This is a poster on utilisation of traditional architecture in sheltering those in need in Saudi Arabia, presented by Prof. Hisham Mortada, at Organisation of World Heritage Cities Congress, Quito, Ecuador, 09.07.2009.

1. HISHAM MORTADA, Ph.D.
Dept. of Architecture, King Abdul Aziz University
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
hmortada@kau.edu.sa
REGENERATING TRADITION TO EMPOWER AND
SHELTER THOSE IN NEED: AN URBAN CASE FROM
SAUDI ARABIA
INTODUCTION: Poverty
has become a phenomenon in
most parts of the world. Saudi
Arabia, has been affected by the
deteriorating international
economic conditions. Limited
national income and high rate of
population growth and
unemployment have influenced
the physical environment of
various parts of the country.
Squatter settlements are
dominating the urban and social
fabric of major cities such as
Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina.
INHABITANTS’ PREVIOUS PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL
ASPECTS
Before moving to Thamaya, the settlement inhabitants lived
in shakes scattered around the hot arid and inhospitable
desert of Mecca. Some of them were close to cities but there
were no roads to connect them with urban areas. They
insisted to stay in their locations as these sites reminded
them of their ancestors. Other were spread in large areas
along a bank of a valley.
THAMAYA CASE STUDY:
Thamaya is a settlement project,
west of Saudi Arabia, introduced
by the Society of Makkah for
Development and Social Services
(SMDSS), which was established
in 1999 to conduct charitable
projects that improve the living
conditions of the needy population
of the region. Traditional earth
architecture was a source of
inspiration of the project.
It is very hard to dictate any culture communally shared by them
since their environment lacked any sense of organization and there
was no communication between this environment and the outside
world. Almost every individual or family had different living
circumstances, thus, viewed the world variously. This was a real
challenge to SMDSS, which tried through the Thamaya project to
bring these people together and create a common culture.
Sustainability Issues: The matter of sustainability deals
with three design variables: environment, culture and
economy. These aspects are integrated with each other
and reflected in the design and planning of Thamaya.
Fig. 1. Slums of Sao Paulo, Nairobi, and Manila
Fig. 8. Scattered units to prevent conflicts
The geographic isolation of this group made it impossible for them to obtain
any source of income. Most of them were unemployed. Yet, a few of them
used to rely on firewood cutting and coaling. They produced coal by primitive
methods, digging deep holes in the ground by hand and filling them with tree
branches and trunks which they then burned, exposing themselves to
hazardous fire and smoke.
They lived under trees or large rocks or in caves or primitive huts of leaves,
brushwood and posts. . Some had skin tents with no walls while other lived in
shacks constructed from mats or waste clothes with some aluminum roofing
Architecturally, the dwellings feature a simple design that is
suitable for the inhabitants’ natural life, needs, and
relationships with the surroundings. Some houses consist
of a single room each while other contain three with vaulted
roofs. The rooms of the two types of dwelling are opened
toward a yard, where a small bathroom is built and activities
such as cooking and social gathering take place.
Facilities of communal functions such as the mosque and
schools provided in the settlement would enhance the
integration between people and encourage cooperation.
The three gardens added later to the settlement provide a
pleasant outdoor space for more social interaction.
Fig. 2. Thamaya’s location
Fig. 4. Scatterness, isolation, no sense of community/culture
Fig. 5. Lonely individuals and families
Fig. 6. Primitive and hazardous methods of making a living
SETTLEMENT URBAN AND ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTERISTICS: There is no specific pattern applied to
the urban arrangement of the dwellings or settlement
components, though some of them are organically grouped
around 2 schools, a mosque, and a clinic. This informal master
plan, imitating the shaterness of shelters where residents
previously lived, was intentional. It was essential to keep the
dwellings away from each other to eliminate any conflicts
between residents. As mentioned earlier, the original lifestyle
of this group has created a strong territorial behavior.
Fig. 7. Inhabitants’ previous physical conditions
Fig. 9. Single and three room units
Fig. 10. Design/form: Simple, practical, durable for desert,
economic, easy to build, and maintenance-less. Building
materials: stones and sand from the site
Fig. 11. Sense of community: Shared facilities )mosque,
school, clinic, garden)
Fig. 3. Various styles of traditional Saudi earth architecture