NEWS, DATA, ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC INSIGHTS FOR ARCHITECTS IN THE GCC MAY 2019 / VOLUME 13 / ISSUE 05 INTERVIEW Meet Lebanese architect Fouad Samara 16 BEYOND VERNACULAR Egyptian architects Rami El Dahan and Soheir Farid share lessons learned from their time with Hassan Fathy 20 PROJECT OAOA designs an offi ce building in Bahrain 32contents VOLUME 13 ISSUE 05 MAY 2019 EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTS WHO WORKED WITH HASSAN FATHY DISCUSS WORKING WITH VERNACULAR FORMS 12 Industry Insights 20 Rami El Dahan & Soheir Farid 26 Special Report Get the latest in industry news from the Middle East and North Africa The architects behind Dubai’s Ismaili Centre discuss their work process Check out our special report on residential developments in the UAE MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM CONTENTS / 312 INSIGHT This issue introduces Dubai-based Egyp- tian architect Noha Jaheen, who speaks about her new prac- tice. We also explore a cultural concept design in Kuwait Download the App KEEP UP-TO-DATE For all the latest news check out www. middleeastarchitect. com SUBSCRIBE: www.itp.com/subscriptions 14 26 08 NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Get the latest news from the region’s industry, including business updates and recent architectural competitions 20 COVER STORY Meet Egyptian archi- tects Rami El Dahan and Soheir Farid, the husband-and-wife duo behind Dubai’s Ismaili Centre. The two recount their 10 years of working with the late modernist archi- tect Hassan Fathy, and what they’ve been doing since 16 INTERVIEW MEA speaks to Leba- nese architect Fouad Samara, founder of his Beirut-based namesake studio about his practice’s work, his published research on Brutal architecture, and the state of development in Lebanon 16 26 SPECIAL REPORT This month’s special report focuses on residential develop- ments in the UAE. With multiple archi- tects confirming the market’s oversupply, industry profession- als discuss what they envision to be the next step forward 32 PROJECTS This issue introduces two new projects from Bahrain and the UAE. The first, Big Box, is designed by the UK- based practice OAOA, while the second, Fountain Views, was recently completed by Dewan Architects + Engineers MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 4 / CONTENTS 2019 For sponsorship enquiries:For nomination enquiries:For event enquiries:For table booking enquiries: David Bentley Sales Manager Tel: +971 4 444 3396 Mob: +971 50 454 1321 Email: david.bentley@itp.com Rima Al Sammarae Editor, Middle East Architect Tel: +971 4 444 3255 Email: rima.alsammarae@itp.com Teri Dunstan Events Manager Tel: +971 4 444 3227 E-mail: teri.dunstan@itp.com Lacie Curtis Table Sales Executive Tel: +971 4 444 3223 Email: lacie.curtis@itp.com GOLD SPONSOR CATEGORY SPONSORS SAVE THE DATE WEDNESDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 2019 #MEA Do not miss the celebration of the year for the region’s architecture sector at the 13th annual Middle East Architect Awards. www.middleeastarchitect.com/awards Visit www.middleeastarchitect.com/awards for more information or contact one of our team today.PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 Web: www.itp.com Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, London & Mumbai ITP MEDIA GROUP CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Alex Reeve Group Publishing Director Ian Stokes Editorial Director Greg Wilson EDITORIAL Editor Rima Alsammarae Tel: +971 4 444 3255 email: rima.alsammarae@itp.com Digital Editor Aidan Imanova Tel: +971 4 444 3497 email: aidan.imanova@itp.com Published by and © 2019 ITP MEDIA GROUP FZ-LLC ADVERTISING Sales Manager David Bentley Tel: +971 4 444 3396 email: david.bentley@itp.com ITP DIGITAL Advertising Director Riad Raad Tel: +971 4 444 3319 email: riad.raad@itp.com ITP LIVE General Manager Ahmad Bashour Tel: +971 4 444 3549 email:ahmad.bashour@itp.com PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Rajesh Raghav, Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Ajith Narendra, Fritz John Asuro, Yuliya Petrovich, Jessica Samson PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Basel Al Kassem Production Coordinator Imad Aad CIRCULATION Director of Conferences, Circulation & Data Michael McGill Head of Circulation Vanessa D’Souza MARKETING Director of Awards & Marketing Daniel Fewtrell ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies Subscribe online at www.itp.com/ subscriptions The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Last month, I spoke with Jordanian archi- tect Omar Al Omari, founder of the Lon- don-based OAOA practice, which recently wrapped up the design of an office project in Bahrain (pg 32). In conversation, Omari stated that archi- tecture in the GCC has “lost its direction” due to recent hyper-development currently occuring across the region. “If I can generalise and group the build- ings into three categories, the overwhelm- ing majority aim to maximise area with very low construction cost and no allowance for design,” he added. “So the buildings end up bulky, repetitive and lacking character. “Some attempt to give a local flavour and the successful ones are commendable. However, if the traditional elements are ap- plied incorrectly, such as outside of their intended scale, function and context, then they tend to appear pastiche and ‘decora- tive’. Other buildings are contemporary, and there are a few good and forward- thinking examples, such as the Four Seasons in Bahrain Bay and the Bahrain National Theatre.” Omari also noted that, particularly in Bahrain, traditional buildings dem- onstrate the country’s strong cultural routes and its rich history as a pearling harbour. Built from mud and coral and featuring distinct vernacular architec- ture, many of these examples are pre- served in Muharraq, the country’s old capital. Such buildings reflect an era long gone – one that was marked by architects vying to create purposeful impact by serving their communities and reflecting their heritages. Omari isn’t the first architect to make such comments. Iraqi architect, author and artist Maath Alousi also shared his opinion on the rise of what he termed the ‘uneducated architect’. Is architecture in the region losing sight of what it means to be purposeful? Losing sight? RIMA ALSAMMARAE Editor of Middle East Architect EDITOR’S COMMENT MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 6 / COMMENT“A student once approached me and asked if I thought he would become a good architect,” Alousi said. “I said, ‘How can I know? Only you can determine that. But, I will ask you one thing: do you read?’ And he responded by telling me he did not, and in fact, he had never been to a library. Imagine. He isn’t the only one – today, nobody writes and nobody reads, and the end result is an uneducat- ed architect who visually pollutes due to complete ignorance.” While Alousi attributed this to the “misuse of the Internet” and the ability for people to now gather information so immediately and without developing indepth understandings, he’s also from a time when it was common for architects to conduct research and write architec- tural theory. His contemporaries such as Rifat Chadirji wrote ‘Concepts and Influences’, while Mohamed Makiya penned several Arabic-language books. Alousi, who himself has written several publications including ‘Visual Diary of an Arab Architect’, and his peers pro- duced work that was not only seen, but also read and studied. Alousi and Omari are, of course, from different generations and they attribute what they consider the decline of archi- tectural quality in the region to differ- ent causes, but it is interesting to note that the quality of architecture today in the GCC and greater Middle East has seemingly worsened to industry professionals. There are many architects today who still work with the same level of aware- ness, motive and quality as revered architects of the past, such as Fouad Samara. While the Lebanese architect, academic and founder of his namesake studio, addresses his concerns about development in his home country dur- ing our interview, he also represents a pool of architects in the Middle East who contribute to architectural dis- course in the region. Read more in his interview (pg 16). MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM COMMENT / 7 Big Box in Bahrain, by Omar Al Omari’s firm OAOA (pg 32), which aimed to suit its context and use in- novative technology that responds to the country’s climatic conditions GOT A COMMENT? If you have any comments to make on this month’s issue, please e-mail rima.alsammarae@itp.comArchitecture competition launched to design modern art museum in Sharjah International architecture awards programme Tamayouz Excellence Award, in partnership with the UAE- based Barjeel Art Foundation, has launched the third round of its the- matic Rifat Chadirji Prize, which calls for design proposals for a modern art museum in Sharjah. To be located in Al Tarfa, a newly de- veloped neighbourhood set along the highway connecting Sharjah to Dubai and Ajman, the Barjeel Museum for Modern Arab Art is intended to per- manently showcase the foundation’s extensive collection of modern and contemporary artwork from across the Arab world. “The idea of establishing a build- ing to house the Barjeel collection is something I have been considering for the past decade,” said Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foun- dation and lecturer at the Yale Coun- cil on Middle East Studies. “I started collecting art in 2002 with the intention of making the works availa- ble to the public in one way or another.” According to Al Qassemi, the Shar- jah government gave Barjeel the right of use of land in the emirate to con- struct a museum that would house its collection in 2017 – a move that fol- lowed nearly 10 years of working with various entities, including Shurooq, to showcase temporary and long-term exhibitions. The brief for the competition, which can be found online, calls for partici- pants to design an architectural and cultural landmark that contextualises Sharjah’s history and cultural identity in a contemporary manner. “I am hoping for a modern design that takes into consideration environ- mental concerns,” Al Qassemi added. “I would also like to see something more on a human scale that still has the ability to stand out. It’s important for participants to keep in mind that this is a structure that would poten- tially house a collection of art from across the Arab world.” The 2019 cycle comes in contrast to the award’s previous years. Named after the prolific Iraqi architect and theorist, Rifat Chadirji, the award has, until now, focused on Iraq-related challenges, including the housing cri- sis in Mosul (2017) and the design of a Baghdad Design Centre (2018). And while previous cycles have been idea- tional, this year, Al Qassemi aims to se- cure funds that would make the theme a reality. “I hope that I will be able to raise funds from the UAE and elsewhere to construct the museum,” he said. “A strong design will only add weight to the project and allow us to build a bet- ter case for its realisation.” The winner of the competition will receive a statuette designed by con- temporary Iraqi artist Dia Azzawi, inspired by Chadirji’s architectural forms. Cash prizes will also be given to the first, second and third place win- ners, as well as certificates and invita- tions to the award’s annual ceremony. Sharjah, UAE MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM 8 / NEWS HIGHLIGHTSJordanian architect Ammar Khammash wins Global Award for Sustainable Architecture Jordanian architect and artist Am- mar Khammash is a 2019 laureate of the Global Award for Sustainable Ar- chitecture, along with four other ar- chitects including Dr Werner Sobek, Ersen Gursel, Rozana Montiel and Jorge Lobos. Created by architect and scholar Jana Revedin in 2006, the interna- tional award recognises five architects each year who have contributed to sus- tainable development and created in- novative and participatory approaches to meet societal needs. According to the award’s announce- ment online, Khammash was recog- nised for his dedication to interdisci- plinary scientific research, as well as his artisanal and artistic approaches to architecture. Khammash’s projects include the Wild Jordan Center, the Royal Acade- my for Nature Conservation, the Darat Al Funun workspace and the Columbia University Middle East Research Cent- er in Amman, as well as the Church of the Apostles in Madaba. His approach involves the use of locally-sourced, natural materials to achieve context- relevant designs. “It appears that there is a growing international trend to put architecture back on the track of social and environ- mental responsibilities, and away from being a hostage of powerful visual out- put that publishes well in the media,” he said. “Our philosophy and meth- odology of approach is entirely based on the role of architecture in solving problems, finding creative ways to co- exist with the larger context, which includes society and nature.” Currently finalising two ecolodges in Jordan (one in Yarmouk Reserve and the other on the hot spring of Al Himmeh in Mukhaibeh), Khammash and his team are also working on a number of competitions in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He noted that the award will help him further his ap- proach and convince clients who see things differently. “The recognition from this pres- tigious award will help me change the mentality of clients, politicians and students,” he said, “ensuring that architecture retains some degree of modesty and symbiotic relationship to people and nature, instead of over- whelming, overpowering and out- smarting the very reason we need to build for.” Khammash will be speaking at the award’s symposium, to be held in Paris in May. MIDDLE EAST ARCHITECT / 05.19 / WWW.MIDDLEEASTARCHITECT.COM NEWS HIGHLIGHTS / 9Next >