A conceptual study:
The reinterpretation of regional cultural heritage into a contemporary context.

The Gulf is witnessing a building boom and a major transformation on all levels including architecture and design. With the influx of foreign design firms and their ideologies the region is gradually losing its identity. To date, very few questions have been raised about the future outcome of such ideologies, and no measures have been taken by local authorities to influence these design directions.

Culture, tradition and religion, are vital ingredients in the make-up of the region. They govern everyday life, and are the basis for both private and public life. These vital ingredients have been neglected and overlooked in the transformation to modernization where design solutions are alien to their environment.

This presentation illustrates the importance of analyzing and understanding the ingredients that influence this region in the hopes of developing relevant conceptual design studies for every project. The purpose of this presentation is to act as an educational tool for both local and foreign designers as new and expanding facilities are developed. It is also to illustrate that true concepts are not achieved by recreating the past, nor using the cut and paste approach frequently witnessed in the region. They are achieved through an in depth understanding of the people of this society and where they come from. The simple people of simple tribal traditions are also descendents of the Islamic empire, an empire reaching as far as Morocco to Pakistan and spanning a timeline from the 7th to the 21st century. This vast and deep cultural heritage provides an endless source of inspiration, be it the Bedouin desert, a 16th century Ottoman Iznik tile, a Safavid manuscript, or just a simple song heard from the pearl divers boats.

In the interest of reviving the lost tradition of story telling, this presentation also illustrates conceptual studies in the form of story boards combined with music and sounds to allow the viewer into the realm of the designers’ thought process. The conceptual design and its final implementation is as important as the presentation tools and visual materials submitted. Reminiscent of "the age of empires" and "the art of the book", they take on the shape of modern age manuscripts reviving the Islamic era of literary and artistic glory.