A review of existing literature on architectural identity of Saudi buildings

Over the past fifty years or so, the architectural designs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) have lost their national identity possibly because of the economic boom and enormous changes, such as modernization, urbanization, the introduction of new technologies and the introduction of new building materials. The features and elements of heritage buildings in the KSA cities have suffered from the impact of modernisation and as a result of this, many of the heritage sites have either gone into extinction or totally restructured to have the modern look. This paper will present the current state of knowledge on the importance of traditional buildings with regards to cultural identity in order to study the potential of enhancing local identity in Saudi built environment. It was found from literature review that the local culture of architecture partly came from national identity and climate as well. In addition, privacy and security are the key features of Saudi traditional buildings and some of these features could be implemented in modern design. It was observed that using a new regulation in designing houses might create a comfortable modern building while retaining the essence of its traditional frame. Owners, designers, and developers could activate some traditional features and build, for example, a central courtyard house that suits their social, cultural and climatic requirements to create a comfortable modern building.