GLOBAL TRENDS: HOMOGENIZATION, CREATIVITY AND LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Parallel trends in architectural education and in city form develop hand in hand as the process of globalization and homogenization of urban fabrics in Gulf State cities transforms traditional building forms into modern urban enclaves. This is manifested in the cultural institutions evolving in the United Arab Emirates aim to attract tourism, diversify national income, and create jobs. New Projects such as the Desert Louvre in Abu Dhabi highlight links to traditional forms via the dominance of narrow winding pathways under a penumbra of a massive dome perforated. Such international museums create spaces of exhibition that challenge local heritage houses especially in Dubai, in turn leading to their transformation into spaces of exhibition that integrate heritage and modernity. Innovative styles and trends in architectural history have emerged from, movements and events that changed their character over time, which is much needed today to create sustainable designs. Dubai Municipality has announced plans to open 10 new museums in the emirate by 2015. Currently, Dubai has several small heritage houses including Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum house, Al-Ahmadiya School, Sheikh Obaid bin Thani Museum and the Traditional architecture house museum. International Museums such as the Desert Louvre and local heritage houses in Dubai represent a rich field of exploration for architecture students to study new forms, and reinterpret tradition. Linking academic theory to practice also allows a better understanding of modes of representation of national heritage. This research paper aims to address how new forms of lighting reshapes the past visually and physically and how design studios can integrate different disciplines across the breadth of the curriculum. This paper also assesses the re-enactment of historic forms within a modern context as part of a challenge for architecture students to design more realistic and culturally sensitive projects that can improve the social environment in emerging modern Arab Cities.