University of Palestine Faculty of Applied Engineering & Urban Planning School of Architecture Palestinian Architecture Lecture 5 Traditional Palestinian Architecture Dr. Hazem Abu-Orf University of Palestine 1
Background Palestinian contemporary architecture had been shaped in rather new materials & techniques; By early 20 th century, dramatic changes occurred in the binding materials; Accordingly, lime had been replaced with cement, Steel (I Beams section); West Bank and the Gaza Strip used traditional materials but shifted to use modern techniques that have an impact on the forms of buildings, or building details; Nevertheless, Stone remains key building s material but has been used structurally different University of Palestine 2
Houses of the economic and political elite (18 th and 19 th centuries) University of Palestine 3
Architectural Styles (types) Form, function and climate are tools to identify similarities and disparities between varying styles Residential Buildings Single House/free standing Characteristics: - different interior designs ; - circulation is at the horizontal level; - the staircase is vertical; - In some cases, the stairs are designed (the two-floor houses); - Ventilation four elevations are exposed to the natural environment. University of Palestine 4
Single and Multi Storey Free standing Structures, - consisting of a Square or Rectangular Space(Bayt), - and a Pair of Two Small Windows(Mijwiz). University of Palestine 5
Basic schemas of the rectangular traditional house, with repetitive initial unit University of Palestine 6
Initial forms of the traditional house Two images showing the Clustered and Concentric Pattern of the Spatial Organization at the Urban and Rural Palestinian Areas. University of Palestine 7
Original initial forms of the Palestinian vernacular house University of Palestine 8
Types of Palestinian vernacular house Watching Towers(Mantarah): a freestanding stone structure with different function and details These structures had multi functional purposes as places for watching and cultivating land, summer vacations, storage place and bases for winter agricultural activities. Shepherd s House: this model represents the most popular form of the Palestinian vernacular house with a simple single-storey square structure, Built from the limestone rock abundant in the surrounding areas, and has only one low arched entrance University of Palestine 9
The court house Single House-Gaza Single House-Gaza Building units are arranged in an L or U shape and rarely in a closed square or rectangular shape. Offer privacy and safety and form a reception space and daily activities The courtyard enriched by the addition of a covered terrace on one side called Liwan, which served as an extension toward a significant orientation like avalle Dr. HazemAbu-Orf, University of Palestine 10
The Gallery house 2) An open corridor that functions as a traffic or transitional area linking different components 1) A gallery that exists as an addition of a covered open space, called a passive gallery The gallery (Riwaq) indicates a covered space, which opens to the outside through supports such as colonnades or arcades University of Palestine 11
Central hall traditional house University of Palestine 12
The Central Hall House Popular form of a traditional house by the second half of 19 th century one, two, or three floors, and one or more entrances. the central hall has a full depth, subdivided or surrounded from 3 sides The central hall house was built of stone. The lower floor has been vaulted and the upper either vaulted, roofed with steel beams or timbered with red tiles. University of Palestine 13
Summary shapes of walls and roofs normally adhere to the simple geometry Simplicity of the traditional building, massing of single buildings as well as groups of buildings and the adherence to a uniform scale are the basic means of creating harmony University of Palestine 14
summary Juxtaposition of houses creates a repetitive rhythm of mass and void that covers the land without destroying its relief. Repetitions of similarly shaped openings reinforce continuity and their irregular distributions, within one elevation. University of Palestine 15