JEDDAH, 2 June 2006 — Anyone who has been to downtown Jeddah would have to be blind not to marvel at the traditional architecture, particularly the old buildings with their intricate wooden window scrims. These boxes are more than decorative trumpery. They serve a practical need, too. In a time before air-conditioning, all of Jeddah’s buildings were built with these scrims to help block out the oppressive heat while still providing indoor air movement.
Downtown Jeddah also has a modern example of this idea that architecture should balance environmental factors with innovative design. The National Commercial Bank building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is one of the city’s more distinct modern architectural wonders. The windows of the office building point inward like a sock that has been turned inside out. The office building contains a massive interior shaft that acts as a shaded vertical culvert for air coming in from broad rectangular openings on the sides. The light-colored window-less limestone outer shell reflects heat away from the building rather than drawing it in through glass. The NCB building is a classic example not of function over form, but rather a balance between the two, one of the keystones of architecture.
Once a quiet “Old Arabia” port town of thousands, Jeddah has evolved into a modern city of millions. As urban sprawl radically transforms the Bride of the Red Sea, as Jeddah is called, experts are recognizing the need to address the dynamics and challenges of urban globalization and growth.
To this end, the first Jeddah International Urban Forum and Exhibition, or JIUFEX, was convened in April under the patronage of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed. The theme was: “Urbanism and Sustainability in a Changing World.”
About 40 papers were presented over the three-day forum. Out of the group of experts, one women stood out, not just because she was the only woman to present a paper, but also because her presentation offered a comprehensive set of observations and recommendations for sustainable urban development.
Afaf Badran, an architectural consultant by trade, delivered a paper in English titled, “The Importance of Community Awareness for the Prevalence of Sustainable Design,” which argued that for sustainable development to prevail it is important for the community at large to become aware of environmental problems and sustainable practices and solutions. In essence, she says, the culture must not only be changed, but the needs of the people must be addressed.
“Significant signs of pollution, depleting resources and diminishing biodiversity as well as the deteriorating quality of life — poverty, malnutrition, unemployment, population growth, lack of health — in many parts around the world has led to the wake-up call for environmental awareness and commitment to sustainability,” said Badran.
Badran is quick to point out that sustainability in terms of doing no harm is an Islamic principle. “As a Muslim, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the concept of sustainability has been well defined over 14 centuries ago by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),” she said. “These concise words mean that one’s choices and practices should not inflict short- or long-term harm on others or reciprocally.”
Badran is an architect, and so her presentation focused primarily on design. “Sustainable design is that which provides the users’ needs and realizes their comfort in the built environment without overuse of nonrenewable resources, materials and energy generated by nonrenewable sources used to build structures,” she said while lauding “a design that ensures buildings have long lifecycles making best use of renewable resources.”
In terms of construction projects, Badran says that many buildings being erected today are not taking into consideration sustainability and efficiency. “As an architect practicing in the region and whose specialty is environmental design, I have noticed that clients need to know the seriousness of environmental problems,” she said, underlining that there is “a moral obligation for them to be able to shift from conventional views and to appreciate sustainable design.”
This moral obligation is lacking in what clients want when they build their homes, she says. For example, the construction of swimming pools, fountains, or excessive private green spaces requiring superfluous amounts of water in a country with serious water problems could offer an ethical dilemma if one considers Badran’s argument that sustainability is a moral obligation.
“With respect to the non-sustainable components or external features of private homes, clients are so hard-wired that they will not forfeit them even for their convenience. Changing these views is not easy,” she said. “An innovative design can result in a beautiful building that is neither conventional nor exotic, a building that coevolves with the local environment and is friendly to the global environment.”
Exotic buildings, as she calls them, “are buildings that are initially designed suiting other environments and are adopted by some people of a completely different physical and social environment with no regard to design compatibility to local environment. I came to believe that it is important to raise the level of awareness of the whole community for sustainable design to prevail.”
She cites some commercial projects in the Kingdom where designers took into consideration sustainable criteria, including the National Commercial Bank and Al-Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh, designed by Norman Foster and Partners.
Jeddah’s “inside-out” building mitigates the effect of solar radiation, which helps reduce energy consumption. Riyadh’s Al-Faisaliah Tower employs a system that stores rainwater for use in kitchens and bathrooms. Gray water from the building is collected, treated and used for irrigation in the surrounding landscape.
Badran concluded her presentation with a series of recommendations, which included revising building codes to incorporate into the law sustainable requirements and community outreach to raise awareness through schools.