A chronological exploration of the evolution of housing typologies in Gulf cities

Adel M Remali,Ashraf M Salama,Florian Wiedmann,Hatem G Ibrahim

doi:10.1186/s40410-016-0043-z

Adel M Remali, Ashraf M Salama + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40410-016-0043-z

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Abstract

This paper traces the evolution of housing typologies in four major cities in the Gulf region, namely Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Manama. The study reviews the formation and historical events in the region, which had a significant impact on new social as well as economic realities and consequently evolving housing types during the last two centuries. The methodological approach is based on reviewing a number of case studies representing local housing typologies throughout distinctive historic periods which were categorized in four periods: the post-nomadic, traditional, modern, and contemporary. The main objective is to identify the process of transformation by applying a comparative assessment of the different periods in order to examine continuities or ruptures between them. Thus, particular layout elements were analysed and compared. Conclusions are drawn to underline contemporary challenges while offering projections for future housing typologies in the selected cities and other similar ones.

Highlights

Housing transformations worldwide are the result of major demographic and socio-economic changes in addition to technological advancements and sociopolitical interventions
It is argued that the community itself and its particular environmental conditions are the producers of housing typologies, which have usually led to a high degree of continuity of architectural styles and representation in spite of a high level of individuality due to missing construction standards
The evaluated post-nomadic and traditional models in all four Gulf cities exhibited a high level of synergies between socio-cultural practices and spatial configuration

Summary

Introduction

Housing transformations worldwide are the result of major demographic and socio-economic changes in addition to technological advancements and sociopolitical interventions. The four periods of settlement development in the Gulf The review of historical events in the region (Fig. 2), which had a significant impact on new social as well as economic realities, enables an understanding of various historic eras that can be classified into four periods as follows:

Results

Conclusion