3. Conservation Projects in Dubai Examples and Lessons from Al-Bastakia Project * Almost all of Dubai’s historic buildings have been demolished and all that remained by early 1980s were isolated pockets of old buildings stranded between their modern counterparts. * In 1980 Dubai Municipality realized that unless action was taken soon to preserve the architectural heritage of Dubai, few if any, old buildings would be remaining by end of the decade. * As a result, several conservation projects were initiated, such as:
4. Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum House * Originally constructed in 1896 as the President’s House until 1958. * Located in Shandagha Area facing the Khour. * It is the first renovation project which started in 1981 and finished in 1986. * Won the” Historical Building Conservation Project” Award from the Arab Cities Organization.
5. Al Fahaidi Fort * Originally constructed in 1799 and it is the oldest building in Dubai. Used to be the President’s house until 1896. * Located in the center of Bar Dubai and in the commercial center. * Transformed into a museum without changing the architectural features. Opened to the publics in mid 1995.
6. Hatta Historical Village * One of the oldest areas in Dubai believed to exist 2000 - 3000 years ago. * Includes a fort, a 200 year old mosque, some 30 old mud dwellings, and some farms. * It is an example of a defensive village. The fort being the center of the village. * Located on chains of mountains. * It is now a touristic and historical village which were to open for the publics in 1998.
7. Bastakia Area * Constructed at around 1910. * Famous area for its buildings with tall wind towers, gypsum decorations, woodwork, and other architectural features created by the master builders at that time. * Located in the eastern part of Bar Dubai along the Khour which extends about 300m and a depth of 200m.
8. * The area dates back to around 1910, and occupies the eastern section of the old town along the Creek, extending to a length of 300m and a depth of 200m. Background of Al-Bastakia Area
11. * In all, there are about 55 houses in Bastakia though a number of these are modern two story houses built in concrete, 25 of them are with wind towers. * Before the conservation plan of Al-Bastakia area started (1994), the area has suffered badly with little maintenance being carried out and services continuing with often up to 100 people sharing a single house. This had done much to accelerate the decline in the building fabric. Bastakia is generally considered to be a slum area.
12. * Llewelyn-Davis was appointed to undertake the Bastakia Conservation Study in June of 1994. * What is a Conservation Study? The scope of the work asked for a “ Comprehensive Design Brief ” and “ Conceptual Design ”. This still did not answer the basic question of what product did the client expect. Did they want a beautifully restored museum piece or just the basic upgrading of buildings and services? After discussion with the client two basic study objects were identified: 1. To restore the historic buildings, the wind tower houses and 2. To restore Bastakia as a unique living and working part of central Dubai. Appointment
13. * The study was then broken down into 4 main areas of work: 1. A detailed survey of all buildings to determine their architecturally quality, value and suitability for future use. 2. A site appraisal to determine the opportunities and constraints, city context and linkages. 3. Research and analysis into what future uses are realistic in Bastakia based on market demand. 4. Consideration of physical development opinions.
14. * Before the study started, many people knew that there were some fine buildings in Bastakia but nobody had ever carried out a systemic survey of all buildings to find out exactly what was there. * In order to establish a database of the existing and establish their relative value a detailed survey of each building was conducted, and it included: - Age - Condition - Building Material - Type (e.g., courtyard, modern two storey etc.) - Land use - Ownership - Services 1. The Buildings Survey
15. * In addition to the on-site survey, many hours were spent tracking down and talking to owners and occupiers of the buildings to piece together the history and development of both the buildings themselves and also the area as a whole. * Last but not least, an analysis of the architectural quality of each building was conducted to establish some overall relative grading. This was done by considering the architectural quality and richness of each building under three headings: - External features visible from the “sikkas” and open spaces - Features visible from within the courtyard - Features visible from within the building only. * A marking system was developed which gave points to each features. Points were also awarded for each building’s contribution to the overall townscape of Bastakia.
16. * When added together this produced a total points value for each building. The greater the number of points, the greater the architectural merits. * The buildings were then divided into 4 categories according to their score: 1- The best buildings were graded as “ buildings of exceptional architectural merits which are of major importance to the Heritage of Dubai and the Gulf ”, next came 2- “ Buildings of great architectural merit which are of importance to the character and heritage of Dubai and the Gulf ”, followed by 3- “ Buildings of minor architectural merit but which contribute to the character and heritage of Bastakia ”, and 4- The final category were “ buildings of no architectural merit ”. * Although this was subjective assessment of the building stock, it enabled the team to identify and focus upon the most important buildings architecturally.
17. * Of course, this grading system was not an end in itself but only one of the tools that enabled the team to evaluate the existing situation. * Just as important as the individual architectural merit of each building is the urban form and townscape of the area itself. * The site appraisal identified a number of opportunities and constraints: Despite the rapid growth of the surrounded city, Bastakia remains remarkably self-contained: 2. Site Appraisal - Linkages are poor and the surrounding areas need to be improved. - The edges of Bastakia are poorly defined and need enhancing. - The small open spaces within Bastakia should be used as the focus for future activities - The simple but traditional urban form with sikkas gives the area its identity and should be retained- keeping just a few of the best buildings will destroy the overall character of the area. - The visual intrusion of the surrounding high-rise buildings and especially the advertisements should be reduced wherever possible.
18. * After the long-standing threat of demolition has been lifted, what should be the future role of Bastakia be? * It is relatively easy to restore the old buildings and designate a conservation area. What is more difficult is ensuring that the restoration process is a success in the long term and that it can be sustained. * The basis of this sustainability is identifying uses for each building that will bring life to Bastakia and enable it to make a contribution to Dubai rather than it becoming a beautifully museum piece without meaning or context. * A crucial part of the study was therefore to identify what future uses might be possible once the area had been upgraded and the buildings restored: 3. The Future of Bastakia - Heritage - Culture - Tourism - Other public uses such as education or professional offices - Residential
19. * Before the project started, a number of previous ideas for the future of Bastakia had been put forward, ranging from complete clearance to selective demolition. * The team considered a range of physical options for the future of the area including: * The conclusion was the latter option, and it should be taken forward to produce a preferred approach. 4. Possible Development Approaches - Preserving the best buildings in a landscape setting - Preserving the best buildings and re-developing around them in modern style - Preserving the best building and re-developing around them in traditional style - Retaining and restoring as many of the buildings as possible and finding suitable future uses for them.
20. * The main elements of the preferred approach were: 5. Preferred Approach - To retain as many buildings as possible; - To retain and enhance overall urban form and townscape of the area provided by the narrow sikkas and small open spaces; - To allow public access to the buildings of the greatest architectural merit to enable people to see internal spaces and detailing; - A mixed use approach based on tourism, heritage and cultural uses with residential uses allocated to the most appropriate buildings; - To improve and enhance the links to the surrounding areas of Dubai city including a new Abra stop; - To make Bastakia a living and working part of the city rather than a Museum; - For the Municipality to take on a small number of key projects initially to show commitment to the project with investment for the private sector following.
21. * The preferred approach encompassed the following physical concepts: - A main “Activity Node” to the north, grouping a cluster of visitor attractions, museums, cafes, shops, galleries - around the main open space looking out wards the Creek; - A secondary “Node” to the south on Al-Fahidi Street, also of interest to visitors; - A main “Spine” or visitor route through the area, using the sikkas and small open spaces to link the two nodes in an interesting and attractive way; - Mainly residential use of the other houses; - An improved setting to the edges of Bastakia.
22. 6. Conclusions * What conclusions can we draw from our experience in Bastakia that may be relevant to other projects in the Gulf: - Identify the end of project you are seeking early on; - The strategy must be sustainable in the long run. - It is best to obtain the approval and involvement of all owners, occupiers and investors to harness as much private sector investment as possible. - Set achievable targets based on a sensible time-scale and available resources; - Consider all areas in the context of their surrounding; - Careful and experienced project is essential - conservation projects are “organic” in nature and need to be looked after; - Act now before it is too late.
