A Cultural Heritage Framework for Preserving Qatari Vernacular Domestic Architecture

Abstract

Architecture and urbanism in the Arabian Gulf region, and specifically in the State of Qatar, offer many scenes to observe the loss of urban identity and cultural heritage in the various components of the built environment, including residential architecture. Many people attribute this to rapid development in globalization and the adoption of Western standardization in planning and design practice. Conversely, in the field of architectural sociology, scholars argue that socio-cultural factors such as privacy, gender segregation, and hospitality are the important variables for determining the spatial form of Islamic residential architecture. This research study aims to investigate the degree to which the shaping of the spatial form in a sample of Qatari vernacular courtyard houses embeds socio-cultural factors based on morphological analysis of human behavior and activities in domestic space. The study utilizes space syntax analysis to explore the spatial connectivity of four Qatari vernacular courtyard houses related to domestic functions as a realization of inhabitants’ system of activities and a manifestation of culture as a way of life. The study’s findings shed light on the spatial formation of Qatari vernacular courtyard houses as a realization of socio-cultural imperatives, thus reflecting the essence of societal formation in the domestic architecture of old Qatari settlements. The insights from this research study can help to contribute to a cultural heritage-framework for the preservation of distinctive Qatari Vernacular Residential Architecture based on the analytical criteria of housing spatial form, socio-cultural factors, and the interrelation between both.

Morphology of Settlement of the Dayak Kenyah Tribe, Budaya Pampang Village, Samarinda City in a Socio-Cultural Context

“…Socio-cultural concepts are comprehensive and are indirectly related to settlement design (Mentayani & Muthia, 2017). Place in different concepts raises the complexity of the term in its comprehensive implementation regarding the relationship between social and spatial (Al-Mohannadi et al, 2020;Kamalipour & Zaroudi, 2014). Several studies set an interdisciplinary approach when constructing the form and context of the discipline of this paper, ranging from the spatial form of the house and culture, and the settlement process is a cultural phenomenon, the physical form and spatial configuration of the house are influenced by the cultural context (Rapoport, 1969).…”

Residents’ Spatial-Usage Behavior and Interaction According to the Spatial Configuration of a Social Housing Complex: A Comparison between High-Rise Apartments and Perimeter Block Housing

“…Kong et al demonstrated the appearance of a stepwise spatial hierarchy of space and verified that spatial intelligibility is high by analyzing European perimeter block housing [18]. Many studies also compare the interaction behavior and social culture associated with a space by understanding that the courtyard residential environment in any country is where interaction occurs [19][20][21].…”

Research on the Cultural Tracing of the Patriarchal Clan System of Traditional Buildings in the Eastern Zhejiang Province, China, Based on Space Syntax: The Case Study of Huzhai in Shaoxing

“…Studies on the spatial form of Qatari vernacular houses-Siheyuan-reflect the essence of social form in the ancient Qatari settlements. Socio-cultural patterns, namely privacy, gender segregation and hospitality, determine the spatial form of Qatari vernacular houses [12,13]. Traditional Iranian architecture organizes space according to people's beliefs, one of which is respect for private life and self-esteem [14].…”