Mashrabiya in Contemporary Architecture
Arab World Institute was the first project that used a developed version of Mashrabiya, and even if at first sight its facade might seem as an Arabic decorative, but it is not at the same level with the high perfection in style and craftsmanship of the traditional version .
Compared to the Mashrabiya House in Palestine, there is a huge difference in details, patterns and concept. While in Masdar City, UAE, the modern Mashrabiya was similar to traditional Mashrabiya, without high technology, but by using the large section for balusters. Modern Mashrabiya in many shapes and expressions met with great popular in UAE through a lot of projects such as Abu Dhabi Central Market and Al Bahar Towers / Mashrabiya Towers. The new Mashrabiya has also a widespread within Arab Gulf countries like Doha Tower in Qatar and Ali Mohammed T. Al-Ghanim Clinic in Kuwait.
And the interesting project is Manish Restaurant in Brazil which used the concept of Mashrabiya and mentioned to the Arab inspiration of its facade design.
The five projects will only be reviewed:
Arab World Institute which is designed by Jean Nouvel (1987) in France.
Abu Dhabi Central Market which is designed by Foster + Partners (2014) in United Arab Emirates.
Doha Tower is designed by Jean Nouvel (2012) in Qatar.
Ali Mohammed T. Al-Ghanim Clinic is designed by AGi architects (2014) in
Kuwait.
Manish Resturant is designed by ODVO architects (2011) in Brazil.
The study will be focus on three important examples, they will be discussed in detail, and supplied with general important comments to evaluate the various modern versions of Mashrabiya. Often the modern Mashrabiya has been re-used in accordance with three notable forms, including: the primitive form, the sustainable form, and the form provided with advanced technology. Using these categories, the three projects under discussion are selected as examples (Table 5.1).
Table 5.1: Notable forms of modern Mashrabiya and the chosen examples (Alothman, 2016)
The methodology of study of chosen examples will be as following: The architect’s opinion about his project will be displayed firstly, and supplied with important figures of the project to compare them to traditional examples of Mashrabiya, and to assist in evaluating each project according with the explanations of functions, patterns, materials and different aspects of optimal Mashrabiya.
The results of this process are recommended to take seriously, because there are numerous contemporary projects which are under construction and are using the modern Mashrabiya in various ways. These projects are designed by very famous architects like Foster, Zaha and Nouvel, and have an acceptability related to these famous architects; but that only gives an excuse for an abundant number of small, local projects to copy the same mistakes of these well-known projects with regard to the misuse of Mashrabiya and its conversion to a purely decorative element, given that none of the large projects achieve all the functions of Mashrabiya, as will be seen in the discussions of these projects.
Methodology of the evaluative study (Alothman,2016)
Arab World Institute
The project is located in Paris, France, completed in 1987 and designed by Jean Nouvel, Architecture-Studio, Pierre Soria and Gilbert Lezenes. The main reason to construct this institute was to create a destination devoted to the relationship between Arab culture and France.
Arab World Institute in Paris, France (Fessy, 2011)
Nouvel was inspired by the details of façades from Mashrabiya, he used its concept to create a shield for the building which uses a technological system containing 27,000 light sensitive diaphragms. The function of these diaphragms is the same as the Mashrabiya lattice function that regulates the amount of light which can enter the building.
The screen is inspired by Mashrabiya in the Arab World Institute, Paris, France (Michler, 2010)
“Visible behind the glass wall, a metallic screen unfolds with moving geometric motifs.
The motifs are actually 240 photo-sensitive motor-controlled apertures, or shutters,
which act as a sophisticated brise soleil that automatically opens and closes to control
the amount of light and heat entering the building from the sun. The mechanism creates
interior spaces with filtered light — an effect often used in Islamic architecture with its
climate-oriented strategies.”
Detail illustration of one unit in the façade of the Arab World Institute (Michler, 2010)
An image showing the complex details of the construction of one part of the façade of the institute (James, 1987)
An internal detail of the façade (James, 1987)
An external detail of the façade (James, 1987)
A detail of the light sensitive diaphragm (James, 1987)
The architect in this project benefited from the Mashrabiya only in the intricacies and patterns, though the façades with the sensitive diaphragms can filter the light and ensure the visual spectacle. However, they did not play the same efficient role as the traditional Mashrabiya, with regard to the other important functions of airflow and temperature adjustment.
The use of glass walls prevents the airflow through the building, and that gives rise to static thermal zones; consequently the internal spaces are required to be climatically adjusted by HVAC units “cooling devices”.
At first the structure of the building might seem like an Arabic embellishment, but its functions derive from filtering the daylight dynamically, depending on certain weather conditions.
An image showing the glass curtain walls (Fessy, 2011)
Interior view of the library in Arab World Institute (Fessy, 2011)
In this image it can be seen that electric light is used along with natural light during the day, while in the past the traditional Mashrabiya provided enough light for all daily activities.
An interior view of one unit in the Arab World Institute (Fessy, 2011)
Abu Dhabi Central Market
The project is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and was designed by Foster + Partners (2014). This Central Market is one of the oldest sites in the city.
The objective of the design was to create a market building inspired by the traditional architecture of the Arab Gulf, to give the city a new civic heart, by presenting an alternative to the globalised one-size-fits-all shopping mall it, and to provide a featured contemporary interpretation of the local vernacular (Foster + Partners, 2011).
“Inspired by the traditional architecture of the Middle East,.. different experiences are
brought together in a sensory interior palette of dappled sunlight, warm woods, colours
and running water. An intimate sequence of streets, alleys, courtyards, balconies and
colonnades dissolve barriers between inside and outside, with flexible sliding roofs and
walls to enable control of internal environments.... Layers of internal shading on the
towers control glare and solar gain.”
Abu Dhabi Central Market, designed by Foster + Partners (Young, 2014)
A view showing the pattern which Foster developed with a scholar of Islamic arts (Young, 2014)
The beautiful interior of Abu Dhabi Central Market (Young, 2014)
It is important to state that the architect did not mention façades in this project using the name Mashrabiya, although it seems that he found inspiration and a lot of functional advantages in the traditional Mashrabiya.
Doha Tower
The project is located in Doha, Qatar, completed in 2012 and designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. The building is a massive, rounded cylindrical skyscraper that is characterized by internal reinforced concrete dia-grid columns, while the entire façade is covered with metal brise-soleil based on traditional Mashrabiya.
Doha Tower in Qatar (Garrido, 2010)
Nouvel created an innovative design for the façade by using the linear patterns of Mashrabiya and rotating its geometry module then flipping it, to create a massive screen which can fracture the sunlight and insure maximum shading for the internal spaces.
“The design for the system involved using a single geometric motif at several scales,
overlaid at different densities along the façade. The overlays occur in response to the
solar conditions: 25% opacity was placed on the north elevation, 40% on the south, and
60% on the east and west. From afar, the screen appears as a uniform density, but the
intricacy of the layering and scaling of the screens becomes apparent at a closer
viewpoint, lending the building multiple textural experiences. Behind the shading layer
is a typical curtain wall system that is accessed for maintenance from walkways in the
cavity between the two layers. User-operable solar shades are also available behind the
glazed curtain wall. The overall façade system is estimated to reduce cooling loads by
20%. At night, an integrated lighting system enhances the delicate screen with
programmable light shows.”
Close shots of Doha Tower façade (Courtesy of HBS, 2010)
Construction details of the screen (Nouvel, 2014)
Details of the screen (Garrido, 2014)
The fixed Mashrabiya screen is situated more than a meter from the high performance curtain wall. This is to allow for cleaning access to the space. The metal grating on each floor provides additional shading for the glass.
A bright interior of Doha Tower (Courtesy of HBS, 2010)
Ali Mohammed T. Al-Ghanim Clinic
The Clinic is located in Kuwait, completed in 2014 and designed by AGi architects. The project is characterized in the healthcare sector by addressing matters such as privacy and security through a modern model (AGi, 2014).
Ali Mohammed T. Al-Ghanim Clinic (Garrido, 2014)
The concept of the façade seems to be inspired from Mashrabiya, despite the architects not mentioning it by name, they just talked about the role of the façade in generating light, views, ventilation and cultural identity. The same functions provided by traditional Mashrabiya.
Internal view of the clinic façade (Garrido, 2014)
““ The metal sheet is split into 1m segments where the punctured mesh is placed into,
and works to maintain sufficient sunlight in the interior spaces. When struck by
sunlight, the mesh, casts patterned shadows on the courtyards, which give the spaces a
calmer tone. The contemporary mesh connects also to the cultural identity of end users.”
Manish Restaurant
The project is located in Sao Paulo, Brazil, completed in 2011 and designed by (ODVO arquitetura e urbanismo, Mínima) architects (ODVO, 2011).
Manish Restaurant in Brazil (Pregnolato and Kusuki Studio, 2011)
An internal view of the restaurant façade (Pregnolato and Kusuki Studio, 2011)
The design of main façade is derived from Arab culture, the whole frontispiece is covered by a muraxabi, an imposing concrete arabesque, which decreases the natural light in small frames and focuses the shadows of the busy street (ODVO, 2011).
The architects asserted that they benefited from the functions and decoration of an Arab architectural element, they called it "muraxabi frame," instead of mentioning it by its original name "Mashrabiya".
: Elevation details of the Manish Restaurant (ODVO, 2011)
““We were inspired by the basic elements of Arab architecture, and we tried to translate
such traditional elements into a contemporary language and application. The
architectural part is thus centered around the development of the components of this
kind of architecture: the courtyard, the balcony, the muraxabi frame.”
A night view of the restaurant demonstrates the decorative function of the façade (Pregnolato and Kusuki Studio, 2011)
Mashrabiya House
The project is located in the Arab Palestinian village Beit Safafa between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was completed in 2011, and designed by the architect Senan Abdelqader. The architect asserts that:
The Mashrabiya House in Palestine (Amit, 2011)
The Mashrabiya is employed to provide a floating effect by using a new interpretation, where the wooden lattice is re-imagined in the structure of a stone layer that covers the whole house. The façades are formed using the Mashrabiya concept merged with stone work without any design, parameters or consideration of patterns. The architect, in his use of Mashrabiya just focused upon the effect of light and porosity by adopting irregular spacings between large scale stone pieces. The playful design of the façades by creating small and large openings, ensures views from inside to outside while retaining the required privacy. The architect also considers the Mashrabiya to be an environmental element in this project, he understands that the stone layer which surrounds the whole building works as a climatic buffer.
““It helps to absorb heat during the day and release heat during the cool Jerusalem nights.
Thus it protects the building against solar radiation as well as winter rain and winds.
The gaps between the stones ensure a constant flow of fresh air. A further element of
passive cooling is the 1m gap between outer and inner envelop. Not only does it ensure
constant circulation of fresh air around the building the fact that it remains open towards
the top of the building generates a suction effect like that of a chimney: Hot air travels
upwards and fresh air is sucked into the gap from below.”
Masdar City
The project is located in the city of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (2007, 2015), and designed by architects Foster + Partners. Masdar city is considered the first sustainable city in the Arab world, providing superb examples of the use of advanced technology in sustainable architecture while attempting to preserve Arab identity in some aspects, especially in the design of the apartments.
Masdar City in UAE (Courtesy of Foster + Partners, 2010)
The Residential Units in Masdar City, UAE (Foster + Partners, 2010)
“The buildings have self-shading façades and are orientated to provide maximum shade
as well as sheltering adjacent buildings and the pedestrian streets below... Windows in
the residential buildings are protected by a contemporary reinterpretation of
Mashrabiya, a type of latticed projecting oriel window, constructed with sustainably
developed, glass-reinforced concrete, colored with local sand to integrate with its desert
context and to minimize maintenance. The perforations for light and shade are based on
the patterns found in the traditional architecture of Islam.”
Terracotta façade of student dormitories (Caine , 2014)
The buildings at Masdar combine various materials and construction strategies to reduce heat gain, for example, including terracotta cladding, metal screening and air-filled wall panels, like Foster’s metal screen for solar shading inspired by Mashrabiya. While metal screens are used to filter sunlight, air-filled wall panels were designed to minimize the thermal mass of a building’s exterior envelope and reflect the light away (Foster + Partners, 2010).
Foster’s metal screen for solar shading inspired by iconography of local culture (Caine, 2014)
Al Bahar Towers / Mashrabiya Towers
The towers are located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, completed in 2012 and designed by Aedas Architects. The project aims to create an outstanding landmark which to express the Arab architectural heritage, conjointly with contemporary and sustainability principles by using modern technology.
Al Bahar Towers/ Mashrabiya Tower in Abu Dhabi, UAE (Aedas, 2012)
The Architects designed for this project a creative, responsive façade which is derived from the cultural cues taken from Mashrabiya. The computational design team at Aedas developed the shading system based on traditional Mashrabiya, and have created a real innovation in the design of an interesting external, automated shading system which encases the building as a dynamic façade, imagined as a modern interpretation of Mashrabiya. The system contains about 2000 umbrella-like modules per tower controlled by photovoltaic panels. The team used a parametric depiction of traditional Mashrabiya for the geometric design of the actual façade panels, and they made these panels responsive to sun exposure and able to alter the angles of incidence during the different times/days of the year (Cilento, 2012).
The Opening Sequence of Mashrabiya Towers Façade (Richters, 2012)
The façade works as a curtain wall, positioned two meters around the buildings’ exterior on a separate frame. Each triangle is plated with fiberglass and programmed to respond to the movement of the sun as a method of decreasing solar gain and glare. In the evening, all the units of the façade close (Cilento, 2012).
“At night they will all fold, so they will all close, so you’ll see more of the facade. As
the sun rises in the morning in the east, the Mashrabiya along the east of the building
will all begin to close and as the sun moves round the building, then that whole vertical
strip of Mashrabiya will move with the sun.”
A night view of Al Bahar Towers (Aedas, 2012)
The Mashrabiya façade at Al Bahar Towers includes a series of transparent umbrellas that could be opened and closed in response to the sun’s path. Each of the two towers has over 1,000 independent shading devices that are driven by the building management system, forming an intelligent façade (CTBUH, 2012).
Comparison of shading units fully closed (left) and fully open (right) (Aedas, 2012)
Each unit consists of a series of stretched PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) panels, and it is operated by a linear actuator that will gradually open and close once per day in response to a pre-programmed succession that has been calculated to block direct sunlight and to limit direct solar gain to a maximum of 400 watts per linear meter (CTBUH, 2012).
Responsive Façade (Aedas, 2012)
“The advantage of this approach is the avoidance of dark tinted glass which inevitably
restricts incoming light all of the time rather than just problematic direct sunlight at
certain times of day. Instead, these dynamic shades let daylight in for part of the day
allowing the use of artificial lighting and air conditioning in the interior can be
significantly reduced. The result is a 50% reduction in energy consumption within the
twin towers and an 80% reduction in solar gain.”
Overall view from the north (Aedas, 2012)
