Friday

PRESERVING THE PAST

Three Arab architects tell Esha Nag that staying rooted to the past makes good business sense when it comes to building the future

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VERNACULAR ARCHITECTU­RE

Farid Esmaeil, one of Dubai’s few internatio­nally acclaimed homegrown architects from the American University of Sharjah, believes that there is a lot to be learnt from regional Arabian architectu­re that is largely influenced by desert conditions, and cultural and regional values. Born in Kuwait, Farid grew up in Dubai and cofounded X-Architects in 2003. Since then, through his diverse portfolio of award-winning projects that range from masterplan­s to civic and cultural buildings to offices and private homes, he has tried to be contextual, responding to the physical environmen­t and cultural aspect of the place where he is working. “There is a lot to learn from vernacular architectu­re, from Arabian architectu­re. It has taken people in this region thousands of years to develop these survival techniques that has helped them to live in the harsh environmen­t. Sometimes we forget about the past and bring in ideas from other parts of the world and superimpos­e it here.” Farid has learnt from tradition and he has learnt from modernism. “I try and design buildings that talk to the surroundin­gs. They have an identity and sense of belonging to the place where they belong. We learn from our region,” he explains. The old areas of Dubai, Farid believes, have good examples of Arabian architectu­re. “We don’t have to copy the style but we can definitely learn from it,” he says. For him a glass box with a solar panel in the desert is a parachute idea that is certainly not cool.

Growing up in the UAE, Farid drew a lot of his inspiratio­n from the buildings in old Dubai that are built closer together to create shading over the narrow lanes that separate them, the winding alleys that create a natural-form of air conditioni­ng, the thick walls and small windows that insulate the homes from the sun, and the wind towers and central courtyards.”

Several of the projects of X Architects -- be it the Wasit Natural Reserve Visitor Centre in Sharjah that blends with its surroundin­gs (once a waste water and rubbish dump, the site was rehabilita­ted and now serves as a breeding ground for various migratory birds) or the restoratio­n, interventi­on and conservati­on of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa House Project (SMBKH) in Al Ain or even the Welcome Pavilion in Shindaga (that uses traditiona­l

‘‘Sometimes we forget about the past and bring in ideas from other parts of the world and superimpos­e it here in the desert.’’

materials and an open plan design) and the Floating Trees urban sculpture in Abu Dhabi (that uses a cloud of 100 Ghaf trees) -- are all culturally robust, place sensitive and environmen­tally friendly.

Even in his design of residentia­l villas for local Emirati clients, Farid has been inspired by social and cultural values of the region. He says, “We designed a Villa for Four Ladies that was planned on the fundamenta­l cultural elements from Emirati life. The villa provided a level of separation required between men and women in Arab society. Planned for a mother and her three daughters, the women had a control of the level of privacy between the private and public spaces. And the courtyard in the villa, again an element from Arabian architectu­re, acted as a cultural separation between these spaces.”

According to Farid, recipient of several internatio­nal awards and a speaker at TEDx in Abu Dhabi, Harvard University, and University of Toronto, among many world renowned institutio­ns, Dubai blends in the traditiona­l with the contempora­ry, ensuring that the UAE holds on to its national identity while becoming internatio­nally renowned for its modern visionary architectu­re. “Growing up in Dubai I was hugely influenced by how progressiv­e the place is and that’s precisely its identity. The continuous change is a unique quality of Dubai. You cannot really define a specific look or feel or a specific design language of the city. Every corner of the city has something different to offer. The apartments with their deep balconies in Deira, the old villas in and around Al Fahidi, the iconic World Trade Centre on Sheikh Zayed Road, the Madinat Jumeirah, they all have their own character. They all have their own identity and that’s what makes the city special.”

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 ??  ?? CENTRE: Villa for Four Ladies takes cultural elements from Emirati living. TOP RIGHT: The Floating Trees Urban Sculpture BELOW: The visitor’s gallery at the Wasit Natural Reserve.
CENTRE: Villa for Four Ladies takes cultural elements from Emirati living. TOP RIGHT: The Floating Trees Urban Sculpture BELOW: The visitor’s gallery at the Wasit Natural Reserve.
 ??  ?? The Wasit Natural Reserve Visitor Centre is built on a rehabilita­ted wetland ecosystem in Sharjah.
The Wasit Natural Reserve Visitor Centre is built on a rehabilita­ted wetland ecosystem in Sharjah.
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