Friday, Oct 26, 2007
In Dubai, when it comes to building styles and architecture, it would appear that variety is most definitely the spice of life. Often criticised for having a lack of co-ordination and random designs, Dubai has a lot more to offer than initially meets the eye. In the land of sky-scrapers and shiny towers, there are signs of a resurgence of more traditional Arabic-style buildings.
Primarily, the wide mix of architectural styles that we see under construction here stems from the massive diversity in cultures. Having people from different nationalities living here has brought with it extreme variances in tastes.
While every country has a mixture of cultures, that mix is often to a less extent than experienced in Dubai, which has a huge expatriate community. Another factor here is the lack of a historical baseline, seriously limiting historical and traditional areas.
In other cities such as Paris, New York and London, there are historical spaces with buildings that help to create an underlying scene for that city. More often than not, such spaces and buildings have a protected status and thus the city is developed around them rather than on top of them.
Restraints
In Dubai, there are no or at least very few limitations on what can and cannot be developed. This is why we are see such an abundance of different building styles. Personally, I have always felt that there should be large sections of the city reserved for buildings that are developed in traditional Arabic style. This would be wonderful for the city, giving it a vibrant and rich personality. Such authenticity is what tourists look for and come to expect when they visit.
Traditional-style buildings are experiencing something of a renaissance, with developers recognising a demand and catering to the needs of western investors who love that style, as do the younger locals. A good example of this is Old Town, a development extremely popular right now with both local and international buyers, as well as people here on holiday, with almost 100 per cent occupancy being achieved in the short-term rentals market. Old Town encapsulates the beauty of a traditional Arabic village which is exactly what people are looking for.
Dubai is a beautiful city with so much to offer. To continue to attract people, it is necessary to offer more than just the skyscrapers that can be seen in almost every city in the world. Dubai is a new city that offers all aspects of modern living you could ever hope for. But it is also important to hold on to its roots by paying tribute to traditional architecture through the development of more barasti style properties.
We live in a city that plays home to the world's tallest building and highest hotel, not to mention the unique constructions like the iPad building and Rotating Tower. With the announcement of some more interesting buildings at Cityscape, it's fair to say there is something out here to suit all tastes. This is good for investors but at the same time we need to ensure the city's identity is not lost.
The writer is managing director of Better Homes.
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
