MABNAI & Fiker Institute Host Research Symposium on Arab Architects & Modernist Movements

On April 20, 2024, Fiker Institute and MABNAI, a Dubai-based non-governmental educational platform that documents, analyzes, engages, and discusses the fast growth of built cities in the Gulf and the wider Middle East region, hosted a research symposium titled “Escaping Uniformity: Arab Architects & Modernist Movements” that took place at Fiker Institute’s Library.

The symposium gathered a range of speakers who discussed the historical theoretical framework employed by Arab architects and practitioners and those involved in the field of design in the Arab World. Attended by architects, academics, practitioners, and policymakers, the symposium also examined the architectural works that represent critical approaches to the built environment in the region and highlighted key historical practitioners.

Each of the participating speakers discussed separately how practitioners from the region began to slowly free themselves from the traditional constraints in architecture, while on the other hand, proponents of tradition maintained the vernacular materials, ornamentation, and social considerations of form.

Speakers highlighted that the presence of these two sides of the debate created in some cases a mixed model of modern Arab architecture that displayed concrete-based structures with cultural ornamentations.

Kicking off the research dialogue, Professor Kevin Mitchell offered a brief overview of modern architecture in the region, with a session titled “Translations and Transformations: A Glimpse of Modern Arab Architecture.” Professor Faysal Tabbarah’s session was titled “A Goodly River Runneth: Damascene Imaginaries,” followed by Fatima Alsuwaidi’s presentation of her research on mapping Dubai’s modern architecture. Nawaf bin Ayyaf and Alamira Reem Al Hashimi both concluded the symposium by with two sessions titled “Hassan Fathy: Prototype House Project in Diriyah” and “From Cairo to the Gulf: Abdelrahman Makhlouf’s Legacy in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi”, respectively.

Overall, rather than assuming a definitive position, the research symposium aimed to explore historical and theoretical structures, examine manifestations, highlight the work of key Arab practitioners, and enrich discourse by facilitating meaningful conversations.