Visual Continuity of Traditional Vocabulary in contemporary urban Development Projects

Abstract

The sustainability of the individual and society get great interest in contemporary studies,Considering the rebuilding of the society cultural values as the most important goals, whichprompted many researchers to explore ways and social elements of sustainability and the mostimportant urban and architectural vocabulary achieving it, thus, the search will be directedtowards the human being within the social dimensions of sustainability, his belonging andawareness of identity through the employment of local heritage in the contemporary product.The literatures confirmed the continuity of heritage vocabulary in the contemporary product, accordingly the research problem was defined as: "The visual continuity of the heritage vocabulary in achieving social sustainability".To deal with the research problem a theoretical framework was built for the concept of continuity in general, and visual continuity, in particular, and the application of concluded theoretical framework in a contemporary urban projects adopted the heritage vocabulary and expressed sustainable social identity, the results of the analysis showed that the visual continuity of traditional vocabulary achieved At highest level in the continuity of the surfaces organization in terms of optical properties and elevations treatments, and the continuity of formal relations in terms of scale and proportion, when ever the continuity of the local architectural style appears in the heritage formal elements.