| Author(s) | Mohammed Abdullah Eben Saleh |
| Affiliation | College of Architecture and Planning, King Saud University, P.O. Box 57448, Riyadh 11574, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Typology of Towers: An Incentive to Tower Ecological Architecture in Saudi Arabian Cities and Wilderness |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Architecture & Planning. Volume 13, No 1. (2001/1421) |
| Abstract | This paper identifies and classifies typologically the many kinds of towers in Saudi Arabia. It identifies the forces behind their construction, demise, and role as structuring elements in the built environment and wilderness. It also discusses the value of preserving such important structures, especially in regard to built forms, urban spaces, and vernacular landscapes. Ecological architecture in this context means the adaptability of a tower or a group of towers as organisms or community of organisms to the dynamics of the relationship with the environment. The conceptual relation between ecology and architecture is apparent in the linguistic origin of the term ecology. The basic argument here is that the relationship between culture, nature and the built environment is more of an ecological nature. That is to say, the tower is more than a combination of structural elements which enhance the user's attention and activities. A new understanding of tower design must have a broader ecological view than that of a limited, mechanical interpretation of the relationship of nature and architecture. The warning and defense towers were developed since long times of political instability characterized by intertribal raiding. The unification of Saudi Arabia in 1932 brought this period to a close and opened the hands of a new typology of towers. While the inception of minarets emerged with the arrival of Islam in the 7th century, other forms of towers like those which were used to ventilate buildings or to guide ships or caravans were developed since a long time. The new typology of towers includes but is not limited to, water towers, telecommunication towers, airport towers, cooling towers etc. The drastic transformation in the perception of towers occurred as soon as the Saudi society was exposed to several forces of change |
