Abu Dhabi: The Emirati National House and its various features will be on display at the UAE National Pavillion at the upcoming International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) in Venice running from May 28 to November 27.
Visitors will be able to get a close-up view of the architectural details of Emirati house design, with models, diagrams and photos of Emirati homes built during the 1970s on display.
The exhibition is considered to be one of most prominent architecture events globally, and will be the second time the UAE National Pavilion takes part.
“We will be showcasing the transformation of the Emirati National House, which in Arabic is called Sha’bi, which means ‘people’s houses’,” said Yasser Al Sheshtawy, Associate Professor of Architecture at UAE University (, and the curator of UAE’s exhibition at the Biennale.
“This was a housing programme initiated by the late Shaikh Zayed [Bin Sultan Al Nahyan] in the 1970s with the formation of the union, when houses were being given to UAE nationals. We will be looking at the first and second generations of these houses with a focus on how they have changed over the years and how they are being used now,” said Al Sheshtawy.
For the exhibition, Al Sheshtawy said they looked at two neighbourhoods in Al Ain where these kinds of houses are still prevalent and occupied by Emiratis. “We also looked at specific houses, studying the architectural character and landscape of these homes, with our research forming the content of what will go on display in Venice,” he added.
Al Sheshtawy told Gulf News that the exhibition aims to give visitors a personalised experience of what these homes and neighbourhoods were like, with visitors getting the opportunity to feel what it would be like to live in such a neighbourhood.
“Our exhibition will have detailed scale models which will show the group of houses and, because of the detailing and landscaping, it will put the viewer in closer contact with the house. We have designed our models in a way that will allow visitors to walk through them and almost feel like they have been there, back in these neighbourhoods,” he said.
“We will also have a movie that will depict a drive through in the neighbourhood of Al Maqam in Al Ain”, reinforcing the experience of having been there, he said.
The theme of the UAE National Pavilion, he explained, was specifically created to provide architectural examples that could provide solutions to modern-day building challenges.
“We chose to not focus on iconic architecture but more on architecture that is tied to everyday life and has a social agenda in a way,” Al Sheshtawy said.
“We felt the Emirati National House addressed this point, because it’s a modest and simple home, and the people were able to adapt it to their needs and, in its current form, it is very much a reflection of the culture of its inhabitants.
“The exhibition will show that this part of the world can offer lessons for architectural problems worldwide, particularly with housing and the issue of adaptable housing and designing houses for various groups of people, all of which are pressing issues with the trend towards urbanisation.”
The exhibition’s purpose is to give people a different perspective of the UAE and its architecture, he said.
“This will show a different side of architecture in the UAE. When we talk about architecture in the UAE, people tend to think of skyscrapers and iconic developments. This is different, modest and down-to-earth. [It provides] an understanding of the UAE and its architecture that is enlarged and will move beyond certain clichés and stereotypes,” he added.
La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale) runs from May 28 to November 27.
Details of concept
Esraa Ali, research assistant, UAE University, provides details of how the concept of Emirati National Houses was put together:
“I contributed in tracking all the changes that affected the house’s layout internally and externally, including plot sizes, allocated to groups of houses located in Al Defa’a and Al Maqam neighbourhoods. The task also included translating all mentioned changes into illustrative diagrams.
“Research tasks started by scheduling visits to directors and representatives from different sections of Al Ain urban planning department such as building permits and archives section to gather information and records regarding transformations of national houses.
“Aerial views and collected visuals were used to track the transformation stages for houses in neighbourhoods. I prepared variable 2D/3D dimensional diagrams illustrating changes to house layouts and their impact on the surroundings. The analysis included a study of original layouts compared to the additional built mass constructed by house residents.”
Model-maker
Ebrahim Ebrahim, American University of Sharjah, model-maker of the exhibition:
“I worked on three sets of physical models at three different scales. Starting with the neighbourhood model at a scale of 1:1000 that showed the urban typology, organisation and solid-void relationships which expressed the urban pattern. After this, we zoomed into two different zones at a street scale, 1:200. From there we zoomed in to four house units at 1:50 scale.
“Before starting any model, we checked what the model was supposed to show and then looked for the best way to achieve that. Many iterations and samples were done before producing the final model in order achieve a good crafty quality.”
Main features
The main features of the Emirati National House (Sha’bi) as originally drawn:
In the first model (early 1970s) the kitchen was part of the house; however, based on feedback received from residents (mid-1970s and onward), the kitchen was a separate room, placed independently of the house
A central courtyard was part of the design. A series of rooms around a central courtyard was a key element of the original design.
The original model was placed on a square-shaped plot of land; but this changed in further iterations as the plot size increased and the shape was rectangular; the shape (footprint) of the house itself varied; there were U-shaped, L-shaped and other variants; but because of the additions people made, the initial shape of the house itself changed.
From the 1970s onwards, the houses were air-conditioned.
Construction was of reinforced concrete and, in subsequent stages, prefabricated elements were used; brick infill was used for the walls and enclosing fence and painted as “whitewash” using different colours.
The houses had regular windows.
Changes during the first and second generation house designs
Some changes pertained to the house itself in terms of addition of rooms, so they became bigger; also, some elements that were open (like the veranda or Liwan) were closed to increase space. Other changes involved raising the enclosing wall height for privacy reasons; replacing doors with more elaborate and decorative features; addition of external majlis; and extensive landscaping both inside and outside the house through the addition of gardens. Also, many painted their houses in different colours to individualise them.
