In a lecture held in the Asharqia Chamber
Specialist: New concepts seek to reconcile with traditional elements of Saudi housing
An expert in the real estate development field confirmed that new concepts and terms have entered the identity of contemporary Saudi housing, such as the humanization of cities, which aims to develop urban elements to comply with Saudi principles and culture, such as generosity and privacy.
The founding CEO of Space Studio Engineering Consulting, Engineer Yazid bin Abdulaziz Al-Mutawa, said in a lecture organized by the Contracting Committee of the Asharqia Chamber on Tuesday, September 20/2022, entitled “The New Identity of the Saudi Housing,” that “the identity is a series of sequential processes that stem from ourselves and our environment, It is affected by the traditions and customs prevailing in that environment, and it is dynamic in that it changes over time, and it is not a tangible thing, but rather is linked to the impact of civilization through the ages.
He pointed out that identity is not linked to self-awareness, we evaluate others and put them in a particular image. However, they do not seek to be in that image, so we find our identity through our understanding of ourselves and our environment, and any attempt to shorten this development is an attempt to fabricate or fabricate identity.
In this regard, he points out that the oil boom may have changed the materials used and the housing construction methods and the size of the house, and the space available in it, but the population's principles have not changed. To this day, the Saudi house is concerned with and appreciates the same principles. That is why we are trying to understand the ancient architectural elements and how they reflect the inherent principles so that we can revive these elements in our present time and in a manner appropriate to the current development of Saudi architecture.
Despite many attempts to adapt, Al-Mutawa believes that the contemporary Saudi house differs from the traditional house in that it no longer shows the traditional architectural elements in its design, so these elements are no longer suitable for the current time and place. On the other hand, he adhered to fundamental principles such as privacy and generosity, and we began to witness the birth of modern architectural elements that express the spirit of the age we are witnessing.
entity remained, and the real estate developers embraced it, and the Ministry of Housing interacted with it well with the growing demand for housing. The Ministry of Housing has only been the legislator and regulator of the market. In the past, the only available residential product was the family home, while at present residential products have diversified and previously unknown products have emerged in the Saudi market such as: "Town House: One Family Small Independent Home, Lippent House: One Family Apartment with Outdoor Space, Horizontal Housing: Multi-role units with common services such as health club and others.
The lecturer touched on several projects that are new to the Saudi market, including The Line project, a Saudi project for a series of interconnected cognitive systems, enhanced by artificial intelligence, free of carbon emissions, planned to be built in NEOM. Prince Mohammed bin Salman Non-Profit City is the first non-profit city in the world. The city's master plan embodies a human-centered, advanced digital metropolis, and the city is designed to be sustainable and pedestrian-friendly.
He referred to the King Salman Urban Charter, which aims to introduce the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Omrani, which is based on originality as the core of creativity, and on enhancing flexibility capable of interacting with the new, in addition to creating a national methodology that seeks to achieve urban excellence and improve the quality of life for all individuals. society by creating urban environments based on cultural and environmental heritage, and simulating future developments
