Architect of this year’s Downtown Design tells us about his favorite projects in the Middle East and tapping into culture for design.
Of Middle Eastern descent, Tarik Al Zaharna grew up in Luxembourg and had a natural fascination towards the region. Following his graduation from the Bartlett School in London, Tarik decided to further hone his Architecture and Design skills by gaining International Professional Practice by working for Urban A&O in New York and Bolles+Wilson in Germany. Prior to setting up T.ZED Architects his work experience across Europe, North America and the Middle East further enabled him to practice architecture globally and to be invited as a critic in Architecture schools internationally.
What/Who inspired you to become an architect?
Before pursuing architecture academically and professionally, I was always interested in the built environment and the direct effect it has on its users and context. With time, this has translated into an admiration for the likes of Oscar Niemeyer and Carlo Scarpa. For the past few years however I have been studying closely the works of Peter Zumthor and Isay Weinfeld. They demonstrate the perfect balance of treating architecture as a craft that responds to program and context, and translates into internal spaces - all while maintaining a consistency in attention to detail.
How would you re-imagine Dubai’s ever burgeoning skyline?
It’s great that we live in a modern day phenomenon where we can contribute to a city’s growth. Some towers in Dubai I do admire – even though it may be taboo to say that in the eyes of other international architects. When presented with the opportunity to design a tower, architects have the responsibility of responding to context as well as users. We can be extremely efficient in the way we build and operate a building despite the arid desert climate. With high temperatures, sunlight and dust, glazed curtain walls should not be the go-to solutions. The climate calls for a more solid or approach to architecture and multifaceted building skins. This is visible in some of the more dated towers around Dubai and we need to pick up from where these buildings have left off.
The Middle East is an emerging market in terms of design with many designers showcasing their designs, in which direction do you see Middle Eastern design heading in the coming years?
A reoccurring conversation had with clients and colleagues is that there is a growing movement that aims to create things locally. Be it art, hospitality concepts, furniture or even Architecture. The Middle East has been synonymous with craft for centuries and I believe the design trend will move towards elaborating on that. Technological advancement in fabrication coupled with traditional craft method lays a unique opportunity to create a regional design language that can be exported.
In your view, how is designing for projects in the Middle East unique to the rest of the world?
The Middle East is a unique place with a rich history. It is composed of varying civilizations tied together by context, culture and climate. The region connects the East to West and as a result people are becoming more informed about what is happening around them in terms of design trends. Influences from Hong Kong as well as Chicago are apparent here which ultimately leads to a more design-conscious people. At the same time, one cannot take a holistic approach to architecture and design as each region comes with its own approach and understanding of the built environment. These are some of the challenges that come with designing in the region and as one can imagine the process is complex. The general notion however, is that we now need to transition from ‘importing’ to ‘exporting’ design.
As an architect working in a city with an ever-changing landscape do you think that there is enough vision to maintain cultural design and aesthetics?
I believe that because we are living in an ever-changing city, we need to first derive and determine, then maintain a cultural design and aesthetic. That is not to say that we do not evolve our designs, but should rather tap into culture and heritage to answer some of our design questions. At T.ZED Architects we constantly question what this means. Although we have not answered these questions yet, we are quickly finding that out by seeking architecture or design that is of context and that responds to the socio-economic climate. This cosmopolitan city is a melting pot of many cultures and therefore, the first step in the direction of maintaining a cultural design aesthetic is to determine what 'Cultural Aesthetic' looks like here. Cultural habits and customs are evident and practiced regularly, however the connection between these customs and their architecture needs to be made.
And, what about regional architecture?
The ‘evolution’ of regional Architecture has been sidetracked by rapid urban development, and we are constantly addressing the question of what does Architecture ‘of place’ look like? This has resulted in a growing list of regional as well as international private Clients who are seeing design solutions that are contributing to something bigger than just aesthetics.
What have been some of your favorite projects in the Middle East and why?
From my travels in the region I was very pleased to see some great architecture in Kuwait. The Gulf Bank Headquarters in particular is a fascinating building built in the late 60s that demonstrate a unique understanding of the local environment – more so than more recent constructions.
Index Tower in Dubai as well the less recent Dubai Petroleum building on Al Safa street. Although built decades apart, I feel that both of these buildings have presence that is very much durable and within context.
Bernard Khoury’s work in Beirut is fascinating and the practice demonstrates a genuine approach to contextualizing their architecture. Buildings like the NBK residence, although distinct, I feel can only really exist in a city like Beirut. In being so, I believe it has become a successful building.
Tell us little bit about a project you are working on at the moment and its design challenges
We are working on a number of hospitality, commercial and private residential projects across the region for a very interesting list of clients. Due to some of our projects being located in neighboring GCC countries as well as the wider Middle East, we have found that the biggest hurdles arise during construction periods where approved finishes need to be sourced and installed. Our presence on site is crucial to ensure the set standards are adhered to. This also ties into an understanding of building methods and approach to construction detailing and craft.
What are you looking forward to most at this year’s Downtown Design?
We are excited an honored to have been selected as the architects of Downtown Design, and can say that this year will be unique. I am also excited to visit Reykjavik Design Week’s stand.
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