Buildings generally constructed of white render, were made from locally available materials and hand crafted techniques. The wall acts as a controlling device to insulate the interior and reflect the heat of the sun, set back balconies and deep reveals to windows bring controlled light into the building. Mashrabiya utilised hand carved screening plaster as a way of controlling light and providing privacy to internal spaces along tightly planned streets. The silhouette of the buildings and the use of varied active roofscapes is an important aspect of traditional architecture, delineating routes and connections and marking key points of intersection of routes.

 

A key driver for JMP in the development of the massing and elevational treatment of the hotel and serviced apartment buildings has been the integration of the buildings with that of the hierarchy, scale, and character of the street, lanes, squares, and courtyards that surround the site.

 

The buildings are unified through a crafted approach to the use of materials and detailing. The fa?ades of buildings are treated as solid forms, into which apertures and recesses are cut to reveal the mass and depth of the material.

 

A warm stone used with mitred joints to reveals and corners emphasises the carved nature and solidity of the fa?ades, which along with the filled jointing of the stone creates a uniformity to the surface, recalling the rendered fa?ades at Al Wakra.

 

Integral to the design is sustainability and the use of low energy systems through both active and passive means. The environmental/climatic characteristics of the site have informed the orientation of building and the design of internal/external spaces and the building fabric.

 

These factors, along with our response to the cultural and social issues, have combied to inform our approach to the project, rooted in tradition, but confident to absorb and transmit contemporary influences.