Architecture of the United Arab Emirates
The architecture of the United Arab Emirates has undergone dramatic transformation in recent decades, from operating as a collection of fishing villages to a global business hub known for its innovation and dynamism.
[1] Between the 1960s and 1970s, architecture in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained solely traditional, with narrow alleys and windtower houses still in use,[2] reflective of a strong Bedouin heritage.
[3] In 1959, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai, commissioned British architect John R Harris to create the city's first town plan.
Around the same time as the World Trade Centre was completed, other architects began making more expressive use of exposed glass curtain facades, for example the BCCI bank buildings designed by the British firm Fitzroy Robinson and Partners.
Only a small number of mosques offer any form of ornamentation, reflecting the lack of resources at hand and general reliance on simple but effective structures.
The country saw a major economic boost with transforming into a commodity based economy, with shipments of oil and natural gas accounting for 40% of total exports and 38% of GDP.
[17] In the past two decades, significant effort has been made to diversify the economy and reduce dependency on oil revenues, with huge investments in tourism, financial and construction sectors.
[18] Since the late 1980s, architecture of the United Arab Emirates has become renowned for its urban image, becoming highly westernised but still retaining elements of traditional Emirati culture.
Nonetheless, recent urban and commercial development in all major cities of the UAE continued to be influenced by Islamic architecture, giving these global metropoles a distinct Arabic background.
In designing the building, the lead architect Adrian Smith undertook elements of traditional Islamic architecture, which uses stepped ascending spirals.
[21] This reflected elements of Islamic design while creating a strategic shape to ensure the mass of the building reduces with height, allowing for a stronger and more fortified structure.
The architect claimed that "the client wanted a building that would become a symbolic statement for Dubai, similar to Sydney with its Opera House, London with Big Ben or Paris with the Eiffel Tower.
In 1967, Abu Dhabi's architecture was planned under the guidance of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan by Japanese architect Katsuhiko Takahashi.
[24] In areas of high population density, there is a large amount of medium and high rise buildings, amongst the city’s notable skyscrapers; the Etihad towers, the National Bank of Abu Dhabi headquarters,[25] the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority Tower,[26] the Aldar headquarters and the Emirates Palace, heavily influenced by its Arab heritage.
In contrast to the heavily modernised skyscrapers of the city, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque continues to stand out as one of the most treasured sites of contemporary UAE society.
Its design and construction began in November 1996, aiming to ‘unite the world’, employing artisans and materials from several countries including Germany, Italy, Turkey, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, the UAE, Greece, New Zealand and China.
[31] In less commercialised areas of the United Arab Emirates, there are buildings which appear traditional, including reconstructed barjeel structures, originally from Iran and designed to bring cooler and cleaner air into interiors.
The usage of stone guss, a lime mixture derived from seashells and a chalk and water paste was characteristic of more permanent inland houses.
