Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum's HOUSE One of the older buildings in Dubai
Dalal Alhourani 201210747
Location and Area Al Khaleej Road, bur Dubai square metres 3,600
( its one of the oldest and largest houses in Al Shindagha )
Location of the building with its immediate surroundings
General Information is a historic building and former residential quarters of Saeed bin Maktoum Al .Maktoum, former ruler of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates This house was built in 1896 at the Al Shindagha area. It has a strategic location at the protruding part above Dubai Creek (Khor Dubai), which made it stand .amidst Deira and Bur Dubai, overlooking the Arabian Gulf This house witnessed the birth of his sons and grandsons and is also considered - .as a touristic icon that receives visitors all year round The house gives the visitor a chance to enjoy and know, the residence and premises of Dubai's Monarch during the first half of the 20th century, with its simplicity and vastness, the diversity of its wings and spaces (closed, semi-open . and open) and the variety in its air towers (Barajeel)
Initial Activities of The Building
Initial activities of The building .the house served as collecting point for fees levied to dhows entering the city .the men for receiving and entertaining guests most often use the majlis -
.the side entrance is for women who entertaining in their majlis near their entrance Â
Initial activities of The building There's a summer Majlis perched on the roof of the house that overlooks the Creek and the building's central courtyard. Benches are scattered around the royal . grounds, for visitors to sit and absorb their surroundings
Initial activities of The building .most bed rooms via veranda, open to central courtyard, which has access for only family member to set their and enjoy -
children would play games in the center of courtyard, during summer time family spend most of their time in the courtyard, and .family’s animals, chickens and camels would spend time there verandahs or Liwan facing the courtyard were popular place to sit and talk to drink tea or coffee and enjoy the cooling breeze-
Old Traditional Materials and Methods
Traditional construction method
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Main material: Coral from old reefs used to build the-1
house, it was light weight, simple to cut, and was a good insulator .because it enclosed pockets of air
Foundation: the round was dug up to one meter deep-2 and 60cm wide, which then was built up with coral stone and .gypsum or sarooj , Walls: were made of three blocks of coral-3
Slabs: thin slabs of shell stone were cut from large chunks-4
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3
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.and used as panels between the main columns
Joints: walls were bonded and plastered with a gypsum -5
.mortar called jus, which was made by mixing gypsum and lime
Waterproofing: imported red clay was mixed with-6 manure and water to form sarooj, a stronger mortar that was .used on the roof for waterproofing on the upper floor the thickness of the wall was reduced,) making them lighter and giving greater spaces for ventilation ,(openings Â
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CORAL STONE
SHELL STONE
Materials used in the building Palm trunks are cut into pieces that show half circle when viewed in section called .muwad The construction is light, the mezzanines are supported by a lattice of wooden beams that support coral stones
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Roofs: Mangrove was wood for beams-7 of all sorts. Round mangrove poles known as chandal, came in lengths of 4meters, which meant that a room could only be as .wide as the length of the pole
Ceiling: consisted of palm ribs or-8
bamboo poles overlaid with palm frond matting, which was covered with a mixture of lime, mud and small stones
Chandal wood
Palm trunks
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Materials used in the building Windows, doors and decorative) screens were built between the .(heavy pillars
Doors: heavy, solid wooden door, intricately and richly carved with traditional Islamic pattern, are typical of the region were often made of teak, doors consisted of tightly aligned wooden panels fastened together with large steel nails, extracts from Arabic poetry were inscribed along the top of the door. The exterior framework was made of horizontally aligned steel .bars for security
Doors
Central post with geometric decoration
Iron nails
windows
WOODEN SHUTTERS
Wooden ornaments
IRON GRATING
Windows might have 2 or 4 .shutters
Wood panels
THESE DIFFERENT SHUTERS OPEND SEPARETLY
 Decorations .Decorations on the doors
 The courtyard was surrounded on some of its sides by a loggia Crenellations and finishes along the roofline, incised with flora .and geometric motifs (Gypsum was used for interior decorations )
 Decorations The columns were curved and linked by arches to form an attractive arcade around the . courtyard
Pointed arch
Flat and rectangular arch
Old Functional Element (cooling systems)
Cooling Systems Wind towers: varying in height, some up to 15 m tall, wind towers consisted of a rectangular tower divided in plan into 4 triangular sections. Which funneled the air downwards and cooled the rooms below. Known locally as albarajeel. They helped reduce the intense summer’s heat. Opened into downstairs rooms. They finished above 2 m above floor level, creating a significantly cool area beneath. Beds and cushions, food and water could be kept cool here. And in the winter when cool air was required; vents could be .closed to prevent a draught
Cooling Systems Air pullers: method of catching the breeze. They provided ventilation without the need to open windows onto the outside. how it works: between the bearing columns of the house, twin panels of thin shell slabs would be set vertically and parallel to each other through the wall with a narrow space between them through which air could pass. The outer slab was placed with a gap at the top, of the opening and the inner slab with a gap at the bottom so that the air could be pulled in to the room from the outside emerging through the gap. A welcome breeze cooled the people siting in cushions around the room, whilst .ensuring their privacy
Upper floor’s Air puller were also built into walls on the upper floors to draw on the prevailing wind. And make the verandah a cool place .to sleep during the summer
Spatial Organization of the Building
Spatial organization of the building On the ground floor, a large meeting room (majlis), spacious living rooms, storerooms and kitchen open onto a central courtyard that was shielded from the hot desert winds by .high perimeter walls
Side entrance Women majlis
room
verandah
room
toilet
Women majlis
room
verandah room
courtyard Open kitchen
majlis diwan room
room kitchen verandah room
room
room room
Private diwan courtyard Entrance courtyard
bathroom room room
majlis Main entrance
room
majlis
toilet
room
Spatial organization of the building
bedroom
bedroom balcony
The upper floor, with its many bedrooms and balconies which overlook the Creek, provide a spectacular view of the city’s .skyline
terraces
terraces
bedroom bedroom
bedroom
NEW PLAN OF THE HOUSE They changed the functions of all the rooms to use them as places to highlight The old life of residence of the ruler
Phases of construction Built in 1890 by using main local-1 .materials: coral and gypsum .Building the ground floorsmain entrance, men majlis and kitchenthe courtyard.construction of 2 cooling tower(barajeel)-
Phases of construction in 1920Â - 2 .Building the upper flooradding bedrooms and terraces around.the courtyard adding one more coolingtower(barajeel)
Phases of construction in 1930 - 3 .Building the side entrance (women entrance) .women majlisupper floor bedrooms above this section one more cooling tower above this.section(barajeel) The house also boasts 30 rooms which are . built around the central courtyard
Tangible and Intangible Objects
Tangible objects Courtyard and setting areas in the upper.floors with furniture public and private courtyards.arcades and corridors-
Cooking pots relate to traditionalmethod used before Samples of furniture used for guestsmaterials used in this building-
Tangible objects A porch covered the main entrance, and onceinside, benches on either side provide a resting .ground for visitors Different staircases leading to upper floors-
Intangible objects courtyard was constructed big enough to use it in social gathering and to enjoy games for children, and family’s animals spend time there also. Same for terraces in upper floor .spaces also show the hospitality of the rulers with their guests-
.welcoming visitors in the majlis showing the prestige of the rulers-
private and public areas were kept distinctly separate. The inner,private quarters were for the family and consisted of smaller courtyard .surrounded by rooms on two levels
Private courtyard Public courtyard
Intangible objects Privacy that ensured in the building by use of entrances. Which would reduce visibility from .outside, and entrances were separated into main doors and a side one
Short hallway off the main entrance give access through a small courtyard to the majlis without . allowing visitors to see into the private querters of the house High walls and widows safeguarded the privacy of the women -
The fact that the guesthouse is on the right of the person entering the house, points to the.importance of the right (preferring the right side and considering it a blessed side) and optimism .Small entrance providing privacy for the space-
Criteria leading to the classification of the building as heritage & Approach adequate to the building
Criteria leading to the classification of the building as heritage A visit to the Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House is a unique opportunity to know many façades and details of the life and traditional society in .Dubai Main reason to reflect the civilization of Dubai in ruling life Theeasiness of direct contact without the presence of barriers between the people and the rulers. This explains the continuity of this relationship to .date between the people of Dubai and the rulers Many ideas, traditions and architectural design discovering the:uniqueness of the building noticing that all the external orifices of the house are small and -1 in the upper part, while the entrance of the house is refracted, as the person entering the house is confronted by a wall that forces them to turn around it and enter the spacious house hall in an indirect way, where the .different general and specific elements of the house are distributed
Criteria leading to the classification of the building as heritage Other ideas and techniques and architectural design :discovering the uniqueness of the building also see that the kitchens, which always reek-2 of steam and food aromas resulting from feeding the guests flowing to the house endlessly, are positioned at the southern part of the house. This was done so as to make use of the sea breeze blowing from the gulf to the depth of the land during the day, to get rid of the steam .and aromas, and purify the air of the house from them It illustrates the impact of a period of time in-3 architectural design used: the architecture value of different arcades techniques of cooling systems as albarajeel and air -4 .pullers
kitchen
Approach adequate to the building Physical explanation: the main techniques used for cooling and reducing the heat were . albarajeel and air pullers Light and ventilation was providedby small, high windows in ground floors, and by several continuous .windows on the upper level The small circular upper holes allowwarm air to escape, which tends to . rise toward the ceiling of the room arcades-
Approach adequate to the building Aesthetic interpretations/For :malist approach approach Arched arcade: pointed arch and.rectangular arch .Decorations on the wooden doors.Flora and geometric motifs.Crenellation along roofline Loggia surrounded the courtyard-
Approach adequate to  the building : Social explanation Most rooms via veranda open into a centralcourtyard, so family would spend most of .the time in and around the courtyard .For enjoying and playing kitchen was open in the side facing thecourtyard; household utensils were kept in .niches set into the wall Veranda or Liwan faced the courtyard were .a popular space to sit and talk majlis for both men ad women showing thesocial interaction between family and visitors
Causes of Decay of the building Degrees of Intervention (Actions taken on the building)
Causes of decay of the building :Climatic causes After sheikh Saeed passed away in 1958, the lack of maintenance, the building is not ventilated, temperature, sunshine and humidity because they were using gypsum mortar, are the main  causes of deterioration
Degrees of intervention (Actions taken on the building)
:A . R E P RODU C T I ON
s a feg u a r d a v a l u a b l e c u l t u r a l p r op e r t y f r o m d e c a y, w e r e m o v e i t f r o m i t s s i te b u t w e s u b s t i t u te i t by m a k i n g a ) . Â (c o p y
The demol ition was slow and i n the process reusable materi al was saved. The decision to completely rebuild the house was made due to extremel y poor condition and the state that i t . was i n The new house was bui lt of reinforced concrete however the coral rocks from the ori ginal .house were salvaged and re-used in the walls of new building .Repl icas of decorative pieces, woodwork and structural suppor t s were made coral rocks from the original house-1 were salvaged
The new house was built of reinforced-2 concrete
Replicas of decorative pieces-3
:B. PREVENTION
Establish regular maintenance and through it the reparation will be done if it is necessary; Management in terms of cleaning and ) .(housekeeping
.To make the building serviceable air-conditioning, lighting, water and drainage were incorporated NEW LIGHTINGS
:C.REHABILITATION
(keeping the physical structure ‘historical building’ but changing the activity )
.Today the house serves as a museum of historical documents and photographs .The building also won The Arab Towns Organization’s Award for Architectural Conservation DISPLAY ART PIECES IN MUSEUM
References 1
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SELF (SOME DETAIL(DRAWINGS http:// www.dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/Live-Our-Heritage/Pages/Sheikh-Saeed-Al-Ma ktoum-House.aspx http://www.mapcollective.org/resources/Al-Maktoum%20House,% 202A%202010.pdf http://architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.ae/2010/01/other http:// www.dubaiinternetmarketing.com/sheikh-saeed-al-maktoum-house-admire-theview-over-dubai-creek-from-the-upper-floor-dubai-uae-2016-08-10.php http:// www.traveladventures.org/continents/asia/sheikh-saeed-al-maktoum-house. html https://www.insydo.com/sheikh-saeed-al-maktoum-house/2871