Bahrain's 'pan-Arab project'

Architecture from the Arab World 1914-2014

The Bahrain pavilion took on the task of publishing 40,000 free copies documenting 100 architectural structures from 22 Arab countries for this year's Biennale of Venice. Rather than portraying Bahrain's singular identity, the initiative took on a larger scope by the inclusion of other neighboring nations. By joining the archives of the Arab Center for Architecture, a non-profit organization established in Beirut in 2008, resulted in the documentation for the first printing of Architecture from the Arab World 1914-2014 (a selection). The collaborative institution is a cultural source which addresses 'modern urban design, architecture, design, and planning in the Arab world' with the objective of having a publicly accessible center for students, professionals and researchers alike. The concerns of spreading Arab awareness and heritage is shared with the Bahrain project supported by the Bahrain Ministry of Culture.

The 'architecture legacy' of the Middle East is demonstrated through various examples constructed over the past century. As the initiative is a step forward in providing a printed source available to the international community, there are drawback to the selection themselves. The so-called issue derive from various sources, including scarce public records, lack of a regional interest, etc. For example, the images and documentation for various projects in Syria do not demonstrate the level of modern architecture. The published heritage does not provide a coherent identity to the country with a vast architectural patrimony. The director's residence at the Azem Palace in Damascus is in no appropriate way a symbol nor precedent for the past century of Syrian constructions. The issue is also present in other exemplified structures, lacking proper architectural drawings, descriptions, and images. The images of the Olympic Club (1938-1939) of Baghdad appears more like an electric power station, while the Al  Babenshal Hotel (2005) of Siwa appears to be an exemplar of revival movement of traditional adobe architecture.

While there are definite set-backs to the printed reference book, there are also positive and beneficial outcomes. The exhibition exports the modern identity of the Arab world to the West, providing images of shared and associated constructions. Though the aesthetic details may differ, the intention of using modern architectural theories is evident. Baghdad Stadium (1958-1980), Air Terminal and Club House (1953-1960) of Tit Meillil in Morocco, Hotel du Lac (1973) of Tunis, Intercontinental Hotel (1974-1977) of Muscat in Oman, Doha Tower (2005-2012) of Qatar, and the Al-Ribat Housing (1981) of Amman in Jordan are all appropriate references from diverse periods that appropriately document the modernization of Arab constructions through transitions of materiality, style, and dimensions.

The 'pan-Arab project' is still in the process of composing an archive of progress, taking on a regional initiative that not only demonstrates similar Western traits but also establishing a dialogue between Arab nations with the purpose of developing a Middle Eastern style coherent with the twenty-first century.

  

  

  

List of Projects:

 

Further Reading:
http://www.arab-architecture.org/news/venice-architecture-biennale-bahrain-pavilion

Bibliography:
Fundamentals (catalogue). 14th International Architecture Exhibition. Biennale of Venice. (Marsilio, 2014), pp. 33, 41, 179.
'About' in the Arab Center for Architecture. http://www.arab-architecture.org/about
'Fundamentalists and Other Modernisms: the Pavilion of the Kingdom of Bahrain at the Venice Architecture Biennale' in the Arab Center for Architecture. http://www.arab-architecture.org/news/venice-architecture-biennale-bahrain-pavilion 
'Bahrain at the 14th Architecture Biennale of Venice' in The Bahrain Pavilion. http://www.bahrainpavilion.bh/