Issue edited by Kevin Mitchell and George Katodrytis
At the end of the 20th century, Dubai attracted international media attention as the world sought to make sense of the city’s extraordinary growth. Exuberant projects such as the Burj Arab, the Burj Khalifa and the Palm Islands attracted investment in dreams to transform the region. While the global financial crisis kept dreams from becoming reality, this issue of AD seeks to present a view of architecture and urbanism in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other states in the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at a time when greater economic stability promises new beginnings. The issue presents examples of architecture that transcends preoccupation with fabricating images, and traces the process of making contemporary Gulf cities, from material tectonics to large-scale masterplans. By presenting the architecture of UAE and the Gulf within the context of broader regional developments and global trends, it highlights how projects in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have contributed to unprecedented urban growth, while emphasising the continuing environmental challenges of building in the region. In addition to highlighting various sustainable initiatives intended to counteract these challenges, the issue also explores how computational design and new technologies are being innovatively employed to mitigate the impact of arid climates. Contributors include: Ameena Ahmadi, Kelly Hutzell, Varkki Pallathucheril, Todd Reisz, Rami el Samahy, Terri Meyer Boake, Jeffrey Willis. International architects: Foster + Partners, Frank Gehry, HOK, IM Pei, Legoretta + Legoretta, Jean Nouvelle, Reiser + Umemoto, Allies and Morrison. Regional architects: AGi (Kuwait), DXB.lab (UAE), X Architects (UAE).
Sections
Museums, Education, Urban and Architectural Typologies, The High Rise, Urban Plans, Sustainable Initiatives, Emerging Practices
Contributors
Sarina Wakefield, Mona El Mousfi, Sharmeen Syed, Ameena Ahmadi, Terri Boake, Ahmad Abdelrazaq, Steven Velegrinis, Rami Samahy, Kelly Hutzell, Adam Himes, Varkki Pallathucheril, Todd Reisz, Malcolm Smith, Robert Cooke, Jeffrey Willis, Kevin Mitchell, George Katodrytis
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial 05 Helen Castle About the Guest Editors 06 George Katodrytis and Kevin Mitchell Introduction: The Gulf Urbanisation 08 George Katodrytis and Kevin Mitchell Museum Development in the Gulf: Narrative and Architecture 20 Sarina Wakefield Cultural Exchange and Urban Appropriation: Space for Art in Sharjah s Historical Centre 26 Mona El Mousfy and Sharmeen Syed Design for the Future: Educational Institutions in the Gulf 38 Kevin Mitchell A City for Education 46 Ameena Ahmadi The Evolution of Tall Building in the Gulf 54: From the Sensational to the sensitive 54 Terri Meyer Boake Drawing on Sand: Cities in the Making 72 Steven Velegrinis and George Katodrytis Inexhaustible Ambition: Two Eras of Planning in Doha, Qatar 80 Kelly Hutzell, Rami el Samahy and Adam Himes New Hearts for Two Gulf Cities 92 Varkki Pallathucheril Future Flyovers: Duba in 1971 100 Todd Reisz Urban and Architectural Sustainability in the Gulf 106 Robert Cooke Fast Forwards: 10 Years of Sustainable Initiatives in the Gulf Region 114 Jeffrey Willis Performative Urbanism: An Emerging Model of the Gulf 120 George Katodrytis The Struggle for Integrity: Emerging Local Practices in the Gulf 128 George Katodrytis and Kevin Mitchell Counterpoint A Field of Possibilities: The Post-Oil Future and Bahrain 136 Noura al Sayeh Contributors 142
