Athens Institute for Education and Research 3rd Annual International Conference on Architecture, 10-13 June 2013, Athens, Greece The Impact of Building Legislation on the Transformation of Architecture in the Gulf Region. Dr. Yasser Mahgoub Associate Professor of Architecture Department of Architecture and Urban Planning College of Engineering Qatar University ymahgoub@qu.edu.qa
Introduction The built environment found in the Gulf countries has passed through rapid changes during the second half of the 20th century, as a result of economic wealth generated after the discovery of oil that initiated major urban development schemes to improve the quality of life and urban environment.
Rooms
Bedroom Livingroom
Kitchen
Courtyard
House
Arish Vernacular Dwellings
Tent
Trends and Future of Vertical Structures in the Middle East Buildings in emerging cities of the Middle East are statements of modernity, globalization and economic prosperity.
Trends and Future of Vertical Structures in the Middle East Buildings in emerging cities of the Middle East are statements of modernity, globalization and economic prosperity.
Introduction Urban master plans were developed to transform the traditional settlements to modern cities and communities. They introduced urban and building legislations that transformed the traditional settlements into modern urban environments.
Introduction This transformation had impact not only on the configuration and quality and of urban space but also on the social and cultural interaction between people.
Introduction The paper investigates the impact of urban and building legislations on the configuration and quality of social spaces in Gulf countries. It traces their transformation from traditional settlements to modern urban environments and the impact of urban and building legislations on this transformation.
Introduction The paper argues that urban and building legislations have major impact on the quality of social spaces due to the fact that they must be adhered to by planners, architects and designers.
Introduction Building legislations constitute a major element in the shaping of buildings, spaces, streets, neighborhoods, urban environment and cities. Social and cultural interaction is conditioned by physical spaces designed by planners and architects according to specific urban and building legislations.
Introduction Legislations are critical elements in the production of social space and cultural interaction opportunities. The paper emphasizes that research should address specific elements of the legislations that impact, positively or negatively, the formation of the social space.
BUILDING LEGISLATIONS
Building Legislations Building legislations are sets of laws and regulations adopted by a building authorities to control the production and process of constructing of different types of buildings. They provide essential design parameters for site placement, building size, height, and interior layout as well as design and construction details.
Building Legislations They cover specific design and construction requirements, occupancy, building height, floor area ratio, number of floors, availability of fire-fighting capacity, and other factors. They provide minimum standards to safeguard life, health, property and public welfare by regulating the design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of all buildings within this jurisdiction.
Building Legislations Thus, building legislations and regulations constitute an important factor in shaping cities, urbanscapes and buildings. All societies exert control over the actions of the individuals within their realm of influence to ensure acceptable levels of behavior for the common good. Once the process of construction reaches a point of sophistication where aspects of health and safety become concerns, it too becomes the subject of regulations.
GULF COUNTRIES
Gulf Countries The built environment found in the Gulf countries has passed through rapid changes and transformation during the second half of the 20th century. These changes were the result of economic wealth generated after the discovery of oil in the region that initiated major urban development schemes to improve the quality of life and urban environment. Map of the Gulf region
Gulf Countries In general, the Gulf countries went through the following development stages:
Gulf Countries Urban master plans were developed to transform the traditional settlements to modern cities and communities. Highways, roads, avenues and streets replaced the traditional narrow shaded alleys while villas and multistory housing complexes replaced the traditional mud and stone dwellings. Kuwait City Master Plan 1952
Gulf Countries Slick office buildings and shopping centers are dominating the urbanscape alongside modern public buildings and stock markets. The transformation occurred rapidly in a very short period of time.
Gulf Countries Gulf countries were isolated from most global influences due to the harsh natural environment, undesirable living conditions and absence of natural resources. The modern world came rapidly and ready-made to the countries of the Gulf region during the second half of the 20th Century. They did not transform gradually from traditional Bedouin and fishing societies to modern industrial societies.
Comparison Climatic solutions
Air condition
Barjil
Glass
Courtyard
Openings
Material
Modern
Vernacular
Comparison between traditional and modern climatic solutions
Gulf Countries The planning of these cities was performed by western offices; for example Doxiadis in Riyadh, Minoprio, Spencely and P.W. Macfarlane in Kuwait, following the discovery of oil with commercial quantities during the 1930's. The planning schemes introduced new concepts; such as the gridiron street system, the downtown business center, the neighborhood, and the villa.
Gulf Countries They also encouraged the adoption of building regulations in order to ‘control the way in which buildings shall be erected, their height, the amount of land which each can occupy, the distance between buildings and the width of development roads giving access to houses’ (Minoprio, 1951).
Comparison Old and New neighborhoods
Modern
Vernacular
Vernacular and modern neighborhood planning
Gulf Countries They introduced urban and building legislations to control the design and construction activities covering zoning, buildings’ specifications, and methods of construction. They introduced the “villa� as a prototype to replace the traditional courtyard house, the self contained neighborhood to replace the extended and expanding traditional settlement, and wide asphalt roads to replace narrow pedestrian alleys or fareej.
Traditional neighborhood
Modern neighborhood
Comparison Old and New houses
House
Courtyard
Garden
House
Traditional house design
Modern House Design
Vernacular House Design
Modern and traditional house design
Modern house design
Gulf Countries The traditional process of reciprocal interaction between the socio-religious structure and the physical environment within the city has been replaced by another process which holds to more prescriptive conventions of form. These conventions are alien to the environment and often work to defy accepted social norms and conventions. (Al-Hathloul, 1981)
CASE STUDIES: KUWAIT AND QATAR
CASE STUDIES: THE CASE OF KUWAIT
Kuwait Introduction
Kuwait is located on the northern corner of the Gulf and occupies an area of 17,818 square kilometers. Sixty years ago it was only a small fishing village, but it has emerged as one of the richest and most culturally significant cities in the area.
Kuwait Introduction
Kuwait went through rapid transformation that took place with enormous speed. Only a few historic monuments have been preserved in Kuwait as modernization continues to take its toll on the old urban environment and historic buildings.
Kuwait Before 1950
Kuwait Kuwait before 1950
Kuwait Kuwait before 1950
The case of Kuwait
Figure 1. Traditional vs. Contemporary built environment in Kuwait.
The case of Kuwait Building regulations in Kuwait had developed during the second half of the 20th century. No formal building regulations existed before the implementation of the new planning of Kuwait in 1952. Construction of houses and other public buildings followed the vernacular tradition of building houses according to acceptable socio-cultural norms by master builders.
The case of Kuwait The first building regulations were made of several "announcements" or "decrees" made by the Amir or the Municipality to regulate the construction of new houses.
The case of Kuwait In 1950 the Municipality regulated the construction of new houses by enforcing the following decisions: 1. Any contractor wishing to perform construction work has to obtain a consent from the municipality of his ability to perform this work. 2. All professional architects are required to obtain a license from the Municipality to perform their architectural services. 3. No one is allowed to build a second floor (or more) without presenting drawings of his plans to the municipality in order to determine the strength of the ground floor.
The case of Kuwait In their Report on the Plan for the Town of Kuwait, Minoprio et al called attention to the need to develop ‘a simple set of rules to govern the way in which buildings shall be erected, their height, the amount of land which each can occupy, and the distance between buildings, will be necessary’ (Minoprio, 1951).
The case of Kuwait They regarded the following matters as being of primary importance in the “replanning� of the town: a. The provision of a modern road system appropriate to the traffic conditions in Kuwait. b. The location of suitable zones for public buildings, industry, commerce, schools and other purposes. c. The choice of zones for new houses and other buildings needed in residential areas, both inside and outside the town wall. d. The selection of sites for parks, sports ground, school playing fields and other open spaces. e. The creation of beautiful and dignified town center, particular attention being given to the Safat and the siting of public buildings. f. The planting of trees and shrubs among the principal roads and at other important points in the town. g. The provision of improved main roads linking Kuwait with the adjoining towns and villages.
The case of Kuwait
Figure 2. Kuwait's 1st Master Plan.
The case of Kuwait The first formal building regulations were issued in 1962. They were mainly decrees and directives issued by the Municipality. Another set of building regulations were issued in 1979. The most significant set of building regulations was issued in 1985 under the law #30 and later changed by law #21 of 1996. This law went into effect until it was modified in the year 2000.
The case of Kuwait The 1985 law regulated all aspects of building construction for all building types all over the state of Kuwait. In 1996 modifications for this schedule were made that permitted the use of more land for construction and the enlargement of building size.
The case of Kuwait In the year 2000 more modifications for the same regulations were made that permitted the construction of 120 sq. m in addition to allowed area. The last modification occurred in May 2002 enlarging the floor area ratio for all lots to 170%.
The case of Kuwait
The case of Kuwait The 1985 version of the regulations stated that building area should not exceed 120% of land area (basement not included) and that the floor area should not exceed 40% of land area for all floors. Thus, 60% of lot area was dedicated for car parking and landscaping.
The case of Kuwait The increase in the allowable building footprint by 1996 version of regulations reduced the area dedicated for landscaping and car parking inside the lot. It also enlarged the building volume and adjacency of buildings by reducing the distance between buildings.
The case of Kuwait
The case of Kuwait The 1985 version of the regulations stated that building setback should not be less than 5 meters from the main road and 2.5 meters from neighbors. The distance of setback from neighbor (2.5 m) allowed for the development of car parking within the lot area.
The case of Kuwait The decrease of the setback distance dedicated by 1996 modifications allowed the building footprint to increase and the area dedicated for landscaping and car parking to decrease. It also enlarged the building volume and adjacency of buildings.
The case of Kuwait In general, changes made to private housing building regulations during the second half of the 20th century were mainly intended to enlarge the building volume and floor area. This is primarily due to political pressures from citizens to utilize their lots to produce more floor area.
The case of Kuwait The enlargement of building volume and the reduction of spaces caused severe degradation to the quality of the built environment. It forced the elimination of car parking from within lots and the parking of cars on the sidewalks, hence inhibiting the use of sidewalk by pedestrians.
The case of Kuwait
The case of Kuwait Several changes aiming at increasing the size of building volume and floor area ratio produced a built environment very hostile to pedestrians. The increasing use of lot area resulted in an inadequate space to accommodate cars inside the lot and the inability to provide indoor parking garages. This situation forced the parking of cars on the sidewalks occupying the space assigned for pedestrians.
The case of Kuwait The resulting environment in the streets of many neighborhoods is very hostile to pedestrians. Because cars occupy the sidewalks of the streets, it is almost impossible for pedestrians to walk around a block on sidewalks; they are forced to use the street for walking exposing themselves to the dangers of automobiles and service vehicles.
The case of Kuwait The reduction of setbacks to a distance of 1.5 m produces building volumes that are no more than 3 meters apart. This distance is not appropriate to maintain acceptable levels of privacy required by people of a culture that value privacy highly. Windows of different buildings face each other allowing visual intrusion into neighbors houses.
The case of Kuwait The small setback required by building regulations does not allow for the appreciation of each building design. Building regulations allow for the construction of adjoining houses without means to enforce a harmony of style or character between the two houses. The result is a mixture of adjacent styles, characters, colors, materials, forms, and shapes.
The case of Kuwait The community feeling was not maintained due to lack of spaces that allow social contact opportunities. The occupation of sidewalks by cars reduced the chances of neighbors meeting or kids playing in the streets that are not safe for them. Contemporary neighborhood environment encourages isolation and separation between families and neighbors.
CASE STUDIES: THE CASE OF QATAR
The case of Qatar The impact of rapid change that occurred in Doha city, Qatar, since the middle of the 20th century on the sustainability of the urban environment and the impact of urban and building legislations on this transformation is evident.
The case of Qatar
Figure 4. Traditional vs. Contemporary built environment in Doha.
The case of Qatar This rapid planned change did not permit the city to develop in a sustainable manner and urban and building legislations have major impact on the sustainability of the urban environment.
The case of Qatar During the 1940s, the “General Merchants and Building Contractors� was established to represent the commercial interests Doha 1947 of the rapidly growing construction, materials and building industries to meet the increasing demands of the market.
The case of Qatar During the early years of construction boom, buildings responded poorly to climatic conditions due inadequate construction quality and workmanship. Building codes and regulations were introduced in order to allow for a controlled development to take place.
The case of Qatar As in other Gulf countries, the discovery of oil attracted international companies specialized in oil industries to establish communities for their workers. They established planning and building construction standards and specifications similar to what was practiced in their home countries. Construction of new development followed these developments as models of modern planning and construction standards.
The case of Qatar Buildings designed by architects from other countries applied standards and specifications found in their home countries. Absence of official legislations and regulations, coupled with lack of skilled staff allowed this practice to take place. Municipal employees focused on small scale projects allowing large scale projects to be developed away from municipal supervision.
The case of Qatar The establishment of new governmental agencies during the middle of the 20th century was instrumental in introducing building legislations. Some the important agencies include the Ministry of Public Works and Water that was instrumental in improving the standards of construction of buildings and infrastructure.
The case of Qatar Also, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs was instrumental in controlling the construction of buildings and projects. Yet, coordination between different governmental agencies was lacking due to inexperienced staff composition.
The case of Qatar In Qatar, most development projects focused on Doha. Qatar Municipality was established in 1963 under law number 11 followed by law number 15 to establish the Municipality of Doha to control the rapid development in Qatar and Doha. The law covered aspects related to building construction, landscaping and public health.
The case of Qatar The process of licensing included the submission of a site location plans and with the intent to follow regulations. There was no mechanism of enforcing the regulations other than the court of law.
The case of Qatar The process of controlling construction through this law continued until Qatar’s independence in 1971 when the Ministry of Municipal Affairs was established. In 1972 planning consultants established standards that did not include elaborate building regulations.
The case of Qatar Several attempts were made to control the construction of buildings were introduced by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture. They included the following laws and orders: • Law No 8 - 1974 and its amendments, related to general cleanliness. • Law No 3 - 1975 and its amendments, related to commercial, industrial and public buildings. • Law No. 4 – 1985 and its amendments, related to controlling buildings. • Ministerial Order No. 2 – 1989, related to precautions to be taken for public safety to avoid hazards from building construction. • Ministerial Order No. 7 – 1989, related to technical and architectural specifications for buildings. • Ministerial Order No 2 - 1989, related to the transport of debris, solid and liquid waste.
The case of Qatar In 1997, the UN report on the implementation of Agenda-21 for achieving sustainable development indicated that Qatar lacks a coherent construction regulations law. This indicated lack of extensive coverage and comprehensiveness of existing building legislation, lack of proper enforcement mechanisms for enforcement, and lack of experienced personnel and funding. In 2002, Qatar General Organization for Standards and Metrology was established to produce a new set of standards for a number of items that are currently being implemented.
The case of Qatar
Figure 5.Doha’s skyline.
CONCLUSION: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BUILDING REGULATIONS
Conclusion Building regulations have substantial impact on the configuration and sustainability of the built environment. They control the size and volume of buildings through setbacks, floor area ratios, projections, and heights. While the advantages of applying building regulations are numerous, they also have disadvantages if they are not written, applied, or monitored properly.
Conclusion In many countries building regulations are a demonstration of political intent. They have substantial impact on the formation and sustainability of the built environment. The paper argues that social interaction taking place in an urban environment is conditioned by physical spaces designed by planners and architects according to specific urban and building legislations.
Conclusion The paper proposes that in order to achieve successful application of sustainable strategies, they should be integrated into building legislations and laws. Also research in the field should address the impact of urban and buildings legislations as an important vehicle for the production of a sustainable built environment.
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