a massive scale by building extremely tall structures. The best example is the 2,600-foot Burj Dubai, a setback tower sheathed in glass. In 2009, the Burj Dubai was the tallest structure in the world. The 160-story structure was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill of Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Rotating Tower

Western architects employ increasingly ultra-modern and complex applications in design. Italian architect David Fisher and the United Kingdom-based Dynamic Architecture Group developed a glass-encased 80-floor rotating residential/commercial tower that gives a 180-degree view of Dubai. Each floor was prefabricated in Italy and transported to Dubai for construction. It remained under construction in 2009, according to Construction Week.

Mecca Expansion

Saudi Arabia is using a combination of traditional Arabic and modern architecture to develop a new mosque complex in Mecca to accommodate more than 3 million worshippers. Design is being executed by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and her British partner Norman Foster to include conference halls, command centers to direct traffic flow and security, hotels, residential buildings and state-of-the-art infrastructure and for better pedestrian control to and from the Haram Mosque, according to Iqrasense.com.

Old Meets New

Saudi Arabia and most other Arab countries have blended historic Arab design techniques into modern architecture. Many residential and commercial buildings in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah and Riyadh, and in Kuwait City and Manama, Bahrain, are designed with terraces that can deflect heat and capture rainwater. Towers are rounded instead of squared to deflect extreme winds and sand storms. Exits are designed at 45-degree angles to provide better circulation to keep rooms cool, according to Saudiaramcoworld.com and Iqrasense.com.

References

• Saudi Arabia architecture
• Islamic and modern architecture
• Modern architecture in Mecca

Resources

• Burj Dubai information
• Rotating towers details