Identity in Architecture - Research Paper Example

Identity in Architecture Proposal Architecture has been instrumental in various set-ups in the world. Different religious groups, communities, and societies base their identity on a specific architectural work. It means that each community or religious group, as well as other outfits has distinct architectural designs that it identifies with. This paper therefore analyses the architectural works of Egypt and Dubai. The works are discussed and explored in the paper. By reviewing the different architectural works in the two nations, this paper aims at identifying different factors that influence architectural development in the selected societies. It does that by making a comparative examination of the present and past nature of the developments. To begin with, this paper asserts that religious beliefs and societal norms of a community play a significant in the determination of its architectural identity. In view of that, the paper demonstrates that many architects are concerned with the preservation of cultures and societal norms. Many architects base their thinking on that. Second, the paper discusses the effects of globalization on the deterioration of the traditional or ancient architectural values. By so doing, it talks of tradition against modernity. It outlines the technological enhancements that have been experienced in the different parts of the world, especially in the field of architecture. Also, the essay illustrates the various roles played by socio-economic and political seclusion in architecture. To explain that, Dubai and Egypt have been used as case studies within the paper. Finally, the paper asserts that architecture is likely to experience many revolutions in the future. It means that time is the determinant to the technological enhancements that will be experienced in that field soon. In conclusion, this paper underscores the importance of architecture in socio-economic development as well as preservation of cultures and tourism for a country. Identity in Architecture Introduction Ancient Egypt is regarded as the prime center of civilization. That is a role that the Egyptian land continues to hold in present-day Africa. Indeed, the history of the Egyptian land is immensely rich. It receives wide coverage in historical books including the Bible and the Quran. Through a critical review, it is evident that the value of the Nile River to the ancient Egyptian setup was immeasurable (Arnold, 2003). The land has been credited for its ancient architectural prowess, with many fascinating architectural works whose scientific foundations remain in a dilemma. Presently, Egypt stands tall as an economic hub in Africa. It is a land full of civilization despite the many political and social challenges it experienced in the recent past. On the other hand, Dubai has made immeasurable progress and remains one of the cities that vocally promote integration of traditional and modern architecture. Indeed, it attempts to create classic outfits and attractive environmental setups. As it does that, it gives more emphasis to the preservation of traditional values. In this case, the architectural developments in Egypt and Dubai are explored. When doing so, specific focus is directed towards the modern and traditional perspectives in the two localities. Architectural Developments in Egypt The Egyptian architectural setup remains one of the most influential across the globe eliciting imitation in many parts of the world. The traditional setup composes of diverse structures ranging from the pyramids to the sophisticated mosques, the Nile monuments and the Sphinx of Giza (Arnold, 2003). Such works have made majority of people to consider Egypt as the center of civilization in olden days. The ancient Egyptian architectural setup made prompt use of readily available materials for construction activities like many other ancient localities. As such, wood, mud-bricks baked in the sun, limestone, granite and sandstone were some of the materials that were used for construction works. While stone was widely used for construction works in pre-dynasty era, kingdoms later reserved stones for construction of tombs and temples. On the other hand, bricks were mainly reserved for construction of royal palaces and fortresses and town walls. In addition, the core of the pyramids was constructed using stones (Dieter & Byron, 2015). To manifest social segregation within the society, mud houses were associated with low income earners, mainly collected from River Nile, which was the life-stream of the Egyptian kingdom. Notably, a review of current systems shows that some of the ancient structures are slowly losing their physical appeal, with new architectural outfits replacing old ones (Arnold, 2003). Like any other ancient outfits, it is apparent that religion played an important role in defining the architecture of Egypt. For instance, the Islamic religion informed the construction of thick slopping walls with openings. Such openings were aimed at preventing the collapse that could result from strong winds. Moreover, roofs were constructed in flat formats to withstand the strong wind. Besides, such roofs were made of stone supported by columns to prevent the collapse (Dieter & Byron, 2015). The temples remained very important in Egyptian set-ups. They were constructed relative to important astronomical events, such as equinoxes and solstices. In many cases, the Pharaohs would personally oversee such constructions. The pyramids were a special component of Egyptian architectural history, housing the tombs of the supreme leaders of the land. Evidently, such constructions were made in the outskirts of Cairo in the Giza plateau (Dieter & Byron, 2015). Those pyramids have held onto their place as ideal tourist attractions, and are perceived to have been built in the fourth dynasty. They were mainly built to provide a decent place for burying the Egyptian leaders, and were also seen as an ideal way of making permanent marks of the generations. Indeed, their very presence was indicative of well-endowed engineers in Egypt during the old era (Dieter & Byron, 2015). The permanent mark left by the pyramids has seen them considered as among the Seven Wonders of the World. In some of the pyramids are ancient writings, which have effectively preserved primordial history. Moreover, some of the pyramids writings were a preservation of ancient religious beliefs (Dieter & Byron, 2015). The interior of the pyramids have many confusing tunnels .That is viewed as an ideal way of preventing theft of corpses and other materials that might have accompanied the buried bodies (Dieter & Byron, 2015). Sustainability of architectural works is dependent on economic capacity of the people. In that respect, the economic strain that engulfed the Egyptian land led to the eventual stoppage of building of the pyramids. Besides, the construction works were highly dependent on slave labor. As such, lack of cheap labor led to unsustainable construction works (Dieter & Byron, 2015). Fast forward, Egyptian architecture is changing. Cairo undoubtedly remains one of the two prime centers harboring Islamic architectural collections, with several religious monuments manifesting its historical past. Undoubtedly, such ancient works were deeply rooted within the hearts of the people (Arnold, 2003). A review of the current setups reveals a changing scenario in the architectural setup with modernity-oriented structures taking over as opposed to the people-focused. In the view of many critiques, Egypt is slowly abandoning its old framework which defined its success, resulting in the up rise of slums across the desert. Architectural Developments in Dubai It is quite clear that the location of the city of Dubai was rather strategic. It acted as a great propellant to its traditional and modern architectural developments. Notably, the city is constructed at the tip of the Persian Gulf. That is a locality with a plenty supply of fresh water. Basically, three factors are involved in the direction of traditional architecture in Dubai. They include; the people’s religion, social interaction from people of diverse origins, and the prevailing arid climatic conditions (Karim, 2015). Further, the city’s locality was along an ancient caravan route. It is a route that has since informed the economic orientation of Dubai. Culturally, Dubai is intensely diverse. In fact, it can be argued to be the most diverse town in the United Arab Emirates. Such cultural diversity is integral in architectural perspectives. It brings into unity several architectural setups that lead to creation of unimaginable man- made features (Karim, 2015). Indeed that rich history of cultural inclusivity remains vital to the city’s progress to date. As many will agree, the development of sophisticated constructions requires transportation of materials. In an ancient age devoid of elaborate road mechanisms for transporting construction materials, the sea provided an ideal route for transfer of the supplies that were used in construction of the ancient city of Dubai. By indications, many immigrant populations in the city used to transport raw materials from their home countries via ships to promote their construction projects in the city, which exhibited early signs of future stardom. It was an opportunity to seize a place in the history of the country so as to enjoy the future benefits. Behind virtually all architectural developments is the influence of an affiliated faith. Looking at Dubai, there is little doubt Islam has posed immense influence on the city’s construction projects. According to Karim, (2015), Islam believes in simplicity and durability. Moreover, Islamic faith advises for sustainable environmental protection and social inclusivity. In this sense, the present day existence of the traditional structures affirms that they were built on a founding principle of durability. The location of the area in a rather desert- like environment has encouraged preservation of environment to prevent further deterioration of the harsh weather (Karim, 2015). Looking into many traditional architectural works, it openly comes out that their alignment to the local climate was a great factor of consideration by the constructors. For instance, the courtyard houses are not only a manifestation of Islamic architecture, but a direction towards the commitment of locals towards creating sustainable environment friendly structures. Another mesmerizing structural outfit was the wind towers. These were aimed at trapping air and using the it to ventilate the lower sections. Looking into current and traditional city of Dubai, one factor is notable; the closeness of buildings. Many may wonder what informs such a decision to make buildings too close. Through critical analyses, however, it is seen that such construction methodology was in response to prevailing climatic conditions. The closeness was aimed at creating narrow alleys which would increase the wind velocity (Karim, 2015). With the increase in wind velocity, a cooling effect is imposed on the pedestrians, thus relatively protecting them from the harsh hot environmental conditions. Focusing on the design of the courtyard structure, it is notable that the rooms are constructed with their verandas facing courtyard. Such construction helps in aiding replacement of hot air with cooler breeze. In attempts to ensure enhanced privacy in traditional constructions, architectural designs adopted zigzag entrance to houses(Karim, 2015). Further, the privacy aspect was enhanced through construction of stone walls aimed at protecting the main gate. This effectively prevented passersby and on lookers from staring in. Moreover, windows were constructed in a strategic way that prevented their complete exposure to the exterior. As earlier stated, the city of Dubai was traditionally located within the route of a trade caravan, a prospect that would later define its very existence. Such intensive trade and social interactions informed technological transfer leading to creation of diverse architectural works across the city (Karim, 2015). For example, the Wind towers that are important part of architectural Dubai are imported from Iran, a neighboring country. Similarly, door structures were a technological adoption from India (Karim, 2015). In more surprising revelations, historical records outline that ancient Dubai was mainly composed of mud houses. This trend of constructing using mud would however change following a fire tragedy which consumed many houses. This led people to adopt more fire resistant materials including gypsum and coral, materials that have since survived as primary construction raw materials to date. These materials, which were considered sophisticated in olden days, were mainly used in urbanized sections of the locality, with mosques, watch towers and other public institutions built using this technology. With increasing globalization, the port of Dubai became a prime destination for many ships and dhows, with import and export trade sky rocketing. At this historical time, the city’s main revenue was pearl trade (Karim, 2015). However, this form of trade experienced a decline leading to slow development of Dubai in the periods between 1930s and 1940s (Karim, 2015). With the discovery of oil in the region, the economy picked and progressed. This led to promotion of architectural projects across the city. While cement was a problem in Dubai, the recovery period saw widespread import of cement from various countries. This led to diminishing in use of gypsum and coral as construction materials (Karim, 2015). Indeed, this phase earmarked a revolution in the construction industry in Dubai. It marked a transition from traditional architecture to modern architecture. It spelled the collapse and out-phasing of traditional architecture. Looking into the structural disparity within traditional Dubai, it is apparent that the locals were committed towards use of available materials. In sections of the locality where there were rocks, stones formed the primary construction material (Karim, 2015). On the other hand, the gaps existent between such traditional stone piles forming the walls were filled with fronds. The roofs were primarily made of palm tree trunks which were abundant in the area (Karim, 2015). This earlier form of stone construction transited into the use of small stones with mud as mortar. Moreover, mixing mud with cow manure and hay was also a technology used in construction works in mountainous regions. The doors of the constructed outfits were made of wood. However, these houses were mainly for accommodation of low income earners in the town. Security was an important factor of consideration in traditional setups, which were prone to instances of war and foreign attack. In this sense, traditional town of Dubai was surrounded by a coral wall to protect it from external invasion (Karim, 2015).Within the town, Fort Al Fahidi was constructed to shelter the locals against wars. Also, it is evident that the traditional town of Dubai was segregated along social classes. This saw the lowly housed in mud houses, while their richer counterparts were housed in coral and gypsum houses. Being a town founded on trade, Dubai began to see mushrooming of banks and trade centers, all of which were constructed using strong materials (Karim, 2015). The streets of the town were also lined with shops constructed of coral and gypsum. Fast forward, things are rapidly changing in Dubai. The architects are finding it increasingly difficult to harmonize the aspects of religious, social and cultural values on one end and the need to remain innovative and focused in line with the millennium development goals on the other hand (Karim, 2015). By all indications, the architects in this Asian city which is the home to the tallest sky liner in the world are choosing to go by the principles of modernity, designing newly ambitious structures each passing day (Karim, 2015). The oil boom has, therefore, seen the structural outfit in Dubai diversified, with many international designs being part of the Arab city. Besides, the modern age has seen renovation works on some traditional outfits and structures. A good example in this case is the renovation works carried out on the Sheikh Saeed Al Makhtoum’s house, which has been converted into a museum. Through these renovation works on various traditional outfits, which have consequently been converted into museums, the city has been able to restore its tradition (Karim, 2015). To this end, many are left wondering what the future holds for architectural works in Dubai. Principally, the city will remain a center of attraction to business persons and tourists. As such, the economy of the city, which is decimally dependent on oil revenues will continue to boom. It is surprising to note that the city has up to 25% of the total number of cranes in the world (Karim, 2015).Some of the most envious structures of current architectural outfit in the city include: Burj Dubai which is the world’s tallest free standing building, The Cloud resort city, The Dubai Hub One and the Zaha Hadid Dancing Towers. Other notable structures include the Opus, the 0-14 tower and the Dubai Reinsurance (Karim, 2015). With more ambitious architectural projects in line, Dubai will definitely continue to be a world architectural hub. Conclusion In view of the above discussion, it is fair to say that architecture is a filled with constant revolution. It is also important to note that technological transfer is important in revolutionizing architectural perspectives in different localities. Moreover, it is wise to outline that the nature of architecture varies from one region to another. Besides, it comes out that while traditional architecture in the two localities was influenced by religion, social orientation and availability of materials, things have changed. Modernity and innovation are central to present age architecture. In addition, competition and globalization are playing their important part in modern architecture. However, it should be appreciated that social classes play important parts in determination of construction materials involved in various architectural projects. Nevertheless, commitment towards protection of tradition has seen renovation of many ancient outfits, which have been transformed into tourist attraction sites. This renovation aspect has been noted in both Egypt and Dubai. In conclusion, architecture in the different localities is a reflection of value and economic capacity of the resident and immigrant populations. References Arnold, D. (2003). The encyclopedia of ancient Egyptian architecture. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. Dieter, A., & Byron, E. (2015). Temples of Ancient Egypt. Cairo:I.B.Tauri```````s. Karim, L. (2015). Modernity and tradition in Dubai architecture. Alshindagah.com. Retrieved from http://www.alshindagah.com/september99/architecture.htm Read More