Trends in the Contemporary Architecture of Amman

Abstract

This paper examines the architecture of Amman/Jordan. Immersed in tradition, but also open and cosmopolitan, modern Amman went through a series of political, cultural, and economic transformations, which resulted in developing an expansive and a multiple sense of identity. This is reflected in its architecture; largely diversified in scale and style ranging between modernity and tradition, from aesthetically pleasing to visually displeasing, and from culturally acceptable to totally alien. Through visual observation, this paper examines the architectural scene of Amman and attempts to give a preliminary classification of such diversified trends. The paper identified seven architectural trends ranging from the contemporary to the regional and neo-traditional. The afterthought of the paper concluded that these trends can be further grouped into three categories; formal contemporary, contextual, and eclectic, reflecting a more general attitude towards modernity, tradition, and development.

Sustainable Architectural Pluralism Through Contemporary Architectural Design

“…The complex nature of contemporary architecture originates mainly from both, the symbolically mute elements of industrial production adopted from 'Modernism', and the expandable historicist and high-tech signs of the industrial movement adopted from the Modern Eclecticism [2,3,6]. Different from the modern architecture that was dominant in Europe and the United States only, contemporary architecture is dominant across the whole world [3].…”

“…Aside from the employment of different architectural styles and influences, contemporary architecture is different from late twentieth-century modern architecture; it includes eco-friendly, high-tech, complex structures, innovative materials, and sustainable features, which embrace all kinds of creativity (as seen in fig. 1) [3,8,6]. This is achieved through innovative architectural design solutions that are energy efficient and use recycled materials for most parts of the construction process [8].…”

An integrating contextual approach using architectural procedural modeling and augmented reality in residential buildings: the case of Amman city

“…The stylistic variety of Amman. (Dahabreh, 2020;Assarai Engineering Firm, 2022; "Abu Samra House/Symbiosis Designs LTD" 13 Apr, 2011). shape for the first time.…”

“…Finally, the Lack of social and urban cohesion as a result of failed planning attempts due to the city's rapid expansion. These three characteristics played a crucial role in forming the architectural identity in the city of Amman (Dahabreh, 2020).…”

“…From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, two architectural trends predominated in Amman city: one is an eclectic cornucopia of designs which have demonstrated luxury and financial power, while the other is a kind of picturesque Islamic revival that expresses nostalgia the past, these trends represented a condition of confusion in a culture that is both dogmatic and indefinable, in the sense that it is neither traditional nor contemporary in the modern sense, but rather a malformed hybrid (Dahabreh, 2020).…”