Behind the glitzy buildings that line Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road are neighborhoods etched with the markings of a developing nation. Over the last few decades, the urban transformation of the Gulf has been seen across the UAE, but also in cities like Kuwait, Doha, and Riyadh. Modernist architecture slowly transformed into sparkling skyscrapers, and older, kitschy buildings began to disappear. The UAE is now stepping in to protect these buildings with laws and a significant new initiative.

The 1970s oil boom sparked rapid construction across the Gulf as governments responded to growing demand for housing from citizens and an influx of foreign workers. International architects and planners were brought to the Gulf in droves to design buildings and cities, which Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Burjeel Art Foundation, explains in his 2021 paper “Conclusions: Modernism’s Back and Forth”, published in Urban Modernity in the Contemporary Gulf.

But these experts at the time had little to no knowledge of the local context and struggled with access to information such as demographics to better understand the Gulf societies they were building for. They were further impeded by the fact that these states were growing too quickly to keep up with any concrete plan.

Gulf Modernism therefore emerged between the 1950s and 1970s, characterized by reinforced concrete, geometric forms, and functional architecture. The oil boom of the time led to rapid development which saw this distinct architectural aesthetic emerge across cities in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

“Modernist architecture developed differently across regions, adapting to the cultural and environmental contexts in which it emerged,” says Mona El Mousfy, architecture consultant at Sharjah Art Foundation, which has been engaged in identifying, activating, and adaptively reusing modern heritage buildings across the city and the Emirate since 2015. “In the Gulf, climate and local traditions played a defining role in shaping a distinct regional expression of modernism.”

Seen in both building typologies and the architectural elements that were employed at the time, features such as covered walkways and sikkas, combined with high-level openings that encouraged cross-ventilation, became characteristic features of many modernist markets and public buildings. Courtyard layouts, for example, continued to be used because they responded simultaneously to cultural traditions and climatic needs.

In April, The UAE Ministry of Culture announced the launch of the National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage, which identified the need to protect and preserve the buildings built during the Gulf’s rapid boom. It was also a response to increasing modernization and development across the UAE’s emerging cities that have put several prominent buildings at risk of demolition. The strategy’s aim is to establish a comprehensive national register for cultural heritage with a particular focus on modern architectural heritage—the first in the country.

The first phase of the registry comprised ten buildings from across the UAE, including Rashid Tower, which was inaugurated in 1979, and the Deira Clock Tower, one of Dubai’s oldest urban landmarks.

In July, Union House became the first building formally included as part of the UAE’s National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage. Located within Etihad Museum, Union House was the setting for the signing of the UAE Constitution and where the formation of the United Arab Emirates was declared on December 2, 1971.

“By including [Union House] in the National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage, we reaffirm our commitment to protecting sites of exceptional national and cultural value, ensuring their sustainability as sources of knowledge and inspiration, and preserving them as living testimonies to the achievements the UAE has realized since the establishment of the Union,” said Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, the UAE Minister of Culture at the time of the inclusion.

In Abu Dhabi, buildings like the National Consultative Council building at Qasr Al Hosn, long associated with institutional development of the country since 1968 and the Cultural Foundation, which was built in 1981, were also given protections, alongside cultural and academic landmarks such as the Islamic Institute at the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, an academic institution that has churned out graduates since 1976.

In Sharjah, the Khalid Bin Mohammed School, the Al Qasimia School, and the Special Education Support Centre were included to the registry, alongside Saqr Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, which has held a significant place in the country’s collective memory since 1981.

Sharjah has long had a strategy to protect architectural heritage, with legislation already in place, says El Mousfy. “Today, however, it is increasingly important to extend this framework to explicitly include modern heritage. This architectural layer is particularly vulnerable due to rapid urban development and increasing density across cities and towns,” she explains.

The architecture of Sharjah’s buildings from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, adds El Mousfy, embodies significant design values that are characterized by a comfortable human scale and thoughtful responses to their sites and climate. “Their typologies prioritize shade, porosity, cross-ventilation, and natural air movement, creating environments that remain pleasant and comfortable for occupants,” she says.

Sharjah Art Foundation has taken an even bigger role to support the implementation of the National Policy for the Preservation of Modern Architectural Heritage in that emirate. In May, the foundation announced that it would establish a new committee that will work towards the preservation of Sharjah’s modern architectural heritage while also contributing to the development of policies and legislation that safeguard these sites for future generations. The committee will also work on listing, research and documentation of modern heritage buildings as part of the emirate’s historical identity.

The committee includes representatives from the Department of Town Planning and Survey, Mubadara, Sharjah Municipalities, Sharjah Architecture Triennial and Sharjah Institute for Heritage as well as those from the Foundation.

According to El Mousfy, the first phase of this process involves documenting, classifying, and conducting research on these buildings. Then each year, a shortlist of classified buildings will undergo a more detailed assessment based on a range of criteria to conclude whether protection will be offered under the registry.

“To list a building in Sharjah in both the UAE National Register of Modern Architectural Heritage and Sharjah’s Register of Modern Architectural Heritage, we need to demonstrate how the building’s typology, architectural language, construction methods, and design elements clearly express these identified values,” she explains.

The modernist buildings of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s remain highly contextual. They are an essential part of the UAE’s cultural identity, and continue to retain the welcoming, human scale that has long defined them.

.

.