Students digitally documents ‘UAE’s urban evolution landmarks’

Students and faculty from the School of Architecture and Interior Design at Canadian University Dubai (CUD) have digitally documented elements of the UAE’s modern architectural heritage to preserve the legacy of buildings that played an important role in the country’s urban evolution.

The initiative ‘Digital Modern UAE’ supported by the Modern Heritage Research Grant Programme, an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with Zayed University and MAJRA – National CSR Fund, the project focuses on architectural works from the second half of the 20th century that have since been demolished or significantly altered, yet remain important to understanding the UAE’s cultural and urban history.

The project was led by CUD Assistant Professor of Architecture Dr Serkan Gunay, with support from four students and recent university graduates as research assistants. The team adopted a multidisciplinary approach, combining archival research and GIS mapping to produce detailed architectural drawings and 3D digital models of five former symbolic buildings: the Ramada Hotel in Mankhool, the former National Bank of Dubai by the Creek, Al Ahmadiya School, a church building in the Al Ras area, and the Chicago Beach Hotel residential complex.

Explaining the process, Dr. Gunay said, “We chose different typologies of buildings to explore what would work well in future research. Although some of these buildings were demolished almost 50 years ago, we still found a significant amount of archival information, which we collected from photographs, maps, books, and online resources. This has allowed us to develop geographical information systems maps, 3D digital models and eventually 3D prints of the five buildings, to be displayed in forthcoming exhibitions.”

Digital Modern UAE is one of 20 research projects funded by the Ministry of Culture.

Digital Modern UAE is one of 20 research projects funded by the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with Zayed University and MAJRA – National CSR. For research assistants, Dana Al Bastaki, Maya Al Hajali, Saghar Kazemian and Karishma Premarajan, the project gave them the opportunity to work alongside their former professor on a live project; a first for the Department of Architecture.

Maya Al Hajali, whose primary responsibility was 3D modelling the buildings, said the experience highlighted the importance of recognising modern architecture as part of the UAE’s heritage. She remarked, “When people think about heritage in Dubai, they often think of traditional areas, old houses or very historic buildings, but these more modern buildings have a really valuable position in a period of Dubai’s rapid development. It is important to raise awareness of how the country was and how it has become in such a short period of time.”

Saghar Kazemian worked on research, visual documentation and the translation of archival findings into the project’s visual outputs. She said, “We didn't want to create a completely photorealistic historical reconstruction, so we developed a cinematic visual language to communicate the character and significance of the buildings. Many of these buildings represent important stages in the UAE’s urban development so documenting them now helps to preserve their history and cultural value.”

The research has already been presented at a conference at the University of Salford in Manchester, with a further presentation, Digitizing Modern Heritage: UAE’s Lost Architectural Legacy, planned for the Critical Heritage Studies Conference in New Zealand in December. The project was exhibited at GeoHUB Day in collaboration with Dubai Municipality and is also planned to be the subject of a future display at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library. The next phase of the research is expected to incorporate buildings in other Emirates.