Saudi Cultural Missions Theses & Dissertations
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Item Restricted DESIGNING THROUGH THE BRAIN: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Between Architecture and Neuroscience(Politecnico di Milano, 2024) Alaithan, Ali; Croset, Pierre-AlainThroughout the course of architecture history, architects have consistently engaged with various disciplines to expand their understanding of how people interact with the surrounding milieu. Since the 20th century, some prominent architects have collaborated with psychologists to gain insights into how design influences behavior and actions, striving to create spaces that truly resonate with people. In modern times, we spend most of our time in indoor spaces, making it progressively evident that architecture affects our brain and body. Recently, there has been growing attention between architecture and neuroscience. This is a complex field, requiring insights from psychology and cognitive science to understand the indirect connections between brain processes and spatial experience. This conversation starts from a theoretical framework encompassing brain, mind and body. The brain is an engine for behavior and action within a space. Thus the primary objective here is to understand the human brain within the built environment. A deeper awareness of the brain’s intricate processes enhances our comprehension of how we interact with our surroundings. To fully grasp the complexity of this discussion, it is crucial to comprehend the underpinnings of understating the brain. Three essential theories —EvoDevoSocio, Darwin’s theory, and embodied perception— shapes our theoretical and scientific understanding of the brain. This ongoing conversation covers multiple themes, including: sensation and perception, learning and memory, decision making, emotions and affect, movement and more. This thesis explores the intricate theoretical and scientific connection between architecture and neuroscience, specifically focusing on aspects relevant to architects. Three central themes will be thoroughly studied — emotions, movement, learning and memory — covering both their theoretical foundations and recent scientific discoveries. These findings will be applied in an interdisciplinary design exploration of a community center. These scientific findings will act as “generators” that either evoke emotions, facilitate movement, or foster learning and memory. Thus, the objective of the research is not to develop a theoretical program for architecture, but to apply an interdisciplinary design methodology. Unlike traditional practices, which often rely on architects’ personal experience, this approach is rooted in a scientific understanding of the human brain, allowing architects to design spaces that meaningfully respond to human cognition and behavior.5 0Item Restricted Creative, Sustainable, and Culturally Responsive Architecture in Jeddah(sheffield university, 2024) Alsahafi, Bashaer; Lanuza, FelipeThis thesis explores how residential buildings in modern Jeddah can creatively incorporate aspects of sustainability and cultural heritage. It addresses challenges brought up by the prevalence of uninspiring residential projects and rapid urbanization, arguing in favor of an integral strategy that encompasses both traditional and contemporary design aspects. Incorporating local materials, climate-responsive designs, and innovative solutions are highlighted in the research through case studies on modern and traditional architecture, including Beit Nassif and the Aeali Jeddah project. This thesis integrates insights from interviews and surveys with local architects into experimental design to investigate local possibilities. The findings highlight the need for creative yet contextually appropriate solutions that enhance Jeddah’s urban landscape by supporting environmental sustainability and maintaining cultural identity.17 0Item Restricted Epigenetic Habitats : Mimesis and Living Architecture in Light of Catharine Malabou’s Meditation About Synaptic Chips(Univeristy College London, 2024) Alangari, Nujud; Vivaldi, Jordi4 Mimesis has been integrated with architecture for a long time—from ancient civilisations e.g. ancient Greece and the Renaissance to the modern and postmodern eras. These architectural eras tend to respond to Platonic or Kantian schemes, illustrating the evolution of architectural mimesis. For Plato, mimesis meant copying and reproducing nature through art; for Kant, however, it was more about harmonising beauty and function than copying from nature. Kant believed that art is a creation of genius which does not copy nature directly but rather reinvents nature’s rules into artistic expression. While rich in their interpretation of imitation, both concepts lack the dynamic meaning of mimesis when it comes to mimicking human intelligence. In this context, I would like to address the following question: Is the arrival of AI and robotics in architecture demanding a new epigenetic scheme for thinking about mimesis? I would like to address this question by considering Catherine Malabou’s interpretation of the concept of ‘synaptic chips’ that has been discussed in her work on epigenetic mimesis—an idea that transforms the entire picture of AI in architecture. The discussion of synaptic chips as presented by Malabou serves as a metaphorical basis for the evolution and adaptation of architectural design. Architectural designs may similarly evolve through the influence of connections that are synaptic-like; such structures respond to changes in their environments based on environmental stimuli. This approach—which is epigenetic—to mimesis suggests a shift more profound from just replicating forms to creating architectures that learn from their surroundings, thus adapting to them. This reveals a more complex interplay between form, function and environment than what is traditionally understood under Platonic or Kantian mimesis. Through this extension of mimesis by Malabou using neuroscience plus epigenetics, one can infer an avenue towards dynamic designs: designs that are more responsive and, in turn, enhance mimetic capabilities of AI systems within architecture—thereby also enhancing the architectural design’s adaptability and functionality.14 0Item Restricted Cultural Echoes in Stone & Concrete: A Journey Through Time and Architecture in Historic Jeddah’s Al-Balad(University of Westminster, 2024-01-10) Siraj, Talah Wabil; Bremner, LindsayLocated in the western region of the Arabian Peninsula on the Eastern coast of the Red Sea, my hometown, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been a significant part in connecting extensive trading networks for centuries. Serving as the gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, it is a harbour for Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Over time, it became a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, which shaped every aspect of the local lifestyle. Jeddah’s geographic location also unquestionably influenced its architecture in several ways; climatically, religiously, and culturally. The town’s architectural designs, building materials, traditions, and lifestyle were all in response to its context. The beautiful traditional houses were constructed using old building methods, with a combination of local and imported materials. The buildings functioned adequately to suit and serve the local lifestyle before the unification of the kingdom, and the discovery of oil, electricity, and concrete. Those pivotal historical events that took place in the 1930s marked the beginning of a transformative phase for Jeddah. The traditional construction methods and lifestyle were left in the past as Jeddah went through a stage of modern development. New buildings lacked cultural identity as a result of modernism and carbon energy. This dissertation is an autoethnographic study of the history of Jeddah’s old town of Al-Balad from both a technical and lifestyle perspective. Leveraging personal connections to the subject, I was able to visit the old town and acquire authentic information and material from primary sources, which helped me picture and analyse life in Al-Balad more vividly. This paper carries out an in-depth exploration of Jeddah’s history while examining the link between architecture and lifestyle in response to its diverse context, and the reasons why the traditional way of living was abandoned.19 0Item Restricted Cultural Echoes in Stone & Concrete(University of Westminster, 2024-01-10) Siraj, Talah Wabil; Bremner, LindsayLocated in the western region of the Arabian Peninsula on the Eastern coast of the Red Sea, my hometown, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been a significant part in connecting extensive trading networks for centuries. Serving as the gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, it is a harbour for Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Over time, it became a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, which shaped every aspect of the local lifestyle. Jeddah’s geographic location also unquestionably influenced its architecture in several ways; climatically, religiously, and culturally. The town’s architectural designs, building materials, traditions, and lifestyle were all in response to its context. The beautiful traditional houses were constructed using old building methods, with a combination of local and imported materials. The buildings functioned adequately to suit and serve the local lifestyle before the unification of the kingdom, and the discovery of oil, electricity, and concrete. Those pivotal historical events that took place in the 1930s marked the beginning of a transformative phase for Jeddah. The traditional construction methods and lifestyle were left in the past as Jeddah went through a stage of modern development. New buildings lacked cultural identity as a result of modernism and carbon energy. This dissertation is an autoethnographic study of the history of Jeddah’s old town of Al-Balad from both a technical and lifestyle perspective. Leveraging personal connections to the subject, I was able to visit the old town and acquire authentic information and material from primary sources, which helped me picture and analyse life in Al-Balad more vividly. This paper carries out an in-depth exploration of Jeddah’s history while examining the link between architecture and lifestyle in response to its diverse context, and the reasons why the traditional way of living was abandoned.23 0Item Restricted Cultural Echoes in Stone & Concrete: A Journey Through Time and Architecture in Historic Jeddah’s Al-Balad(University of Westminster, 2024-01-10) Siraj, Talah Wabil; Bremner, LindsayLocated in the western region of the Arabian Peninsula on the Eastern coast of the Red Sea, my hometown, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been a significant part in connecting extensive trading networks for centuries. Serving as the gateway to the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, it is a harbour for Muslim pilgrims from around the world. Over time, it became a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, which shaped every aspect of the local lifestyle. Jeddah’s geographic location also unquestionably influenced its architecture in several ways; climatically, religiously, and culturally. The town’s architectural designs, building materials, traditions, and lifestyle were all in response to its context. The beautiful traditional houses were constructed using old building methods, with a combination of local and imported materials. The buildings functioned adequately to suit and serve the local lifestyle before the unification of the kingdom, and the discovery of oil, electricity, and concrete. Those pivotal historical events that took place in the 1930s marked the beginning of a transformative phase for Jeddah. The traditional construction methods and lifestyle were left in the past as Jeddah went through a stage of modern development. New buildings lacked cultural identity as a result of modernism and carbon energy. This dissertation is an autoethnographic study of the history of Jeddah’s old town of Al-Balad from both a technical and lifestyle perspective. Leveraging personal connections to the subject, I was able to visit the old town and acquire authentic information and material from primary sources, which helped me picture and analyse life in Al-Balad more vividly. This paper carries out an in-depth exploration of Jeddah’s history while examining the link between architecture and lifestyle in response to its diverse context, and the reasons why the traditional way of living was abandoned.11 0Item Restricted Bodies, Walls, and Power: Tracking Shifts in Power on Ushaiger Women Through the Spatial Dimension(SOAS University of London, 2022-09-08) Alfuraih, Rawan; Salih, RubaGiven that bodies are restricted to power of a certain time, power shifts have been tracked through societies’ movement in the temporal dimension (history). Yet, power on bodies is also bound to space and power transformations can be anthropologically traced in spatial changes (urbanization). Bodies and spaces are deeply intertwined and change in one reconfigures power on the other. The ethnography conveys this entanglement in spatial relations (factors), such as class, geographic kinship and gender, that shaped power on women and granted their freedom of mobility in Ushaiger, a village in Najd central region of Saudi Arabia. Ushaigeri urbanized women in Riyadh experienced new spatial relations- beyond ideological discourses- that reconfigured power on their mobility and reconstructed bodies' modesty and spaces' privacy from symbolized concepts in villages during the early twentieth century to thorough physical manifestation of modesty and privacy in Riyadh during the late twentieth century.19 0Item Restricted THE EMERGENCE AND CONSOLIDATION OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA, 1955-2021(Newcastle University, 2024-02-20) Alfelali, Mohanad; Garcia-Fuentes, Josep-MariaBuilt heritage sites in the Hejaz of Arabia, in general, and in Mecca, in particular, have been under pressure from modernisation and globalisation since the beginning of Islam. In the case of Mecca city, this thesis argues that the enormous expansions of the Holy Mosque since 1955, in line with steady growth in the number of pilgrims to this honourable spot of land, along with poor public awareness of the importance of these sites, have weakened the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s resistance to these pressures. There is a noticeable absence of research on the heritage conservation movement in Saudi Arabia, especially in Mecca city. A search of the literature shows that no chronological study exploring the emergence of the heritage conservation movement in the city of Mecca covers the period between 1955 and 2021. Therefore, the framework of this doctoral research has been shaped by the aim to investigate the emergence and consolidation of the heritage conservation movement in the city of Mecca between 1955 and 2021 through the analysis of the related cultural, social, and economic debate and to discuss to what extent the concept of heritage conservation is applicable to Mecca city. This is accomplished through analytical methods that have been employed to understand the evolution of heritage conservation in Mecca via a chronological (66-year) analysis of the gathered data from various sources, including published books, journal articles, historical references, archive documents (maps, photographs and others), government reports and statistics, dissertations along with local and national newspapers. Besides the chronological analysis, numerous semi-structured interviews with a variety of stakeholders (decision-makers, local experts, academics, and local residents) are conducted to fill information gaps and explore the points of view of the different actors and stakeholders regarding heritage conservation in Saudi Arabia in general and in Mecca city in particular. The research makes an essential contribution by addressing this gap through analysing laws and regulations, key actors, and implementation. In the early 1970s, the economic growth and waves of urbanisation accompanying the oil boom had disastrous impacts on urban heritage, resulting in the loss of many heritage sites and making heritage conservation a popular yet controversial theme. All of this attracted the government and those interested in heritage attention to the importance of heritage and its relevance in preserving Saudi identity; thus, genuine efforts started. These efforts led to the establishment of the first official law in Saudi Arabia in 1972, based on the Antiquities Law of Egypt. However, this thesis contends that the Saudi state's desire to preserve its heritage predated the enactment of the laws, citing the conservation of the old structure (the Ottoman Portico) of the Holy Mosque by royal decree in 1967 as proof. Although the emergence of heritage protection norms in Saudi Arabia manifested in the passage of the updated law in 2014, which greatly expanded heritage protection in several ways, there was no obligation and insufficient determination to safeguard heritage buildings and sites in Mecca. One of the most apparent findings in this study is a considerable trade-off between heritage conservation and the economic demand for an increased number of pilgrims. This thesis indicates that Mecca's heritage conservation situation is complex and uneven. The most severe threats to heritage are a large number of visitors, commercial progress, and a lack of knowledge.31 0Item Restricted The Relationship of Architectural Design and Interior Spaces Design to Promote Creative Thinking(University of Sheffield, 2023-11-17) Alshahrani, Heba; AlChokhdar, YussurThe intersection of architectural and interior design is a focal point within the architectural realm, influencing the organization and structure of spaces. As posited by Lawson (2001), architecture plays a pivotal role in shaping interiors, with the spatial arrangement impacting human activities through a shared architectural language. This symbiotic relationship, as underscored by Alimin and Pertiwi and Purwaningrum (2021), involves architects and interior designers preserving cultural identity and accommodating diverse lifestyles. Recognizing the profound influence of architecture on personal identity and behavior, the study emphasizes the significance of interior design in meeting human needs for well-being. The dissertation, rooted in the author's experiences in teaching interior design and pursuing a master's degree in architectural design, explores the reciprocal impact of the two disciplines. Highlighting architectural constraints faced by interior designers, the research aims to enhance creative thinking through human senses, utilizing museums as a case study. Dodd and Jones (2014) affirm museums' role in inspiring creativity and fostering well-being. The six-chapter research structure includes an introduction, literature review, research design, case study analysis, findings presentation, and conclusions with recommendations, providing a comprehensive exploration of the interconnected fields.48 0Item Restricted Phenomenological Inquiry into Essence Chairs: Unveiling Subjective Significance(Saudi Digital Library, 2023-12-20) Alsalem, Abdullah; Parsons, Abdullah; Gomez, CeciEssence chairs embody a design philosophy that seeks to uncover the fundamental nature and significance of chairs through a phenomenological approach. Phenomenology, as applied to design, emphasizes the subjective experience of objects, shifting focus from their objective qualities to their essence as perceived by individuals. Essence chairs are thoughtfully crafted to evoke a sensory and contemplative experience, inviting users to engage with the chair beyond its functionality. By employing phenomenological reduction, designers strip away preconceptions and biases, enabling a deeper understanding of the chair’s essential qualities. The aim is to create chairs that resonate with users on a profound level, prompting reflection, connection, and a heightened appreciation for the underlying essence of design.48 0