Middle East: The Latest Architecture and News

For centuries, arid environments have solved the problem of light, privacy, and heat through a statement architectural feature of Islamic and Arab architecture, the mashrabiya. Crafted from geometric patterns traditionally made from short lengths of turned wood, the mashrabiya features lattice-like patterns that form large areas. Traditionally, it was used to catch wind and offer passive cooling in the dry Middle Eastern desert heat. Frequently used on the side street of a built structure, water jars, and basins were placed inside it to activate evaporative cooling. The cool air from the street would pass through the wooden screen, providing air movement for the occupants.

Similar to the Indian jali, the vernacular language also offers a playful experience with daylight while still maintaining a certain degree of privacy. Traced back to Ottoman origins, the perforated screens protected occupants’ from the sun while simultaneously letting daylight through in calculated doses. Although the mashrabiya was a statement in arab and Islamic architecture languages, it wasn’t until 1987 that the archetypal element began appearing with a revised contemporary application.

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Saudi Arabia, a country going through a tremendous transition, is not only changing its skyline but also redefining its identity on a global level. As part of their 2030 Vision serving as the compass, the kingdom is moving toward new developments, aiming to revive culture and diversify the economy. In fact, the capital, Riyadh, is leading the transformation by hosting the 2030 World Expo. Representing the country’s dedication to advancement, several mega projects are taking place and transforming the kingdom's fabric.

Amidst the various projects, many world-renowned firms are working on these mega projects at many different scales. For example, the cultural renaissance is shown through Snøhetta’s Opera House in Diriyah, while the Jeddah Tower is on a trajectory that will overtake the Burj Khalifa. In the meantime, Heatherwick Studio’s conversion of a Jeddah desalination plant into a thriving cultural center showcases their repurposing of industrial spaces. From coastal projects by Foster + Partners to city center skyscrapers that are redefining the skyline, the country is undergoing significant transformations in its built environment.

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Happening between November 7 and 12, Dubai Design Week 2023 brought together over 500 designers, architects, and creative practitioners to explore the relationship between traditional practices and emerging technologies in an effort to create more environmental sustainability and design-led social impact solutions. As one of the most important cultural events in the Middle East, the festival brings forward a wide offering of installations, artworks, and immersive experiences, all exploring important topics of eco-friendly design.

This year’s interventions and installations drew inspiration from the region’s natural ecosystems as well as local traditions and craftsmanship while merging these practices with innovative technologies, biomaterial explorations, and reimagined ways of practicing. Across the interventions, a recurring motif emerges, that of celebrating Middle Eastern heritage and engaging productively with vernacular practices.

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As we understand it today, the sustainable architecture movement began to take shape at the end of the 20^th century. Essentially, it responds to growing concerns about environmental degradation, energy consumption, and resource scarcity. In this global discourse on sustainable architecture, wood has long been celebrated as a symbol of environmental consciousness and decarbonization. As one of the most widespread building materials, it has gained popularity with the rise of this movement. This is because trees absorb carbon dioxide during their growth, which stays in the wood during its construction use, keeping it out of the atmosphere.

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Lebanon is known for its millenary culture, and Lebanese architects are a part of it, using their projects to communicate with the environment and with the current challenges in architecture. To celebrate Lebanon’s Independence Day on 22 November, we have selected seven offices to learn more about contemporary Lebanese architecture.

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Centred around the theme of connection, Japan's Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai unfolds a geometrical 3D lattice inspired by the commonalities of traditional Japanese and Arabic patterns. Designed by Yuko Nagayama and Associates, the project uncovers through different architectural means the cultural similarities between Japan and the Middle East.

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While in a lot of countries around the world, the construction, architecture, engineering, and urban planning sectors, are still reserved for men, initiatives that empower women in these fields are surfacing everywhere around the globe. Playing a huge role in the integration of female power into these disciplines, these movements take on many forms such as organizations, websites, platforms, etc. working with professionals, artisans, and workers.

From providing skills, connecting outstanding females, ensuring exposure, and promoting the works of pioneers, these initiatives have the common purpose of encouraging women to have an impact on their built environment.

The new Palace of Justice in Kuwait by PACE is currently under construction. Al-Diwan Al-Amiri plans for the project to include a 25-story building with 123 courtrooms, as well as both automated and conventional parking for 3000 cars. The Palace is designed to be a "symbol of fairness and integrity" for Kuwait.

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Warchée is an organization that has the purpose of integrating women into the construction field. Born from the observation that in a rapidly urbanizing world, particularly in the Middle East, women are still excluded from certain professions, the NGO, founded by Anastasia Elrouss, aims to create an all-inclusive and evolving world.