The traditional architecture of shopping center project is the thirty-one article on 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 area blueprint of plots. Land uses were restricted to homes. The local owner assigned three consultancy firms simultaneously but continued for 3 years without getting approval for his concept design. The traditional architecture of this shopping center was only a concept design and was rejected by the municipality.
The planning authority objected to any project of commercial type in this area, Al Warqa, in the years after 2002. The owner came to our firm and assigned the firm as the consultancy firm to proceed with the architecture and supervision. He informed the manager what he had passed through the previous years and how much money he had lost. The manager handed over this project to me to handle the building permit approval the architectural design phases and construction document preparation. I approached the planning department of the city municipality with the developed concept design with my team in the office and talked to the department head. I explained that the land is the municipality land, and the locals want to invest in municipality land which will bring benefit to both parties. He informed us to apply for special approval and we obtained it after two weeks. This project was the first shopping center to be approved in this area.
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.
The traditional architecture of the shopping center project is 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 courtyard and connected to an upper floor that has the same layout. My project, after obtaining the building permit, here was put on hold and the construction phase started in 2010 but with a modern design developed after the building permit approval.
The traditional architecture of the shopping center project’s general characteristics include: the external form simulates the traditional architecture of the country, the project is of low density, and a ground plus mezzanine plus basement for parking. The architecture is inward-looking, and the shopping center is opening to inside. 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.
As illustrated in the basement floor, 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.
The ground floor plan shows the simplicity of architectural design that is similar to traditional architecture in the country. The floor includes a shopping center consisting of service rooms, a supermarket of full facilities, a large food court for fast food shops, other simple layout shops, and the electrical services rooms that are required on the ground floor plus the car ramps to the basement floor.
The mezzanine floor of this traditional architecture project includes the typical functions on the ground floor like the shops and the related services, toilets, and vertical circulation, and the mezzanine floor of the supermarket opens to the ground floor. In addition to this floor is a large cafeteria for shoppers to sit and take a rest after shopping and for visitors. All shops on the municipality parking side and the back side have projections to the outside of wooden material.
As shown in the section, the typical copy of the traditional architecture forms especially the wind towers on the sides. Space heights are relatively low compared to mall architecture in terms of scale and size. The courtyard in between is opened from the inside and obtained lights from the skylight in the roof of the traditional form.
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.
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