Is the Gulf facing an identity crisis?

TRACE's Suhail Thabet is worried that Gulf nationals may lack cultural and historical ties to the buildings being constructed in their countries.

When Yemeni architect Suhail Thabet returned from the UK to create Dubai’s TRACE Design Studios in 2007-08, he found a region in crisis.

Modernist architecture, he explained, was such a powerful movement and made such a strong statement in its heyday that what followed - namely postmodernism - left the industry with a void from which emerged an industry-wide identity crisis.

According to Thabet, that crisis is particularly evident in the developing world. “The crisis manifested itself in several ways, one of which was the International Style, which was all about the blind exportation of architectural design. All of this has resulted in what I like to call the ‘McDonaldisation’ of architecture.”

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Thabet’s concern, however, is not merely a criticism of the industry and the way in which Middle Eastern cities are looking more and more like Western ones. His concern is the psychological effect of creating buildings and spaces to which the region’s nationals aspire, yet with which they have no cultural or historical ties.  

“Glass buildings and skyscrapers have come to mean modernisation and, as such, [Gulf nationals] aspire to attain the symbols that have been portrayed to them,” explained Thabet. “This can be quite detrimental to the people of the region and their sense of identity and sense of place.”

While he admits that many architects and designers see the identity crisis as a form of sociological change which is natural and inevitable, Thabet’s strategy is to try to manage that change and readdress the balance between globalization and identity. And, he’s quick to point out, TRACE isn’t the only design studio looking closely at the problem. 

“In this region, there are good examples of designers managing that change,” said Thabet. “But the vast majority is a really poor collection of architects using eclectic and superficial notions, such as the mashrabiya approach, the overuse of wind towers and the indiscriminate application of Islamic patterns.” 

It stands to reason that most architects design according to the needs of the client and the end-user but TRACE considers a third element in the design process. “We try to address the needs of the person walking around the building; the voyeur,” explained Thabet. “What does the building mean to the person walking by it everyday on the way to the metro? Does it give them a sense of place? Does it contribute to their identity? It’s very important to consider the people that walk, drive or live around these buildings.”

Jeff Roberts is the editor of Middle East Architect. Check out the July issue for the full story on how TRACE Design Studios manages the globalisation/identity conundrum.
 

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