Socio-Cultural Aspects of the Public Buildings Design in the Republic of Yemen

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problems of the formation of public buildings in the Republic of Yemen at the present stage. North Yemen has been isolated from global development for many years, which has affected the organization of public infrastructure serving the population. Yemen has a widespread traditional way of life, which has been formed in the country for thousands of years, but in recent decades it has begun to change as a result of cultural interaction with other countries of the world. The article hypothesizes that the formation of public buildings is influenced by the socio-cultural characteristics of the dominant user group. To confirm this hypothesis, an analysis of models of the organization of public life of the population of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is divided into three main groups: the indigenous population of the city, Yemenis who came from other cities and settlements, as well as emigrants – foreign citizens from other countries. The socio-urban planning analysis of Sanaa showed the predominant areas of residence of these population groups, in which the analysis of the features of the functional and spatial organization of public infrastructure was carried out. Objects with functions related to immutable types of activities related to the life support of the population (education, healthcare, consumer services, trade) and objects with leisure functions (cultural, sports and recreation, tourism) are considered. The revealed patterns between the characteristics of a population group and the corresponding functional and spatial solutions of public infrastructure facilities are the result of the article and can be used to more effectively develop new types of public buildings for various districts of Sanaa.