THE ARCHITECTURE OF EARTH: THE DECAY OF VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

Back to Page Authors: Waseem Qrayeiah, Derham Groves

Keywords: vernacular architecture, modern architecture, Saudi Arabia, architectural identity

Abstract: The transition from traditional to modern housing has passed through multiple stages from the late 1930s to the present in Saudi Arabia. One of the most important is the discovery of oil, which has impacted the built environment, and modernized Riyadh City in particular and the country in general. Vernacular architecture has been always associated with cultures, traditions and the identity of regions. Further, it has been a lens to examine behavior, customs and values of societies and how they react within their built environment. The study of vernacular has intersected with other fields too--like anthropological studies, especially concerning cultures. In the past few decades, the concepts of vernacularism face challenges that are difficult to overcome which include change, disregard, or distortion in favor of being replaced with modern buildings, built with industrialized materials like reinforced concrete, steel and glass. Some scholars argue that the consecutive disappearance of the vernacular built environment has played a role in the extinction of genuine architecture and cultural heritage, assumingly modernism produced a non-genuine and senseless place. This paper investigates the challenges that have led to replace the vernacular architecture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and how the architectural identity was discontinued.