Regionalism study in saudi arabia

2017

[Final Exam] ARC 489: Special Topics in Regional Architecture

Name: Tareq Al-amoudi

ID#: 201061480

Instructor: Dr.Jamal Qawasmi

Question One: What Is Meant By "Regionalism of Liberation"?

Harwell Hamilton Harris mentioned that “Regionalism of liberation” is the opposite way of “Regionalism of Restriction”, because this orientation believe that we can have our special manifestation which has our unique tune that emerged with the thoughts of time, and that can be defined as regional because it hasn’t emerged elsewhere.

Regional of liberation relays on the idea to be open for new knowledges, try new techniques and get benefit from what others explored.

From my point of view, I think all of that information can contain to develop our regional architecture, by using our imagination to create a new invention that related to our regional nature. That will enhance the quality of our buildings for many reasons. Firstly, we put an effort to study what people need, believe, like, and how they can live comfortably in that specific region without neglecting the wheel of development.

In conclusion, Regionalism of liberation encouraging to use new knowledge and be open for the world, and it respects the imagination of people and creation, but without neglecting the fundamental needs of people at that specific region which can differ them from any place in the world, these can be conceder as reasons to categorize as a regional approach.

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Question Two: What Is Meant By "National Architecture"?

To understand what “National Architecture� means, first we must know that nations usually created to consolidate group of people to be unity, which made them a citizens of particular area which gather them under one community and rules.

We can illustrate that national relay on symbolic meaning, so national architecture must express the ambition, desire quality of the citizen in that region, or what they like to believe they are, or to show how powerful is their country, or it can express spiritual values of that specific region to get attention from the world.

I think national architecture depend more on the need of having a strong reputation to show to other countries the level of military force, the level of development, or even to show the high limitation of creation and the strong ambitious of the citizens of that particular nation.

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Question Three: What Is Meant By “Regionalism of Restriction”?

I will start my answer by what been said by Harwell Hamiltion Harris under one of the regional orientation “Regionalism of Restriction”, He said: “Fundamentally regionalism is a state of mind. This state of mind maybe induced by poverty, resulting in meager proportions; by isolation, producing ignorance of developments in more favored localities; by lack of transportation, restricting the choice of building material to those native to the region”. (Critical Position in Architectural Regionalism book, chapter 2, Regionalism and nationalism in architecture, p.56 to p57)

To explain definition of “Regionalism of Restriction” we can illustrate what been mentioned

by Harwell Hamiltion, Firstly, some normal people or even some architects believe that if we want to be regionalism, we must limit our-self with what we have in our region and be isolated from the world, Some people suggest to control transportation to stop using materials from other regions, in their opinion that will save the characteristics of their regional architecture.

From other point of view. I think that way of restrictions can slow the development of particular region, and it will stick in time. Generally, in our world nowadays after modernity spread all over the world, this kind of orientation start to disrepair, because it became too hard to control the outcomes.

Every region has a special situation which can create a unique architecture which related to the topography, people lifestyle, weather, and some rules which been generally accepted by residence of that region which called “tradition”. I think all of that characteristics can affect architecture of a specific region and it will be differ from any other region. That can create a “regional architecture” rather than been isolated and ignoring others.

Development and sharing knowledge never been a barrier. Our barrier is our imagination and creativity, and we can use that to create our “regional architecture”, our product, and our invention by collaborating with any knowledge we can use to enhance “Regional Architecture”. That will never erase our regional identity.

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Question Four:

"National architecture" And "Regionalism of liberation" (Compare and contrast)

Regionalism of Liberation

National Architecture



To be open for the world but keeping the uniqueness of that particular region



Show the uniqueness of a particular region to the world



encourage using new knowledge to enhance the regional architecture



Try to control the usage of outsources, which can weakness the power image of that nation to the world.



Care more about the development





Get knowledge from others to speed the wheel of development in collaboration with the needs, thoughts, culture, and climate of that particular region



Care more about the powerful image of that particular region Create a powerful image for a particular region to be unique and to show the level of that region.



Can face the different changes around us smoothly



Be open for other countries in a level which can affect and lose the regional aspects.

Similarities

Differences

Strengths/positives

Weaknesses/negatives

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

By caring more about the created regional image can low the quality of development



Some aspects relay on a weak base, like what people want other to think they are, not trying to be the best actually.

Question Five: Represented Example in Saudi Arabia

A) National Architecture Example: King Abdullah financial district

(Mega project in al-Riyadh city. Contain towers with different facilities: residential, offices, retails)

From my point of view this project categorized under “National Architecture” for the following reasons:

1- This project been done to show how wealthy is Saudi Arabia for the world 2- Different international architects been involved to create unique buildings which show the level of architectural complexity and the high level of construction methods.

On the other hand, that doesn’t reflect the real level of Saudi architecture which is way less than the level of this project.

3- Neglecting the residence needs, because the rate of rent is so high which attracting foreign companies to hold their offices and to occupied residential units by foreign or high class residence. and care more about the image of Saudi Arabia to the worlds,

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Question Five: Represented Example in Saudi Arabia B) Regionalism of liberation Example: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

From my point of view this project categorized under “National Architecture” for the following reasons:

1- This project been done to hold the latest technology and to help Saudis in research sector to develop the level of knowledge in Saudi Arabia and to explore innovation ideas that enhance the regional sectors.

2- It helps to rise up the level of Saudi community in order to be parallel with other developed countries.

3- This project is respecting the region of Saudi Arabia in different aspects, start up with the durable choose materials and respecting the weather by enrolling different design aspects which work in our hot harm weather with high quality of construction methods been taken from outside.

4- We can see that the designer respected the language of Saudi regional architecture by making a developed design but with a Saudi characteristic, by colors, texture of material…….ext 5- The design of (KAUST) in some way helps Students and researcher to live in a healthy environment by the spatial design solutions, but there is an awareness of the traditional aspects of Saudi culture.

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Question Six: Regionalism & Invention A) Discussion about regionalism & invention in Saudi Arabia

In this part we I will discuss how invention developed a regional aspects that created a real project which helped people to feel comfortably to use it, and how ignoring this aspect may result in false development.

Firstly, invention ideas to develop a regional aspects to create a developed regional project create a mature project. Because by development we can correct the gaps in previews innovation that been done before in other time. And at that time they had a lot of limitation, so why we stop our self to discover new solutions or to enhance the old one, but with our way, our common things that we respect in our community.

To illustrate the big benefit from using invention in Saudi region, I must mention a successful example been done in Saudi Arabia that respect the region but been developed to invent a new suitable project for Saudi Arabia. For example, renovation project of “Wadi Hanifah” in al-Riyadh, it an old Valley in al-Riyadh been used for years but with old traditional ways and no one tried to develop it so people can get benefit from it like what old generation did. Previously, the system of farms and other things was homogeneous with use of old traditional ways, but after a while a lot of new systems been used all around Saudi Arabia and the need of “wadi hanifah” start to Disappear because it to hard to connect the new developed system with this old traditional valley because it needs so much money to develop it regarding the huge size of it. So government used the most new system to get benefit from this old valley and created landscape around it and setting areas to revive it in our time.

So, after that innovation of the new “wadi Hanifah” people start to visit it and its been revive, and I think they cared about the nature of that valley, and the nature of the region, but they mixed new systems with an old traditional area which made this project an innovation project.

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On the other hand, neglecting innovation can result to a project but maybe that project will not serve that particular area or the real user of that place. For example, the renovation of “Old Jeddah�, this project particularly cared about the identity of old Jeddah as an image without caring about develop it to be used from real residence. At the end, this priceless old area with its all regional components been renovate to be used as a big museum, by renovate the skin of buildings, making similar old market for visitor and a lot of other events which been held there.

From my point of view. I think if they develop that area in a way to be applicable to live in it with new systems that will create a real regional innovation that will serve people of Jeddah and will create a new successful Saudi regional architecture project, which can inspire others.

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Question Six: Regionalism & Invention

B) Relation between "regionalism of liberation" and " regionalism as source of invention and real development"

Regionalism of Liberation 

Try using knowledge to enhance the regional architecture but without losing the uniqueness of that particular region



Trying to using knowledge to enhance and develop the regional architecture of particular area



Trying to enhance what we have



Trying to create a new innovated idea but with our regional agenda



Trying to but some limits because they are afraid to lose the identity of that particular region



Take a challenge to discover new innovated ways to create a characteristic which suitable for that region and acceptable by people with the recent technology and knowledge rather than just copying others to enhance what we already have.

Similarities

Differences

Regionalism As Source of Invention And Real Development

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