The 15th International Architecture Exhibition / Venice Biennale opens on 28 May and will for the second time only feature the UAE...
The 15th International Architecture Exhibition / Venice Biennale opens on 28 May and will for the second time only feature the UAE.
‘Transformations: The Emirati National House,’ an exhibition curated by Yasser Elsheshtawy, associate professor of architecture at the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, will explore the transformative aspect of the Emirati National housing model, known as sha’abi (folk) houses and how its standardized model was adapted by residents to individualize their homes, thus reflecting their culture and lifestyles.
Yasser presented the forthcoming exhibition as part of Design Days Dubai 2016’s public programme. The essay below, first printed in Design Days Dubai’s fair guide, accompanied the talk and gives further background on these Emirati home which have become an important component of the UAE’s built environment.
Transforming the Emirati National House: Moving beyond the spectacle
By Yasser Elseshtawy
The United Arab Emirates’ urban centers are known for their gleaming skylines, spectacular architecture and iconic buildings. They are evidence of a rapidly urbanizing society and representative of a country that is looking confidently towards the future. Yet if one steps away from these visible signs of modernity and explores the traditional residential neighborhoods of its cities — also known as Sha’abiya (or Folk) — located at the fringes of urban centers, a very interesting architectural experiment can be observed.
The National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates at the upcoming 15th International Architecture Exhibition at the 2016 Venice Biennale aims to highlight the case of the Emirati Sha’abi House. The theme responds to the call by the Architecture Exhibition’s Director for 2016, Alejandro Aravena, who titled the upcoming edition of the Architecture Exhibition “Reporting from the Front.” A Chilean architect and recent Pritzker prize winner, Aravena asked national pavilions to show how the built environment can improve people’s quality of life. In many ways, the theme of the National Pavilion UAE is also a reflection of the architect’s own practice, Elemental; one of his well known projects is a low-income housing development in Chile, comprised of half-finished houses, which allows residents to fill in the remaining parts at their own pace.
Sha’abiya neighborhoods were planned in the early 1970s to house what was then a fairly transient population living in traditional houses made of Arish (palm leaves) or tents. In order to provide them with modern amenities and a higher standard of living, architects and local decision makers developed a housing model that was based on a courtyard typology, composed of a series of rooms overlooking a courtyard within a square shaped plan. This came to be known as the Sha’abi or Folk house, and for many the first time living in a modern home.
Such neighborhoods were planned all over the UAE; the design of houses underwent a series of changes in allocated plot size and detailing, in response to residents’ feedback, while the basic framework remained the same. These houses proved to be highly adaptable, with many residents carrying out alterations to make the basic models more compatible with their changing lifestyles. Such neighborhoods still exist and are occupied by multiple generations of Emirati families. Specific houses show evidence of a cumulative accretion of various architectural elements over the years, representing a transformation from a basic model to a house that has become an important component of the UAE’s built environment vernacular.
“The Sha’abi house has proven to be a perfect example of an architecture that is an expression of local cultures and lifestyles”
Over the years, the Sha’abi house has proven to be a perfect example of an architecture that is an expression of local cultures and lifestyles, modified by its inhabitants. However, this is not a case of architecture without architects, but rather it is through the provision of a flexible model by the initial architects that residents were able to modify these houses to fit their needs. Architects in this case stepped back and did not aim to design a rigid model.
The transformative aspect of this housing model is of particular interest. People moved in and, over the years, modified the template by adding rooms, decorative elements and doorways, or changing color schemes. The extent of change varied from one city and neighborhood to the next, yet the main idea remained: an architecture that people were able to personalize to their need. As a result it became an expression of local culture and lifestyles. The modular, often pre-fabricated, elements of the housing design enabled these accretive changes, and functioned as a blank slate upon which people could project their needs – whether functional or aesthetic. The result is an environment that is both functionally responsive and also visually interesting because it has resulted in architectural variety, a strong counterpoint to the repetitive and dull appearance of many contemporary projects.
Another significant component of the Emirati National House, which distinguishes it architecturally, is the extent of landscaping that dominates many Sha’abi neighborhoods. Given the particular way in which the Sha’abiyat were planned, space was intentionally left in front of these houses for gardening purposes. Residents have planted these spaces extensively, so that many houses have disappeared behind foliage of palm trees and other types of trees. This has humanized the environment and moderated the harsh climate of the UAE, something that lacks in modern housing development, where gardening is limited.
Given the proliferation of more recent housing programs that allocate larger size plots and more lavish buildings, many Emirati residents of Sha’abi houses have opted to move to greener pastures, as it were. At the same time, laws have been somewhat relaxed and changes in ownership structure allowing people to rent out these homes, resulting in an influx of expatriate laborers. However, many of these neighborhoods and houses are still occupied by Emirati families, such as al Maqam in Al Ain. Many long-time residents have refused to move from their homes given the strong attachment and associated memories accumulated over the years. And while newer developments dotting the UAE landscape provide all the necessary amenities, they lack a sense of community and the visual diversity prevailing in the Sha’abi neighborhoods, and various authorities such as the Urban Planning Council in Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority recognize. All have looked to traditional neighborhoods in attempts to extract lessons that would guide contemporary developments.
“A successful example of a socially conscious architecture that is not speculative or iconic”
The Emirati National House, aside from offering insight into a significant aspect of the UAE’s urban and architectural landscape, can also suggest lessons of wider significance. It is a successful example of a socially conscious architecture that is not speculative or iconic. Indeed, provision of decent housing for the disadvantaged is a universal concern and the case of the Emirati Sha’abi house demonstrates an adaptable and flexible typology that responds to the developing needs of residents. Within the context of the UAE and wider Gulf, highlighting such cases moves architectural discourse away from spectacular and iconic architecture to the spaces of the everyday. It shows the ingenuity of its residents.
For many, the built environment of UAE cities is associated with certain clichés of artificiality, ultra-luxurious developments and a consumption-oriented society. Its residents are passive recipients of architectures precluding their input. An environment is thus created based on exclusion and permeated with a sense of transience and anomie. Yet by moving away from these shallow views and engaging in a more substantive manner with its urban environment a different picture emerges. And this is not just in Sha’abi neighborhoods. On the street corners and open spaces of the UAE’s neighborhoods exists an active and vibrant street life; residents in apartment blocks personalize their surroundings, and informal gardens dotting the cities.