AIA Middle East
2014 Year End Conference
November 14 & 15 2014
Hilto Hotel
Doha, Qatar
Considering Socio-cultural
Sustainability in the Design Process
Theme: Architecture & Sustainability
Presenter:
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub
Head, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning
College of Engineering
Qatar University

Course Description
This presentation will focus on the broad definition of Sustainability as 3Es: Economic, Environmental and Equity/Socio-cultural. Sustainability efforts usually
focus on economic and environmental sustainability with minimum efforts to address socio-cultural aspects of sustainability. This is due to the difficulty to
identify and design for specific people, society and culture. Alas, sustainably assessment systems, such as LEED and GSAS, lack rigorous methods to asses
socio-cultural qualities of projects and environments.
Socio-cultural sustainability encompasses social and cultural aspects of society that are rooted in geography, history and traditions. Change is an integral
characteristic of cultural, yet cultural change is slower than techno-physical change. Rapaport suggested that , in considering the relationship between culture
and environmental design, “these two are intimately related and that cultural differences must be considered in tracing environmental effects and in stating
design requirements. Since culture is variable, designed environments respond to variable definitions of needs and priorities as expressed in varying schemata:
environments are culture specific.” (Rapaport, 1980)
Countries in the Gulf region have experienced rapid economic, physical and technological change during the second half of the 20th century. This change was
introduced through super projects including urban master plans, infrastructure projects and individual buildings. These mega projects were based on 20th
century planning and architectural design theories that focused mainly only modern and technological advances. This transformation influenced many cultural
aspects of Gulf societies through the introduction of the villa to place of the traditional courtyard houses, aluminum and steel windows instead of traditional
wooden dirwazahs, and plane walls replaced patterned and decorated walls. Balconies are rarely used due to their interruption of required personal and family
privacy. Traditional details, patterns, shapes, colors, textures were replaced by modern materials and styles imported from other countries and influenced by
architects and draftsmen backgrounds and education. Meanings conveyed by large and small design and details of the urban environment change completely.
Several levels of understanding should be addressed to study and design for a specific society or culture. Personal level includes the position of individual in
society and culture, and privacy requirements based on gender and age. Social level includes relationships between men, women, children, extended family
members, society, ethnicity, kinship, and nationality. Cultural level includes history, language, religion, sacred and profane, traditions, customs, and costumes.
Identity level includes personal, social and cultural identity. This understanding will help architects and planners design better spaces that correspond to social
and cultural needs.
Design of built environments should address equally the socio-cultural and techno-physical aspects of spaces. There is a deficiency in the flow of information
during the design process that tends to ignore socio-cultural aspects in favor of techno-physical aspects. Design methods and process should address the
three dimensions equally; the techno-physical, the visual-aesthetic, and the socio-cultural. This approach will achieve the goal of transforming Gulf cities from
Livable to Lovable environments. The presentation will discuss findings of recent research studies that attempted to understand the socio-cultural aspects of
urban environments and approaches to address them in the design process.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify important issues that can improve
projects’ socio-cultural sustainability and
appropriate design approaches to use in
current and future projects
2. Design projects that relate to people in
particular environments
3. Improve project sustainability assessment
4. Incorporate socio-cultural knowledge into
the design process

Socio-cultural
Aspects:
Detail and
Context

Recognizing
Socio-cultural
Aspects

Where is this place?!

The Future!
I hope it is not!

Change

Change
• Countries in the Gulf
region have experienced
rapid economic, physical
and technological change
during the second half of
the 20th century.

Doha 1947

Super Prjects
• This change was
introduced through super
projects including urban
master plans,
infrastructure projects and
individual buildings.
Kuwait
Doha

Doha 2005
Doha 2007
Doha 2010
Doha Skyline Development
Doha 1960

Key Aspects of Change
• A mixture of expensive materials
• A range of surface treatments in
terms of environmental control,
• Arbitrary expression of internal
functions
• Range of forms
• Lack of cohesion.
Kuwait
Dubai
Doha

Image and Branding

Socio-Cultural Change
• These mega projects were
based on 20th century
planning and architectural
design theories that
focused mainly on modern
and technological
advances.

Fareej vs Neighborhood
Family Houses

Modern vs Vernacular: Neighborhood

Sikka vs Street
People Cars

Sikka vs Street
People Cars

Modern vs Vernacular: House

Modern vs Vernacular: Houses
Social Individual

Interiors
ModernTraditional

Modern vs Vernacular: Climatic Responses

Socio-Cultural Change
• This transformation
influenced many cultural
aspects of Gulf societies
through the introduction of
the villa in place of the
traditional courtyard houses,
aluminum and steel
windows instead of
traditional wooden
dirwazahs, and plane walls
replaced patterned and
decorated walls.

Socio-Cultural Change
• Balconies are rarely used due to
their interruption of required
personal and family privacy.
• Traditional details, patterns,
shapes, colors, textures were
replaced by modern materials
and styles imported from other
countries and influenced by
architects and draftsmen
backgrounds and education.
“More” Fence for privacy
Fence for privacy

Socio-Cultural Change
Balconies rarely used
Windows always closed
Garages for cars Fence for privacy Gates for entrance
Foreign decorating elements
Distance
from
neighbor
Exposure to
sun

Levels of Socio-Cultural Aspects
From Small to Super

Levels of Socio-Cultural Aspects
• Several levels of understanding should be addressed to
study and design for a specific society or culture:
1. Personal level includes the position of individual in
society and culture, and privacy requirements based
on gender and age.
2. Family level: includes immediate and extended family
members and family members relationships and
obligations.
3. Society level includes relationships between men,
women, children, society, ethnicity, kinship, and
nationality.
4. Cultural level includes history, language, religion,
sacred and profane, traditions, customs, and
costumes.
5. Identity level includes personal, social and cultural
identity.

Levels of Socio-Cultural Aspects
Identity is constructed from the person through family, society and culture. This understanding will help
architects and planners design better environments that correspond to social and cultural needs.
Identity
Culture
Society
Family
Personal
LevelsofUnderstanding

Public
State/Official
Governmental
Technical
Gulf
Socio-cultural
Arab
Islamic
Global
Private
Pragmatic
MetaphoricCanonicIconic
Analogic Symbolic
Semi-Public
Institutional
Economic

Approach
Identity
Scale
Economic
Gulf
Technical
Arab
Islamic
Global
Cultural
Public
State/Official
Governmental
Private
Semi-Public
Institutional
Pragmatic
MetaphoricCanonicIconic
Analogic Symbolic

Socio-Cultural Change

1980’s style
1960’s style
1990’s style
1970’s Style

Cultural Constants and Variables
• The problem of current
approaches to socio-
cultural applications is that
they view culture as
constant relating it to
the past only and not as a
variable that relates to
the present and the future.

Socio-Cultural Change
• Change is an integral characteristic of
culture, yet cultural change is slower than
techno-physical change.
“Culture is variable, designed environments respond to
variable definitions of needs and priorities as expressed in
varying schemata: environments are culture specific.”
Rapaport
CORE
PERIPHERAL

Core
Peripheral
Built Environment
Culture
Contemporary
Traditional
Understanding Socio-Cultural Aspects

Super & Small

Super and Small Meanings
• Meaning is conveyed by large and small
details of the urban environment.

Sustainability

Architecture Concerns
85
• Modern Architecture crisis
• 1960’s Vernacular
• 1970’s Energy
• 1980’s Environment
• 1990’s Sustainable (Economic, Environment, Equity)
• 2000’s Green
• 2010’s Integrated/Rated Sustainability (Systems, Smart, Strategy)
1960’s
Vernacular
1970’s
Energy
1980’s
Environment
1990’s
Sustainable
2000’s
Green
2010
Integrated

Sustainability
• Sustainability as 3Es:
Economic, Environmental
and Equity (Socio-
cultural).

Sustainable Building Design
87
Socio-Economic

Sustainability
• Most projects focus on
economic and
environmental
sustainability.

Sustainability
• They usually ignore socio-
cultural sustainability due
to lack of knowledge and
strategies.
• This is due to the difficulty
to identify and design for
specific people, society
and culture.

Sustainability Assessment Systems
• Sustainably assessment
systems, such as BREEAM,
LEED, ESTIDAMA and
GSAS, lack rigorous
methods to asses socio-
cultural qualities of
projects and
environments.

Design

Purpose and Function in Design
• Design of built environments should address
equally the socio-cultural and techno-physical
aspects of spaces.
• There is a deficiency in the flow of
information during the design process that
tends to ignore socio-cultural aspects in favor
of techno-physical aspects.

Design Challenges

Design Considerations
Design
Socio-
Cultural
Technical
Formal
Programmatic

Design Considerations
• Design methods and
process should address
the three dimensions
equally; the techno-
physical, the visual-
aesthetic, and the socio-
cultural.
Socio-
cultural
Techno-
physical
Visual-
aesthetic

Education, Research and Practice
• There is a growing
need to integrate
Education, Research,
and Practice activities
to solve real life
societal problems.
Education
ResearchPractice
Integrated Activities

Architectural Research as a Tool to
Understand Socio-Cultural Aspects
• Research is the systematic process of collecting and
analysing information (data) in order to increase our
understanding of the phenomenon with which we are
concerned or interested.
• Research involves three main stages:
planning
data collection
analysis

Architectural Research as a Tool to
Understand Socio-Cultural Aspects
• Research is a basically a two-
phase informing process,
which include:
• 1- informing oneself and
• 2- informing others with
regards to the newly found
knowledge, solution,
problem, hypothesis,
theories, methodologies,
design, etc.
Informing
via
Education
Informing
via
Research
Informing
via
Practice
Information and Knowledge

AIA Research Priorities
Research needs to be fostered within a spirit of collaboration across
the practice and academic enterprises.
AIA Research Priorities align with the AIA initiatives of: Integrated
Practice, Sustainability, and Diversity.
Specific research agenda areas include:
1. 1- Social,
2. 2- Technological,
3. 3- Environmental,
4. 4- Cultural,
5. 5- Organizational,
6. 6- Design, and
7. 7- Educational.
Design
Educational
Environmental
CulturalSocial
Technological
Organizational

The Built Environment
Interior Design
Architecture
Landscape
Urban Design
Urban Planning
Architecture is not enough!

From Livable to Lovable Environments
• This approach will achieve the goal of
transforming Gulf cities from only Livable to
also Lovable environments.
Livable and Lovable

Company Name/Logo
Dr. Yasser Mahgoub, Architect - D. Arch, UM, USA
Head, Department of Architecture and Urban Planning
College of Engineering, Qatar University
Bldg. C07 Room 220, P. O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar
O. (974) 4403-4343, M. (974) 3383-7805
Email: ymahgoub@qu.edu.qa
Webpage: http://faculty.qu.edu.qa/ymahgoub