Forms and narratives
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Saudi Digital Library
Abstract
Overview:
The Arabic Sanctuary is an interior design project that functions as a community hub, featuring a library, workshops, lecture rooms, social interaction spaces, and retreat areas. It aims to serve as a refuge for reflection, cultural connection, and community engagement, particularly for Arab migrants and refugees in Canary Wharf, London.
Positive Impact & Social Relevance:
This project addresses the social challenge of cultural integration and belonging among Arab migrants in a foreign environment. By creating a space that celebrates Islamic architectural heritage especially the iconic Muqarnas, the Sanctuary offers an experiential journey that fosters a sense of identity, continuity, and community. It promotes mental well-being and social cohesion by providing a familiar yet contemporary environment that respects and celebrates cultural heritage, thus strengthening individual and collective resilience.
Description
Research:
The design is grounded in extensive academic research into Middle Eastern sacred architecture, exploring its elements such as open courtyards, intimate prayer spaces, and verticality embodied in minarets. This research informs a nuanced understanding of how architectural forms convey narratives, spiritual experiences, and cultural identity. The project extends beyond aesthetic considerations to an experiential narrative that connects past and present, heritage and modernity.
Application of Technology & Materials:
Innovatively utilizing traditional materials, the project features rammed earth as the primary interior material. A real-world material experiment was conducted to explore its sensory qualities texture, scent, and sound highlighting its timeless relevance. This low-tech yet highly effective approach creates a calming, natural environment that encourages visitors to connect physically and emotionally with their heritage. The use of rammed earth exemplifies meaningful, sustainable material application and demonstrates how traditional techniques can be adapted with modern understanding to produce environmentally conscious solutions.
Potential for Positive Impact:
By blending cultural storytelling with sustainable material use, the Sanctuary fosters a deeper connection to heritage while promoting environmental consciousness. It aims to serve as a model for community-centered design that respects cultural identity and environmental sensitivity, inspiring similar initiatives globally.
Keywords
The Arabic Sanctuary, Interior design
Citation
Hassan Fathy. Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1973. Geoffrey R. D. King. The Traditional Architecture of Saudi Arabia. I. B. Tauris, London, 1998. A. T. Mann. Sacred Architecture. Sterling Publishing Co., New York, 2000. Terry Farrell, Adam Nathaniel Furman. Revisiting Postmodernism. Laurence King Publishing, London, 2017. Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form. MIT Press, Cambridge, 1972.