Architectural Engineering

The built environment faces many challenges in accommodating multi-cultural diversity and migrating from the suburbs, which led to different places being isolated or neglected. Sub-identities established by a specific group of people become isolated and away from the shared identity that the built environment established for itself. We examine this issue in the Najdi built environment by examining how Najdi locals generated a holistic hierarchical order of specs. This paper argues that the spatial order encouraged locals to develop a shared and agreed mechanism while in parallel, it gave individuals the ability to modify their places without affecting that shared holistic spatial order.

Contemporary built environments experience a vast number of factors due to globalization, which effected and influenced how the built form is generated and used. The relationship between the urban and the building levels is a crucial aspect that needs a thorough investigation to understand how these two levels can integrate and complement the built environment's overall identity. This paper examines the concept of access and its location within the urban fabric and how an access influenced the formation of physical and nonphysical threshold spaces to overcome the number of socio-cultural issues. Space Syntax convex map and justified access graphs were used to understand the connectivity, density, and integration of the access and the threshold space in relation to the overall built form.

The built form contains symbols ("architectural elements") that express embedded meanings about the place and about those to whom the symbols belong. The architectural elements presented in this paper provide evidence for how deeply felt socio-cultural principles were transmitted to tangible physical objects and how those physical objects then embedded socio-cultural meanings to inhabitants. Examining the architectural element from the perspective process of making them helped to identify several concepts and principles that directly influenced the traditional Najdi built environment. The aim is to understand how the aesthetic appearance of the elements characterized the identity of traditional Najd settlements and how these elements contained multiple functions and varied meanings as understood, and as agreed to, by the local inhabitants.

This study examines the traditional Saudi built environment and culture to uncover its rich architecture and to propose a new way of thinking about how to comprehend and value the past while also rebalancing the Kingdom’s fu- ture architectural identity. In that sense, the primary objective of this study is to examine the Core Concepts and Forms of traditional architecture, as well as their cultural connotations, in three regions of Saudi Arabia: the central, eastern, and western regions. Non-participant observation, ethnographic, and descriptive approaches were used in the study, which was based on a mul- ti-dimensional comparative observational model. It was determined that the traditional Saudi built environment relied on forty Core Concepts and Forms that were divided into four categories: constant, semi-constant, semi-flexible, and flexible core forms to regulate the production process and maintain its continuity over centuries.

This research paper traces the evolution of housing typologies in five distinct periods of dwellings in Hail City, Saudi Arabia. The study reviews the formation and historical events of the Hail house by observing the significant changes on the layout, spatial form, and architectural form. The objective is to investigate the embedded socio-cultural and privacy patterns, in conjunction with economic and environmental factors, that influenced the development of housing in Hail City over the last several decades. The methodological approach is based on an ethnographic approach, users’ perception survey, and a review of multiple case studies representing local housing typologies from five distinct historic periods: traditional, transitional traditional, modern, transitional modern, and contemporary. The findings show that specific building policies and laws pertaining to house form, privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality influenced the spatial layout of Hail City dwellings and pla...

he purpose of this paper is to explore and examine Saudi Arabian traditional architecture through the lens of broader Islamic principles, which through history have encouraged the establishment of several types of cities and towns, where each type is known by its functionality and by the way inhabitants planned each settlement. Local Saudi architecture exists in a range of styles, and it is well-known in var- ious Saudi regions. Although there are differences in style, the study contends and discusses that similar generative principles influenced the built space of most Saudi regions. This study made use of the ethno- graphic approach and comparative case studies method to explore, elaborate, and synthesize the gener- ative principles to analyze the architectural similarities across Saudi regions, even though the architecture appears, at first glance, different. The article suggests that contemporary architects should implement some of these ideas in modernization efforts to balance originality while also informing and enhancing local identity.

Cultural heritage has numerous developmental prospects that might contribute to the sustainable development and quality of life of communities. However, cultural heritage products have a complex relationship with many sectors. This paper examines Saudi criteria for the classification and selection of cultural heritage and presents a case study on the implementation of these criteria. It aims to develop local assessment criteria for cultural heritage values and conservation in Saudi Arabia. A theoretical analysis has been conducted to evaluate the criteria for the classification and selection of architectural heritage value and the relationship between whole heritage values. The paper discusses the criteria’s limitations and impacts and identifies misunderstandings of cultural heritage values in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study indicate that the mechanism of implementing a list can affect both tangible and intangible cultural heritage in different ways and at different levels...

This study was motivated by the changing landscape of people's interactions and experiences with places. These interactions have a significant impact on who they are, what will become, and how they interact with others. This burgeoning field of study focuses on the experience of place and how it relates to identity formation and evolution through physical objects. Three major themes are investigated and presented in this study: (1) the meaning of place, (2) the role of the physical form, and (3) place identity. Each of these three themes are interrelated. They overlap and intersect each other to encompass the various aspects of placemaking processes. This study examines related theories and relevant literature to conclude that, while architectural form is vital to understanding the nature of places, it is only one part of the larger picture. Other relationship factors can help to clarify the complexities and richness of place and place experience.

This study was motivated by the changing landscape of people's interactions and experiences with places. These interactions have a significant impact on who they are, what will become, and how they interact with others. This burgeoning field of study focuses on the experience of place and how it relates to identity formation and evolution through physical objects. Three major themes are investigated and presented in this study: (1) the meaning of place, (2) the role of the physical form, and (3) place identity. Each of these three themes are interrelated. They overlap and intersect each other to encompass the various aspects of placemaking processes. This study examines related theories and relevant literature to conclude that, while architectural form is vital to understanding the nature of places, it is only one part of the larger picture. Other relationship factors can help to clarify the complexities and richness of place and place experience.

Public spaces are an essential part of the urban environment as they support a wide variety of public activity. Within the City of Hail, Saudi Arabia, public spaces have undergone a cultural shift, making them more vibrant and highly attractive, serving as much needed breathing spaces for the city and popular gathering places. The culture of Hail and its surrounding region strives to accept change while preserving the customs and traditions of previous generations. The aim of the study is to first examine public spaces through six dimensions to identify and understand the differences in space quality. The presence of these six dimensions is further refined into eighteen. These dimensions and attributes will be used to evaluate the various public spaces within Hail, and the results of this study are intended to inform both citizens and city officials of the quality of public spaces throughout the city. Second, the study intends to correlate quantitative and qualitative data to develop a better understanding of specific space qualities by utilizing fieldwork observations and user perception. The study concludes by identifying several specific challenges concerning the planning and design of public spaces in Hail, as well as several recommendations for increasing the value of Hail's public spaces in accordance with Saudi Arabia's National Transformation Program.

The built environment faces many challenges in accommodating multi-cultural diversity and migrating from the suburbs, which led to different places being isolated or neglected. Sub-identities established by a specific group of people become isolated and away from the shared identity that the built environment established for itself. We examine this issue in the Najdi built environment by examining how Najdi locals generated a holistic hierarchical order of specs. This paper argues that the spatial order encouraged locals to develop a shared and agreed mechanism while in parallel, it gave individuals the ability to modify their places without affecting that shared holistic spatial order.

This study explores recent regionalism trends in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The research positions the argument within a broader context of critical regionalism concepts and theories. It draws insights from the Saudi case on how regionalism approaches holistic yet applicable criteria. The literature review discusses the broader perspectives of critical regionalism and the history of regionalism progress in Saudi Arabia. The review positions the research's framework on how the global and local nexus are compared. A contribution of research methodology is provided on how to study regionalism architecture in societies and to provide regionalism indicators to compare with and conduct an assessment. This research employed a methodological approach using key expert interviews and surveys (building assessments and evaluations) applied to three cases that represent the six core values of the King Salman Charter. The study found that although the King Salman Charter for Architecture and Urbanism demonstrates six core values for contemporary, traditional architecture in Saudi Arabia, it is not at the level of detail of providing detailed implementation criteria. Rather than responding to a global regionalism trend or deriving core values from a selective but not exhaustive list, the Charter should craft its principles and methodological criteria based on studying Saudi Arabia's historic, traditional settlements, and the Kingdom's extant built heritage.

This study examines the traditional Saudi built environment and culture to uncover its rich architecture and to propose a new way of thinking about how to comprehend and value the past while also rebalancing the Kingdom's future architectural identity. In that sense, the primary objective of this study is to examine the Core Concepts and Forms of traditional architecture, as well as their cultural connotations, in three regions of Saudi Arabia: the central, eastern, and western regions. Non-participant observation, ethnographic, and descriptive approaches were used in the study, which was based on a multi-dimensional comparative observational model. It was determined that the traditional Saudi built environment relied on forty Core Concepts and Forms that were divided into four categories: constant, semi-constant, semi-flexible, and flexible core forms to regulate the production process and maintain its continuity over centuries.

Gathering spaces are a significant component of any type of built form. Many factors influence their shape, size, and location and how they are integrated with their surroundings. This paper investigates how urban elements generate gathering spaces, and how these generated spaces transform into threshold spaces within the built form. The aim is to understand how the urban elements played a role in shaping the urban spatial order. The Space Syntax analysis technique is used to examine and understand a number of factors related to space, territory, society, culture, and environment. The paper's objective is to discuss means of examining traditional architecture from the lens of cultural context. To reveal its concepts and embedded lessons developed by its society in the built heritage and use these key insights for problem-solving.