Cultural Influences On Building Design

part one

Dr.Hana Aljawder
Dr.Fatema Qaed
Introduction:
Our huge and highly variegated store of knowledge about the ways that humans occupy and
use their space becomes most meaningful when studied in the light of culture relation to
building design.
Cultural
Influence On
Building Design
sweden-based artist Anastasia Savinova traveled
through cities across different countries and observed
the architecture of the culture that inhabits them.

“I take pictures of buildings, look into windows

sneakily, go to local shops, flea markets and
bars, watch everyday life — all this helps to
build the feeling of the place” Savinova says.

In his artwork he identifies differences and similarities

between habitable spaces, then using dozens of
building visuals he collage them into a on architectural
representation.

SE / Sweden / Upland
“the series of collages titled ‘genius loci’ sees large
dwellings composed of many different buildings in a
particular city or country.”

DK / Denmark / Copenhagen
FR / France DE / Germany
What does culture mean?

“the whole way of life, material, intellectual, and

spiritual, of a given society.” (KENNEY, 1994)

“the complex of distinctive attainments, beliefs,

traditions [which establish] the background of [a]
racial, religious, or social group.” (KENNEY, 1994)

Hindu culture
What does culture mean?

“Culture embraces complex ways of living, value

systems, traditions, beliefs and habits; including
knowledge, morals, law and customs, acquired by
those within that Society. These provide for a set of
‘cultural objects’, which symbolise a shared
schematic experience, and which we recognise as
having cultural value.”(Report, 2011)

Turkish culture
What does culture mean?
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architect

“The culture of each society is identified through its manifestations such as language, art, and
architecture, and analysis in the field of culture is related to the study of cultural manifestations
(Ettehad et al., 2014).”
Barcelona culture

Language Art architecture

Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architecture

“Architecture as a matter of human life reflects the

culture in every society interacting closely with
structural, historical, political, economic and social
features of society.

People in every country try to follow their norms

and maintain their values in making of architecture
by applying the material things. Changing the
cultural and social attitudes in communities has the
greatest impact on the architecture. Therefore, the
role of culture in promoting architectural identity
seems essential (Ettehad et al., 2014).”
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architecture

“The result is that the culture of each community defines the identity of the community and architecture
as a social phenomenon was originated from the culture and its effects. Art and architecture are of the
most important symptoms and characteristics of each nation and every historical period that indicate the
environment human’s lives at any time.” (Ettehad et al., 2014)
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architecture

“Architecture is the portray of a nation’s culture

integrated with all aspects of human life and has a
profound impact on it. Architecture is the results of
the culture of the society” (Parvizi, 2009)
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architecture

So when you see in a society the most famous buildings

are libraries, museum and universities while in other
societies the most famous buildings are shopping malls
you can get an indication of the culture of this society

In one hand, architecture is a reflection of city culture,

and in the other hand architecture can change our
culture
Culture and architecture

The relationship between culture and architecture

In some cities you can study and understand the

culture of its people from its buildings.

Others cities the architecture of buildings create the

culture of the city

CULTURE ARCHITECTURE
In some cities you can study and
understand the culture of a city from its
buildings,
CULTURE ARCHITECTURE

For example:

The Parthenon in Greek The Egyptian pyramids The House Of Burj Khalifa Dokk1 library in
Wisdom in Iraq in Dubai Denmark
The Parthenon

The magnificent temple of Athens

The birth place of democracy

“In this building the Greeks incorporated a

fundamental principle of their culture: arête. To
the Greeks, arête meant excellence and reaching
ones full potential. Arete now means “excellence
of any kind” or “moral virtue”
The Parthenon

“Ancient Greek art emphasized the importance

and accomplishments of human beings.

Greek art was meant honor the gods, but the gods
were created in the image of humans.

Art and architecture were a tremendous source of

pride for citizens and could be found in various
parts of the city” as this building became a
symbol copied in many other countries
The Egyptian pyramids

“The Egyptians are another amazing example, their

environment and culture produced the great
pyramids.

Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the

pharaoh played in ancient Egyptian society.

More than 4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids

still retain much of their majesty, providing a glimpse
into the country’s rich and glorious past.”
 The Egyptian pyramids

Looking at the size of these pyramids in comparison to

human size reflects the image that the pharaoh
wanted to present himself to others as he is the god,
he is the most important thing in the country
 The Greeks’ Parthenon culture The Egyptians’ pyramids
emphasized on the importance culture emphasized on the
and accomplishments of human importance of one human
beings. being

And their architect reflects that culture as the famous Greek building was the birth place of limited
democracy in the other hand famous Egyptian building reflects the power of one man controlling the
whole country
The House Of Wisdom

Famous buildings in any civilization reflects its culture In 786-

809 during Islamic Golden Age, one of the most famous
building was :

the house of wisdom

“it was a multi cultural library and intellectual center, and it

transformed the Western Civilization (Lyons, 2010)”

“ in the middle of the ninth century, the House of Wisdom had

the largest selection of books in the world (Al-Khalili, 2011)”

It was destroyed in the sack of the city following the Mongol

Siege of Baghdad (1258).
The House Of Wisdom
The House Of Wisdom

This building was a reflection of Arabic culture at

that time where Harun al-Rashid was the Caliph
who founded The house of Wisdom and
culminated it reputation under his son al-Ma'mun.
During al-Ma’mun rule many well-known scholars
brought to this building in order to share
information, ideas and culture (Al-Khalili, 2011).
The House Of Wisdom

This building welcomed scholars and people of

Jewish or Christian background who were allowed
to study in this building (Meri, 1973).

Further translating books into Arabic, scholars

associated with the House of Wisdom also made
many remarkable original contributions to diverse
fields (Al-Khalili, 2011).
The House Of Wisdom
From this building we can understand cultural aspects
regards Islamic empire during that era:

Islamic rule at that time encourages Interfaith Dialogue

and did not reject people just because of there believe
and religion

Education and learning was a strong element of Islamic

culture

The House of wisdom was built to be a multicultural

library, which embrace Islamic culture at that time which
encourages discovering different people cultures around
the world as it admires the diversity of cultures to enrich
the society.
The House Of Wisdom

From this building we can understand cultural aspects

regards Islamic empire during that era:

The value of knowledge no matter from where it came

Collaboration and working together was an important

value of this culture
The House Of Wisdom

From this building we can understand cultural aspects

regards Islamic empire during that era:

Such a design for a building to be a tourist attraction

that looks like a palace or a hotel reflects how much
knowledge and scholars were appreciated at this
culture
Others cities the design of its
buildings create and change the
culture of the city ,

For example:

Mecca Las Vegas Glasgow

 Mecca

Mecca, known to the Muslim faithful as the Mother of

Cities, is the holiest place in the Islamic world.

It was here that Muhammad the Prophet was born in

570,

the Great Mosque that Al-Ka'aba, the most sacred

monument of Islam, awaits the Muslim pilgrim.
Mecca

Mecca was a desert, a building (Al-Ka'aba)

changed the culture of this city to what we
know today.
Las Vegas
 Las Vegas
“From a Mormon-funded desert town to a beacon of organized crime.
Starting out as a small railroad town, over the past 150 years this desert
oasis transformed to a major hub for crime, gambling and parties”
In 1930, President Herbert Hoover employed the
appropriation bill for the Boulder Dam.

Work started on the dam in 1931 and Las Vegas' population

increased from around 5,000 citizens to 25,000, with most of
the newcomers looking for a job building the dam.
 Business owner here start thinking how to make money from this
increase male population, so they thought to build a market for large
scale entertainment.

Mafia gangs think of this market as a suitable place for drags money
laundry

A combination of local Las Vegas business owners, and Mafia crime lords
helped develop the casinos and showgirl theatres to entertain the largely
male dam construction workers, and this is what changed Las Vegas local
culture for today culture
Las Vegas

Notice that changes in the culture of this city required a building designed with a specific function
to create this change

The Dam large scale entertainment such as casinos

Glasgow
Glasgow
The complexity of culture?

“Culture should be understood as involving

more than the values and needs of a group of
people but the entire "way of life" of that
society.

That is to say culture is concerned with more

than a collection of values, it is a system or
complex of distinctive attainments and
traditions. Culture should be understood as a
system of interconnected beliefs and values.”
(KENNEY, 1994)
Factors that affect a society culture:
• Religion

• Identity

• Social life

• Politics

• Globalization
Religion
What is the meaning of religion?

Religion can be defined by reflecting on what people

seek in, from or through religion

"the religious person is one who seeks coherence and

meaning in his world, and a religious culture is one that
has a clearly structured world view. The religious
impulse is to tie things together. ... All human beings are
religious if religion is broadly defined as the impulse for
coherence and meaning. The strength of the impulse
varies enormously from culture to culture, and from
person to person (Tatum and Sommers, 1975)."
Religion
Religion leaves an imprint on the city, as it
effects human culture and lifestyle.

Religious structures - such as places of worship,

and other sacred sites - dominate many
landscapes. Religious traditions leave their mark
on the physical appearance of an area (Park,
2004).

For example:

Hindu ritual bathing in the Ganges

Religious observance – church attendance

Religion
“it is remarkable how much time, energy and – above
all – money are put into the construction of religious
buildings all over the world (Verkaaik, 2013).”
Sagrada Família
A large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona

Construction of Sagrada Família began in 1882 and

still not finished until today, an anticipated
completion date of 2026

Paul Goldberger describes it as, "The most

extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic
architecture since the Middle Ages."
Sri Harmandir Sahib
Golden Temple

The house of God

A place of worship for men and women from all
walks of all religions

The upper floors of the building is covered with gold

The ceiling of Harminder Sahib is made with gold and

precious stones
Sheikh Zayed Mosque

The mosque with seven gold-plated chandeliers in

different sizes, made of Swarovski crystals.

The main dome is the largest mosque dome in the

world: 85 meters high with a diameter of 32.8
meters.

One of the astonishing feature of the mosque is the

over 5,625 m2 large carpet in the main prayer hall. It
has been hand-knotted by about 1,300 Iranian
craftsmen out of 35 tons of wool and 12 tons of
cotton. With a total of 2,268,00 knots, the carpet is
the largest in the world. Its estimated value is about
30 million.
Religion
Religion affect architects in three different ways:

1. Place for worship, or “Sacred architecture”:

Religious architectural practice that was designed and

constructed for worship, such as: Mosque, church,
temple, synagogue
Religion
Religion affect architects in three different ways:

1. Place for worship, or “Sacred architecture”:

It is important to mention that mosque for Muslims is

more than a worship place. As Muslims believe that
daily activities and works are worship, old mosques
where usually combined with other functions such as
learning and studying area, socialising area, court and
other functions that was attached to people daily
activities.
Religion
2. Visual design elements:
Islamic geometries, Rose windows, cross, sculptures,
domes,
Religion
3. Principles that organize the way people live:
Islam as an example:

“The effect of Islam as a religion is much more than

visual design elements such as Islamic geometries,
Islam is a way of living.

The Islamic religion sets out principles and

guidelines for the life style of Muslims, giving details
of the responsibilities and rights of its followers
(Saleh, 1998).

Islamic architecture and Islamic cities were built on

the Islamic principles and guidelines inspired by the
Qur’an and the Sunnah since the beginning of Islam
(611AD) (Abu-Ghazzeh, 1997; Jamalinezhad,
Talakesh, & Soltani, 2012).”
Religion
3. Principles that organize the way people live:
Islam as an example:

“Although Islam does not state directly how people

should build their homes, Islamic legislation is used
as a guideline and inspiration when designing and
building homes (Al-Hathloul, 1999; El-Shorbagy,
2010; Omer, 2008; Shabani et al., 2011).

Islam guided people with principles, following these

principles effected the way people build, design, and
live in their buildings.
Examples of these principles:
Principle one:
The prophet ‫ﷺ‬said: "There should be neither
harming nor reciprocating harm.“
"‫"ال ضرر وال ضرار‬

“Muslims buildings was constructed by following

Islamic law, local customs and use of building
materials available in that period without the
intervention of authority except in cases of
dispute between owners (1998 ,‫)أكبر‬.”
Principle two:
The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him show hospitality to
his guest"

The Islamic belief of honoring guests reflected on Muslims’ architectures specially houses.
For example, in Iranian houses:

“The most important part of the house, in fact, is a guestroom which is situated at the
Southeast portion. At the centre of the front there is a five door room with two small spaces
attached to it. (Movahed, 2007).”

Section of a Muslim house in Iran

(Brujerdi House),
“This room carries
beautiful decoration
such as mirror work.
There is an
independent entrance
to this portion before
reaching the yard.

The guest room in

Muslim houses, is a
sign of respecting the
guest. Sometimes, an
independent place or
yard is allocated to the
guests (Movahed,
2007).”

Picture and Plan of a Muslim house in Iran (Brujerdi House),

Principle Three:
PRIVACY IN ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

“Privacy is of great importance in the lives of most people and

this human need is influenced by culture, religion and other
lifestyle variables (Cmiel, 2004; Falahat & Zare, 2011; Hayward,
1942; Omer, 2011).”

“architects in traditional Islamic architecture solved this

problem by using a number of techniques, managing to
protect occupants’ visual privacy using horizontal and vertical
means:

Horizontal techniques were used by distributing the

functions and spaces of the home, such as by separating
male and female areas and dividing the guest area from the
family area. This division creates a sequence of areas of the
house, transferring from the public space to the semi-private
space, ending with the private space (Germeraad, 1993).”

The floor plan of Al-Suhaimi House (old Cairo, Egypt) showing the transition of the spaces
within the house from the public space to a semi-private space ending with a private space
(Fathy, 1988)
“a central/inner courtyard with inward wall
openings and windows is an basic element in most
traditional houses in Islamic architecture (Belakehal,
Tabet Aoul, & Bennadji, 2004).

People accepted this technique because it provides

them with physical contact with the outdoors
without them being exposed to outsiders

the courtyard is considered to be a centre for the

social activities of the family (El-Shorbagy, 2010;
Omer, 2008).”
 Syria Al-Suhaimi House – old Cairo, Egypt.

A central courtyard used in traditional houses, which allows people to have physical access to outdoors without
being exposed to outsiders,
References:
KENNEY, S. F. 1994. CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON ARCHITECTURE MASTER OF ARCHITECTURE Texas Tech University.

ETTEHAD, S., AZERI, A. R. K. & KARI, G. 2014. The Role of Culture in Promoting Architectural Identity. European
Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 3.

REPORT, D. 2011. DESIGN+CULTURE. Sweden: Strandbadsvägen

PARVIZI, E. 2009. National architecture from the perspective of cultural identity Journal of national studies, 3.

RATTI, C. 2004. Urban texture and space syntax: some inconsistencies. Environment and Planning B: Planning and
Design, 31.

PICON, A. 2010. Digital Culture in Architecture: An Introduction for the Design Professions, Germany Birkhäuser
Architecture
https://prezi.com/nh9byrb0zsny/how-does-architecture-influence-culture/

LYONS, J. 2010. The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization, Great Britain, Bloomsbury
Publishing.
References:
AL-KHALILI, J. 2011. The House of Wisdom: How Arabic Science Saved Ancient Knowledge and Gave Us the
Renaissance, New York, Penguin Press.

http://www.cheapovegas.com/history-sin-city
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,752883,00.html

http://www.history.com/topics/las-vegas

TATUM, C. E. & SOMMERS, L. M. 1975. The spread of the Black Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in the United
States, 1870 to 1970. Journal of Geography, 74.

PARK, C. 2004. Religion and geography. In: HINNELLS, J. (ed.) Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion.
London: Routledge.

.‫ مؤسسة الرسالة‬,‫ عمارة األرض في اإلسالم لبنان‬.1998 .‫ ع‬.‫ ج‬,‫أكبر‬

https://sunnah.com/riyadussaliheen/2/26
References:
MOVAHED, D. K. 2007. A study on the effects of Iranian religions on its house architecture. Iran Department of
Architecture, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University.

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