February 2011 - Page 2 of 2 - Medina Foundation

Creativity and Islamic Housing

February 11, 2011/in Housing /by Spahic Omer

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

Conceptualizing the phenomenon of Islamic housing

Islamic housing is a blend of the belief system, teachings and values of Islam, on the one hand, and the prerequisites and influences of indigenous cultures, climates, topographies, building materials, talents, technologies and economies, on the other. The former is characterized as universal, total, permanent, immutable and absolute. It came from Allah in the form of revelation (wahy). It is divine. The latter, however, fluctuates and varies from one region to the other, and from one community to the other. It is indigenous, though locally permanent and unchangeable, as far as climates and topographies are concerned, but it is impermanent, conditional and changeable, as far as some cultural manifestations, building materials, talents, technologies and economies are concerned.

An Idealized Design for Carfree Cities and Its Application in the Real World

February 10, 2011/in News /by Spahic Omer

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J.H. Crawford

ABSTRACT

At a conference entitled “Making Cities Livable,” one can reasonably expect general agreement that cars are the most difficult design problem facing in cities today. While most people here probably accept that fewer cars are better and that no cars would be ideal, many may have trouble with the notion that it would actually be possible and practical to remove all cars and trucks from a large urban area while simultaneously improving its economic competitiveness.

I have proposed an idealized case for car- and truck-free cities, what I call a “reference design.” It is based entirely on rail systems for heavy transport, with local transport and light freight delivery provided by walking and cycling. I will describe in some detail the elements of and rationale for this reference design, and then consider its application to both new and existing urban sites. Variations from the reference design will be required in the real world, but the design can still be guided by the reference design. The resulting compact cities would be highly sustainable, offer a quality of life second only to Venice, and can compete with auto-centric cities in the global economy.

Carfree Cities

February 10, 2011/in Books /by Medina

Islamic Housing between Yesterday and Today

February 5, 2011/in Housing /by Spahic Omer

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

E-mail: spahico@yahoo.com

(A residential area in the old city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)

The importance of studying history

The Islamic house is a microcosm of Islamic culture and civilization. Achievements and successes in both Islamic housing and Islamic culture and civilization are interrelated, one leading to, or originating from, the other, irrespective of which one exactly is the cause and which one is the effect. Islam is a total life-style. The house phenomenon, and all the sectors related, directly or indirectly, to it, is the ground for living and practicing the most essential segments of human existence on earth, and, as such, the ground for living the most essential segments of the Islamic worldview, shari’ah (law) and ethics.

Islamic versus Muslim Architecture: Some Observations

February 1, 2011/in Architecture /by Spahic Omer

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer
Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design
International Islamic University Malaysia
Email: spahico@yahoo.com

Islamic Architecture

Islamic architecture, as both a concept and sensory reality, is an architecture whose function and, to a lesser extent, form, are inspired primarily by Islam. Islamic architecture is a framework for the implementation of Islam. It facilitates, fosters and stimulates Muslims’ ‘ibadah (worship) activities, which, in turn, account for every moment of their earthly lives. Central to Islamic architecture is function with all of its dimensions: corporeal, cerebral and spiritual. The form divorced from function is inconsequential. This, however, by no means implies that the form plays no role in Islamic architecture. It does, but in terms of value and substance the form always comes second to function and its wide scope.

Islamic architecture promotes unity in diversity, that is, the unity of message and purpose, and the diversity of styles, methods and solutions. Certainly, this renders Islamic architecture so relevant and dynamic, and so consistent and adaptable. It is such a fascinating subject to study, for doing so is not about sheer art and architecture. It is more than that: it is about beholding the Islamic ideology and creed at work. It is about witnessing a microcosm of Islamic society, civilization and culture. Islamic architecture is about Islam taking up a manifest form. The identity and vocabulary of Islamic architecture evolved as a means for the fulfillment of the concerns of Muslim societies. Islamic architecture was never an end in itself. It was the container of Islamic culture and civilization reflecting the cultural identity and the level of the creative and aesthetic consciousness of Muslims. Architecture, in general, should always be in service to people. It is never to be the other way round, that is to say that architecture should evolve into a hobby or an adventure in the process imposing itself on society while forsaking, or taking lightly, people’s identities, cultures and the demands of their daily struggles. Architecture, first and foremost, should remain associated with functionality. It should not deviate from its authentic character and stray into the world of excessive invention and abstraction.