Reinterpreting Tradition; Hybridization and Vernacular Expression in Emirati Housing

Abstract

Contemporary urbanism and architecture in cities in the United Arab Emirates are becoming more aware of issues such as improving energy consumption and constructing a local identity as mandated in the Abu Dhabi 2030 master plan. Remnants of Emirati heritage is currently being revisited such as the majlis, a space of meeting that was part of local vernacular expression in the UAE, and the liwan, the shaded portico preceding private spaces in the Emirati housing. The majlis provided an autonomous space that retained family privacy by providing a male space on the boundaries of the domestic one. These phenomena are being revived in contemporary architecture signalling their socio-cultural needs that cannot be satisfied by western styled villas. This paper studies contemporary Emirati housing typologies in Abu Dhabi and the emerging hybridization of designs that allow for modifications/cultural expression within their walled boundaries. This research highlights also highlights the re-emergence of the majlis and the liwan as a cultural counter space to the rapid sprawl of modernity in the UAE.