Transitional Perspective

           Discussing  the  post-modernity issues of design nowadays need to have a deep exclusions to the old terminologies and approaches. Further more, the main dilemma of the post-modernist architects was the content of  the modernist architects in the designing process. The post-modernist  tried to redefine the problem behind the reason of the modernist architects failure. The solution for this problem was through Semiology and Semiotics which is: the study of signs. They were appeared with two foundations:

1-First, appeared by the Swiss theorist Ferdinand de Saussure's Course of General Linguistics in aposthumous publication at 1916. He made his own rule by dividing the meaning into two main terms:

A.    Language

B.      Speech

Ferdinand defined them as a circle that is operating through conventional signs and meanings. Ferdinand de Saussure's named his rule as a Semiology the study of signs.

2-Second, appeared by the American philosopher Charles Sanders Pierce around the turn of the twentieth century, he postulate a logical study of language then he named it Semiotics.

3-Third, Charles W. Morris a professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago was against Ferdinand de Saussure's rule coordination and organization, then Morris proposed in his foundation of the theory of signs in 1938, a threefold term of  linguistic analysis by classifying the field into the domain of the threefold terms:

A.    Syntactics

B.      Semantics

C.    Pragmatics

Then Morris made a definition for each area:

A.    Syntactics : Relations of signs to one another

B. Semantics : Relations of signs to their meanings (as an architectural interest area, which will be concentrate later on the meaning of forms)

C.    Pragmatics : Relations of  signs to their interpreters

The question is how they are related to architectural meaning ?

The answer will be through Morris Semantics area,  by making an extension that will be later on related to the architectural circles by dividing Semantics into three categories:

A.    Indices

B.      Icons

C.    Symbols

Then Morris made a definition for each categories:

A.     Indices : Indication point to their meaning ,such as street signs for example

B.      Icons : Exhibit properties of the content to which they refer

C.  Symbols : Arbitrary or culturally established signs such as using the Doric columns on a bank to designate the strength and security of the financial institution for example.

Moreover, how it is connected to architecture by the relation and the connection of the famous movement which is the "New Bauhaus"movement in Chicago which was found in 1937 by the Chicago Association of Arts and Industries,  Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, recent refugee to the united states.  Then semantics Morris theory was rapidly bandied at 1960's in the architectural field. After that, they found the linguistic theory which is included Structuralism, post-structuralism and deconstruction. A movements which presents the new era of the post-modern architecture through the Semiotics language which were a new sign system with a dimension of structure (syntactic) and one of meaning (semantic). Structural relationships bind the signs and their components (signifier/signified ) together.
How can we understand architecture through meaning is by (form/content):

A.    Type

B.      Function

C.    Tectonics

That terms can be connected and related  the Master of the Architects whom is Vitruvian points of a utopian architecture:

A.    Delight (beauty or ideal form)

B.      Commodity (utility or accommodation)

C.    firmness (durability)

       Finally, through the semantic study of environment, we can discover the means of the discoursing in our building. Then, language becomes the key factor that have the power to construct our structure perfectly.

Vs

World Trade Center PATH Station by Calatrava

Mishal Al Musaileekh

Nesbitt, Kate (ED) (1996). Chapter II, Theorizing a new Agenda for architecture: An anathology of architectural theory;Princton Architectural Press, NY.

              

From Bahrain with Love of Architecture

The Kingdom of Bahrain is a small island in the Arabian/Persian Gulf. The Island’s area is 665km?. Bahrain was inhabited by people since prehistoric times which are Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, and Arabs. All ruled and influenced the Island. In 1971, the British withdrew from the Island leaving it to be an independent country*. Today Muslim Arabs occupy and rule Bahrain. Bahrain architecture nowadays is facing a real threat from the expansion growth of the expatriates inside the country, sooner rather than later the conflict will explode more wider than what is happening now. This article  will be about the oldest cities of the kingdom which are Manama and Muharraq cities.  

 Four-fifths of the population live in cities, the majority in Manama which is the capital and the largest urban center. Manama has modern buildings which are wide and tree-lined roads as well as an older section with a traditional souk, or marketplace. 

Muharraq is the oldest town, and used to be the capital. The city has been modernized but in the old sections, people can still see traditional architecture. The houses have tall gates and shuttered windows which are designed around a central enclosed garden or courtyard. Some have wind towers and an old-fashioned form of air-conditioning (بادكير). It is similar to our traditional Kuwaiti houses but the Kuwaiti houses did not contain wind towers.

Courtyard houses

The plan of the houses were designed in Bahrain which looks like having a courtyard at the center of the house which makes it protected and having all the rooms around it, while still being open to the sky.

The reason for using courtyards is that it allows the rooms to be cross ventilated. This is extremely important in the hot and humid climate of Bahrain. The courtyard is usually designed as a form of an indoor oasis, Fountains, decoration, and sometimes greenery are placed in the design of the courtyard. By doing this, the house will be inward focused, where the best views from the windows will be towards the courtyard and not towards the streets.

Windows

In traditional houses, Windows were designed mainly for light, air flow, and for the view. To allow the sun light penetrate inside the rooms, the windows used to have transparent glass or stained glass on the top of the opening of the window. That part of the window is never covered because it is so high in the room, therefore, no one can look inside. The lower part with the large opening is for air flow and for the view. It has shutters with grooves in them to allow the flow of air inside the room without opening the shutters.

 Building Materials

The materials that were used for traditional construction are mostly materials that were abundant in the land. Bahrain’s most abundant building material is limestone  which is the geological surface of the Island. Traditional buildings were first made out of limestone masonry. Then they used to fire the limestone and to turn it into powder. After that, they would add water to the powder and plaster it over the stone in order for the walls to have smooth surfaces. Limestone in its nature absorbs water really well and this is why it works really well in MENA region because of humid climates. In  fact, limestone is a good absorber for humidity which makes the rooms cooler than rooms that use different construction materials.

Connection

Houses in traditional neighborhoods usually share walls with each other. Having the houses compacted with each other is very beneficial in sustaining energy because the houses are all connected. They will act together to stay as cool as possible at the summer and as warm as possible at winter. Therefore, it will be easier to stabilize the temperature in the house.

Wind towersبادكير))

These are tower structures rising several meters above the house. They have large openings on all four sides for channeling down even the slightest breeze that is inside.

The living room was situated just below the wind tower to give some relief from the heat and humidity. The openings of the wind tower contains doors which will be closed during the winter season.

Mishal Al Musaileekh

*Archive Maitham Al Ali

**Ministry of Culture - Kingdom of Bahrain

www.moc.gov.bh/en/top10/Name,7528,en.html



فلسَفة العِمارة الإنجليزية السّتينية - الآركي قرام

 الاركي  قرام وجدت في سنة 1960م في لندن بريطانيا. هي عبارة عن مجموعة من المفكرين المعماريين ورساميين الكاريكاتير وضعوا تصورات بشكل هَزَلي لي الفكر الرأسمالي. وكانت مستوحى’ من المناظرات الدولية للنظرية المعمارية  لعام 1960 م في موضوع "الثقافة العصرية او النهضوية" التي انتشرت للعالم عن طريق الناس من خلال استخدام التقنيات المتطورة في وسائل الاعلام في ذلك الحين التحركية والسمعية والتفاؤل اللا محدود باحترام مجهود الفرد لتطوير التكنولوجيا اكثر... وافضل تكنولوجيا لترميز وايقنة روح العصر اسيره بمعنى الفضاء المعلوماتي هي مثل ما صورته الفرقة الانجليزية ذا بيتلز (فرقة موسيقية بريطانية1960 ) من اغنية Yellow Submarine . ومن اشهر وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي الفضائي في ذلك الحين هي التلفزيون والاذاعة و التلي غراف (Telegraph)

شباب الاركي قرام انتجوا مجموعة من هذه المدن في سلسلة منModels  كانت مسلية ومتكاملة وليست واقعية في ذلك الحين, وكانت من اهم عوامل التطوير في القرنين السابقين على مستوى العالم. من اهم اعمال مجموعةArchigram  معرض "Living City" في معرض مؤسسة لندن لعلوم الفن الحديث في بريطانيا. ايضاً استوحوا افكارهم من المناظر والناقد المعماري البريطاني راينر بنهامReyner Banham  واصبحوا بذلك ابطال الرواية في فلسلفة التمدين الحديثة

وكان غرض هذه المجموعة توليف هذه الفلسفة لهذه النظرة المعاصرة للفن المعماري/الهندسي الحديث المهتم بجماليات علم الخيال في التصميم. وبعض هذه المؤلفات وتصاميم لهذه الحركة المعمارية والمقترحات لمدن المستقبل هي :

1.       Walking City by Ron Herron 1964                            

المدينة الماشية

2.       Plug in City by Peter Cook, Warren Chalk and Dennis Crompton

مدينة البلاكات الموجودة بكل البيوت حالياً

                                     

                             

These guys became the symbol of the Architectural/Engineering Field in 1960s and because of that their theories extended till nowadays.

هؤلاء المعماريين اصبحوا رمز للهندسة/المعمارية في ذلك الوقت وبسبب ذلك امتدت هذه النظرية الى يومنا هذا. الكولاج والقصص التصويرية والمؤلفات الشعرية امتزجوها مع القوانين العصرية لكي تتماشى’ مع ما سيحصل في المستقبل لتوضيح معنى’ كلمة المثالية للفرد في الحياة .Utopia العقل المدبر لعمل مدن المستقبل هو :

Human Brain + Mobile Computer Brain

أخيراً وليس آخراً، اهم عناصر مدن المستقبل الرئيسية بالنسبة لهم ولي هي :

A.     Free Floating cities تطفو بحرية مدن
B.      Flexible الليونة والمرونة
C.     Adaptable قابلة للتكيف مع العوامل الاخرى
D.     Increasingly Ephemeral Spatial Structure سريعة التنقل من مكان الى اخر
E.      Light Weight Surface لها اسطح خفيفة الوزن    


Mishal Al Musaileekh

Archigram, founded Since 1960, London, England    

Al Sawaber, With my Regards

للتاريخ تسمية منطقة الصوابر نسبة

لفخذ الصوابر من قبيلة العوازم

 يرويها العم د. صالح العجيري

             In the past, Kuwait planned for huge infrastructures and development projects through long term strategies and envisages after discovering Petroleum(black gold). Until the Gulf War, where these goals were bombarded to a halt. The plan was aiming to overcome the needs for welfare housing and transforming the country to be more urban centric. These goals wouldn’t be achieved without having a strong partner(private sector), that could turn the wheels of the economy by participating in constructional mega projects with the public sector in Kuwait. Private sectors were a turning point for Kuwaiti society since 1950's, where it participated in providing better services for planning and construction that the public sector were unable to provide . One of these mega projects was Al Sawaber complex. It was designed by the Canadian Architect Arthur Erickson in 1977.

Al Sawaber Complex

                The design was aimed for the citizens that are looking for new housing in the mid 1980's. The complex included many concourses buildings design type and contained many apartments for the newlyweds. The Sawaber Complex main objective is to provide a Utopian environment to live in, where it meets every resident's needs and at the same time to be affordable for rent or buy by regular citizens. That was the architect vision for Al Sawaber complex, yet unfortunately, what had been built was against his vision. Instead the design was tempered with, sacrificing the original design to fulfill financial gain. 



Concourses of Al Sawaber



                Al Sawaber complex should be the ideal housing complex project for the newlyweds Kuwaities that needed a safe and convenient environment for them, where all their daily life needs were met. Yet due to it's design flaws, the residents had moved out and left the apartment for sale or rent, where all the expats began to move in, making grow into it's current depressing state. It is a beautiful place theoretically, but in fact it is not at all in reality. The complex need to be evacuated now and reconsidered again to redesign and solve the issues in the complex. After that, they should start rehabilitating it again with Kuwaiti citizens, although there is some Kuwaiti citizens that are living there today ,but they are not satisfied with it. 

                  The complex now is not a good example of Kuwait development plan department KDP and PAHW history. Many things to say about the place for preserving it, not to demolish it again. It was one of the first projects that would shape the permanent Kuwaiti apartments with a view over the suburbs and gardens for all of the apartments rather than overlooking the cemetery that could have been avoided with the original design plan. 

Side View 

                Finally, Al Sawaber complex was and still a pleasant complex to be occupied, if it has been well preserved from its main users and government. What is happening for the place nowadays is that the government is neglect it after the Gulf War and the result of that neglegance had led to the deterioration of the complex. Unfortunately, the Concourses nowadays from time to time are usually on fire and the only ones that takes care of it are the firemen, not the government nor the people that are occupying the complex.

The Complex usually in the begging of each year is on fire** 

              The complex now is in a poor condition, in terms of the facilities that serve its residents. The government from long time ago had neglected maintaining and fixing problems such as sewage, electricity, security, municipality and a lot of issues that is related to daily life requirements for the people that live there. The government had blamed the private sector for Sawaber's problems. The complex still has the power to be ready to reveal its beauty, if the government starts to address it's problem seriously.

Al Sawaber Suburbs

                For now there is another project that is being built by the private sector and the project is called Dhahiat Hessa Al Mubarak district, which is located in the main gulf road. This project have the same characteristics of Al Sawaber complex as a Utopian environment for the users and is fully dependent on the private sector unlike Al Sawaber complex. The question is when and what is the perfect time to manage the problems in the Kuwait Development Plan and Public Authority of Housing Welfare? Who will be in charge to solve the conflicts inside?  Will they address the problems now ? or postpone it as usual? 

كشف مدير عام المؤسسة العامة للرعاية السكنية المهندس بدر الوقيان عن قرار لمجلس الوزراء يقضي بهدم مجمع الصوابر قريباً، وضم الموقع للمنطقة 

***التجارية في «الكويت»، معلناً «نزع ملكية آخر شقة في 31 مارس الماضي

لا طبنا ولا غدا الشر

  Mishal Al Musaileekh

*Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh
**http://cdn.sabr.cc/wp-content/uploads/picture/45279200px.png
***http://www.alraimedia.com/ar/article/local/2016/04/04/669979/nr/kuwait



Mutual Life

What are the main elements of the Kuwaiti private houses?  How can we identify it? To find the proper answers for these questions, the history books of Kuwait will always be the first source of information to find these answers. A home has to find a balance between the environmental factors of the site and the lifestyle choices of its inhabitants.

For sure, there are different kinds of views for the people to construct their own dream houses and in fact it is the human nature that people are  different from each other. Privacy issue will be the main concern for the Kuwaiti citizens when they start to think of having a house for living. We all have a basic desire for personal privacy. None of the Kuwaitis want the interior of his house to be visible from the outside for pedestrians or people passing by which will allow them to see what is happening inside except for those who are not the original people and their desire is having a giant transparent windows to show the passersby their furniture’s, palm trees and the magnificent exterior. Moreover, some people try to show the price labels of the furniture in order to get a prestigious view.  Other people tend to have big windows and whenever they want more privacy, they would close them with shutters.

Giant Windows Houses

    Because of these reasons, they do not know what they want as some people want to show that they are wealthy. It is a waste of materials and money but in their point of you it is worth it. They have the wrong point of view for designing the house. Our climate is the key to define this identity. For example, in summer it is hot, dry and the winds come from the north western direction. In winter it is cold and rarely humid. The design simply will be a courtyard surrounded by rooms.

Courtyard Surrounded by Rooms





                  The design of a courtyard house (Arabian house) will create a ventilation system by creating that courtyard.  In summer, the hot air will get out from the house from the courtyard and the cold air will be preserved and in winter, it will be cold and beautiful place to live in. The design will be simple and beautiful. Clear governmental rules and regulations will create pleasant results. The design will create a historical place that will be nostalgic to the old times of the old Kuwaiti people which the design was token from the old ancient Roman metropolis.

                At the end, the government have to make a clear vision of designing houses for the citizens. They have to make restrictions for building and every Kuwaiti have to follow it and to have a consistency when someone starts to build his or her own house.  Penalties must be harsh and equal against the citizens so people will not think about breaking the rules. We need to have a clear identity and vision to give it for the next generations. The government have to build houses that cover the citizens need.  The citizen is free to choose whether to live in an apartment or house.  He is free to choose if he want a big or small house.  So, the government must be flexible with the citizens as the citizens are living in a Democratic country.  As long as the citizen is not breaking rules and regulations, he has the chance to do whatever he view that is suitable for him.  

Mishal AlMusaileekh
Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh