A critical survey and a design proposal for Al Balad, the historic district of Jeddah, KSA

Abstract

Tecturae srl, in cooperation with the Municipal Administration of Al Balad in Jeddah and the Department of Architecture of the Universita degli Studi "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy, has made possible the survey and a design proposal for a significant part of the historic district of Jeddah and for some outstanding buildings that will deserve a special attention. Though spoiled by recent constructions of debatable quality, this area — still nowadays — is an extremely interesting mix of different building types, illustrating a very significant stage in the city's history, when its merchants successfully conquered local and foreign markets and when Jeddah started to act as the main gateway from the Red Sea to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. Our project aims at the preservation of its rich and fascinating built heritage and at the rediscovery of its lost relationship with the once nearby harbor on its west side and with the modern city all around; in addition to this, we also wish that the renovation of Al Balad may constitute a significant step toward KSA's green leap forward, demonstrating that properly retrofitted and upgraded historic districts can be not only more pleasant and appealing to visitors and pilgrims, but also smarter than recently built suburbs.