The UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth has announced a new initiative to preserve the nation’s modern architecture.
The project aims to enhance the UAE’s position on the global architectural map, further promoting a richer cultural and design-focused tourist experience for visitors the world over.
The ‘Architectural Heritage of the UAE‘ initiative aims to protect landmarks and daily communal spaces, post the 1960s.
The initiative would explore “various facets of urban heritage, and its centrality to the UAE’s national identity,” according to Salem Al Qassimi, Minister of Culture and Youth.
“From the notable landmarks to the daily communal spaces that emerged from the 1960s onwards, a significant portion of our history is intertwined, continually fuelling innovative thinking and inspiring unconventional ideas in the present day,” he added.
Moreover, the project, which coincides with the Year of Sustainability, aims to bring together various stakeholder groups for research, documentation, conservation and preservation purposes.
The project particularly will pay attention to the means in which these buildings can be sustainably adapted to meet both environmental and social needs.
“We are rallying community members, encouraging them to foster a deep sense of pride in our nation’s unique architectural identity and actively participate in preservation endeavours,” Al Qassimi said.
In a video on Instagram, the authority listed the sites which would fall under this project.
This includes:
- Abu Dhabi’s Bus Terminal and National Theatre
- Dubai’s Deira Clocktower (which is currently undergoing renovation) and Dubai World Trade Centre
- Al-Qasimiyah school and the Flying Saucer in Sharjah
- Fujairah Trade Centre and International Airport
- Ajman’s Independent Studios and Clock Square
- Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium
- Saqr Hospital in Ras al Khaimah
- Umm Al Quwain’s Al Arabi Cultural Sports Club
UAE’s architectural transformation: Past and present
UAE’s modern architectural aesthetics and movements can be divided into two periods.
The first era, emerging in the 1960s, witnessed remarkable economic growth and development, prompting significant urban planning and infrastructure projects.
These initial strides laid the foundation for the country’s modernity and urban lifestyle. Subsequently, a second period emerged post-1990s, characterised by a transformative shift in urbanism.
This phase saw a surge in monumental structures, embracing cutting-edge construction techniques and materials, notably glass and aluminum cladding.
The new project “comes at a time when we have just completed a significant milestone as a nation and are setting the tone for the next 50 years towards the centennial,” according to Al Qassimi.
He further explained that the efforts by the Ministry of Culture and Youth and local governments aim to preserve the country’s built environment, which shows “innovative thinking and creativity at its best and defines our national ethos.”
Follow us on
