Aswaaq Traditional Shopping Centers Architecture Projects is the fifty-four article on architecture projects from practice. The project is located in the Arabian desert country which has the characteristics of a traditional architecture style. The plot is located in a newly developed area established for local residents for homes land use. The project is located in one of the UAE cities of the Middle East area. At the beginning of 2002, the authorities and municipality finalized the blueprint of plots. Land uses were restricted to homes. These traditional shopping centers were only a concept design and a proposal for various areas in a low-rise home for local people. One of the three proposals, later architecture presented in this article, was approved by authorities and was constructed in 2014 in al Warqqa third area in one of the UAE cities.
The development company, Aswaaq a Dubai-based developer, announced a competition for a series of architecture projects in different areas in the capital Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I approached the company office in Dubai while I was a design manager in a company in Abu Dhabi and talked to one of the higher management employees regarding the invitation. They informed me it is a competition for the typical Aswaaq shopping center to obtain a general concept theme that fits the four areas in Dubai. I received all the competition invitation letters and all the related competition requirements for this series of projects. The company replied with a letter of interest to participate in the competition. The area planning land use and regulation was a home’s land use of low rise of 1 story. In late 2010 the land uses changed, and they included low-rise buildings for residential purposes on the boundaries of the area of the project. No commercial or office land use was permitted to date also. A demand for retail in the area appeared due to the expansion of land uses and increased densities. That is the main drive why these series of shopping centers appeared, and it was established.
The development is an organic urban design layout with curved streets, green spaces, and parks in between. At the beginning of 2002, the area inhabitants were from the country’s citizens. After the crisis, the authorities opened the area for investment on one condition that the land ownership continue to be for a local person. Many foreigners invested in this area in commercial housing and villa projects.
These architecture projects of the shopping center are characterized by its simplicity of external forms that simulate the desert forms and are compatible with its shapes and forms. The material is from mud and plastered from the same material in the facades. The external windows have a wooden projection forming different elements and details. The traditional architecture of this shopping center includes an air tower that is used to bring airflow to the Building and the AC system and to simulate the traditional architectural forms and shapes.
The architecture of the plans mainly is inward-looking and has a defensive form. All the shops are open to a main corridor and connected to a main entrance and two side entries for future use parts. The four proposals for the four plots, though the plots are different in shape, have the same architectural design and layout.
The traditional architecture of the shopping center architecture projects general characteristics include: the external form simulates the traditional architecture of the country, and the project is of low density. The architecture is inward-looking, and the shopping center opens to the inside corridor. The architecture of this project is similar to the Arab and Muslim country’s sooq buildings. The plot has an external municipality car park for visitors and shoppers. See Figure 1, the external photo of the building.
As illustrated in the ground floor plan of the submitted proposal drawing, the architectural design includes the car parking lots and the required services plus the entrances to the shopping center from the car park. The car park numbers provided follow the requirements of the planning department of the authority. All shops have external entrances and internal entrances from the inside corridor. The concept design is similar to the Arabic sooq called kissaria. See Figure 2, the ground floor plan of the building.
The ground floor plan shows the simplicity of architectural design that is similar to traditional architecture in the country. The floor includes service rooms, a supermarket of full facilities, a large food court for fast food shops on the external part, other simple layout shops, and the electrical services rooms that are required on the ground floor plus the management office.
Finally, the elevations illustrate the architectural simulation of the traditional architecture in the country elements like the external projections window decorations, a false arcade with the Arabic multi-circle arch and decorative columns, windows wooden and GRC screens and parapet details are of local character, and an exact copy of the wind towers on all sides of the building. See Figure 3, the building elevations from all sides.
Our concept design proposal won the competition, and the project was constructed in various areas simulating this proposal architectural design. Our project became a landmark building in the areas they were constructed and various shopping malls in adjacent areas were designed architecturally in the same form.
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