Architecture Debate

Can Sustainable Experimental Architecture with Respect for Cultural Heritage Exist?

Architecture Debate Monday, May 25, 2015

Practice Knowledge and Scientific Experiments: Engaging Through Architecture Dr. Yasser Mahgoub Head of department of Architecture and Urban Planning College of Engineering Qatar University

Scientific Experiments • Carrying out research and experiments is essential for any field of practice.

Scientific Experiments • Scientific experiments efforts must be guided by theory in order to achieve valid and reliable results. • They should be conducted through theoretical frameworks applying reliable research methods.

Architectural Education • Project Based Learning (PBL) provides a medium for knowledge to be transmitted through experimentation with small problems and large projects.

Architectural Practice

The evolution of architectural practice was only possible through an understanding of the basic trends of development in a rapidly changing world.

May you live in interesting times!

Sustainability • Most experiments are geared towards economic and environmental aspects. • It is now essential to take socio-cultural aspects into consideration when looking at the solutions that sustainable experimntations brings today.

Environmental

Sustainability

Economic

Sociocultural

Context

Sustainability Environmental

Sustainability

Economic

Sociocultural

Context

Levels of Socio-Cultural Aspects

• Several levels of understanding should be addressed to study and design for a specific society or culture: 1. Personal level includes the position of individual in society and culture, and privacy requirements based on gender and age.

2. Family level: includes immediate and extended family members and family members relationships and obligations.

3. Society level includes relationships between men, women, children, society, ethnicity, kinship, and nationality.

4. Cultural level includes history, language, religion, sacred and profane, traditions, customs, and costumes.

5. Identity level includes personal, social and cultural identity.

Identity

Culture

Society

Family

Personal

Levels of Understanding

Levels of Socio-Cultural Understanding

Identity is constructed from the person through family, society and culture. This understanding will help architects and planners design better environments that correspond to social and cultural needs.

Sustainable Architecture • Sustainable architecture experiments are becoming fashionable! • Yet, they lack a theoretical framework to guide their efforts and benefit from their results.

Best Practices • By taking these three variable into account, we can evaluate bestpractices and develop new studies in the field.

Urban Space Walkbaility

• Carrying out research and experiments in sustainability architecture must be guided by a theoretical framework.

Subjective Qualities

Theoretical Framework

Objective Qualities

Cultural Heritage • Cultural heritage should not subject to arbitrary experimentation due to its unique and irreplaceable values.

Laboratory of Architectural Experiments Qatar is going through another rapid phase of its urbanization.

It is becoming a “laboratory� for architectural experiments that lack theoretical scientific guidance.

Pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030

Architecture is Mirror of Society

“Architecture is the mirror of every historical moment, we can see our time reflex on the buildings of our cities.“ Daniele del Nero

Architectural Identity • Architectural identity should not be imposed on people and buildings.

• It is a result of what people “think and do” during a particular period of history influenced by economic, ecologic and cultural variables.

Global

Islamic State/Official Arab Governmental Gulf Institutional Socio-cultural Public Technical Semi-Public Economic Private

Iconic Pragmatic

Canonic Analogic

Metaphoric Symbolic

Identity Global

Scale Islamic

State/Official

Arab

Governmental

Gulf

Institutional

Cultural Public

Technical Semi-Public

Economic

Private

Approach Iconic Pragmatic

Metaphoric

Canonic Analogic

Symbolic

Beginning! • Success can only be achieved through increasing awareness and facilitating public participation in urban and architectural decision making.

THANK YOU.