Arraba : between growth and identity

Modernization and density have reached the Arab towns, but without the mental openness needed to assimilate a new and necessary urban order. The expected population growth and shortage of land stand in contrast with the powerful mental connection to the land. This conflict has meant that the growth of the built fabric in Arab cities and villages continues to develop in an unplanned and random way, and the gap between Western approach-based planning and the unique characteristics of Arab towns continues to grow.

The project offers a new building topology that will enable renewal and urban growth through a flexible planning system, and simple rules, derived from the local Arab residential architecture, the authentic lifestyle, and the organic development of the settlement over time.  The new typology is based on these rules and can adapt itself to any given place, ‏since it allows for a shared courtyard houses on a lands with several ownerships at different times, while carefully maintaining the original historical distribution of the land.