Architecture and Planning, Dar Al-Hekma in Saudi Arabia collaborate

(Sept. 8, 2009) Students and faculty from the College of Architecture and Planning and Dar Al-Hekma College in Saudi Arabia have this fall launched a venture spanning two continents. In a collaborative studio project, students from both universities are simultaneously designing affordable housing for underserved populations in the partnering country. This is due to the outstanding progress that has been made in the development of a new Bachelor of Architecture degree program at Dar Al-Hekma College (DAHC), created with the assistance of faculty and administrators at UC Denver. 

As part of the ongoing cultural and educational exchange between the American and Saudi universities, Sami Nawar, the general director for culture and tourism for Jeddah Municipality in Saudi Arabia and an associate of Dar Al-Hekma College, was welcomed to UC Denver on Aug. 28. Nawar gave a presentation about the challenges of preservation in Saudi Arabia and the country’s efforts to maintain its rich cultural heritage and its architecture, with a look at the country’s historical and future plans for sustainable development. He additionally presented and participated in an international historic preservation conference that took place in Colorado, The International Preservation Trades Workshop.

For hundreds of years, Saudi architects and builders have been employing sustainable practices for the development of their cities and towns. Nawar gave examples of numerous historic innovations, such as terraced buildings with alternating patterns to deflect and capture rainwater, rounded corners on adobe towers to protect structures from extreme desert winds, and front door entrances and back door exits angled at 45 degrees to allow air to circulate and cool rooms before leaving. Many similar practices have proved to be beneficial in the high desert climates of the American West.

For more information about the collaboration as well as program development in the areas of sustainability and cultural heritage, contact: Betsy Metzger, College of Architecture and Planning, betsy.metzger@ucdenver.edu.