ARCHITECTURE AND THE EXPRESSION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY

-By Yasser mahgoub

NAME: RAJYAGURU SAGAR
EN. NO.: 150101101064
SEMESTER: 10TH
SUBJECT: DESIGN SEMINAR AND PUBLICATION

This research paper is important for my thesis topic (development of riverfront area with urban
spaces). In this thesis project, I have to built different types of building like museum, shopping
mall, cultural centre, exhibition space etc. so, the development or design of museum and cultural
centre as a cultural identity of the city. Therefore, this research paper is important for this thesis
topic.

This research paper is all about the identity of the building through culture, religious, local,
traditional etc. this research paper investigates how to cultural identity of the city is being
expressed through contemporary architecture or modern architecture in the context of that
region. In present, most cities around the world, they lost there architectural style or traditional
style of that region. The issue of cultural identity in contemporary architecture has become
essential to creating uniqueness and local identity in a competitive environment on a global level.
Industrialised and developing countries have started to re-examine their traditions in a search
for their own values and principles. But, the observation in recent year, the cities lost there
architectural style or not enhance the architectural style of that region. In present, the building
identity achieving means, in that building provide some element, character of other related
building and provide in elevation or any place and classify the identity like cultural, traditional,
local identity etc. Present time period, in the name of cultural identity, the designer use copy-
paste system in that building. The copy-paste system means copy elements or building character
of other building and provide in that building for name of cultural or traditional identity of
building. This type of system is majorly expanding in different region across the world. The cities
lost there architectural style in name of modern architecture or technological change. In present
time period, the building design in name of modern or future architecture and use the different
modern technology or tools and this type of buildings are not connected with there local or
traditional identity of that region. The present period building constructed like only for human
settlement or for commercial purpose, mostly building constructed like this and most of them are
not connected or influence of any cultural or traditional identity, even not provide or create or
design any cultural or traditional character in buildings. Also, not use the copy-paste system like
use element or character who identify the building expression of that city or region. But in the
gulf countries like Kuwait or Arab world, they are reintroducing the cultural or traditional
identity in modern architecture style. In Kuwait, they observed the traditional identity of the
region and they create or identity in the buildings of that region. This research paper argues that
architecture in gulf countries is approaching a critical regionalism in that regions. They use the
concept of regionalism and analyse the data of that city and focus on traditional or regional
identical building and working on it. The analysis the example of contemporary Kuwaiti
architecture that represent the expression of cultural identity. They analyse The views of
architects producing this architecture in order to understand how they perceive, what they are
doing, what are their references, and how they are influenced by the traditional architecture, the
ARCHITECTURE AND THE EXPRESSION OF CULTURAL IDENTITY
context and the history of the country and they are built different modern building which is
related to the traditional architecture of that region.