Overview
Islamic architecture is based on the traditions of the Muslim community dating as far back as the seventh century. It is well elaborated in traditional Muslim religious buildings such as the mosque and the madrasa. It is believed that the early Islamic architecture drew its designs from Christian architectural features which included columnar arches, mosaics, and domes. Additionally, the architecture included characteristics such as semicircular horseshoe arch and rich decorated surfaces (Ali et.al, 15). On the other hand, modern architecture is used to refer to architectural designs that emerged in the first half of the twentieth century and extensively used after World War II. Modern architecture is based on the use of new technology during construction, in particular, the use of glass, steel, and reinforced concrete. The architecture has been dominantly used for architectural designs for institutional and corporate buildings. This literature review aims at understanding the difference between the two architectural styles and how they ended up being connected.
Analysis
According to Petruccioli et.al, Islamic architecture can be referred to us a representation of Islam as a physical phenomenon (9). In other terms, it is a building tradition of the Muslim population especially in areas where Islam has been dominant. Compared to the modern architecture the Islamic architectural design was majorly characterized by bulbous domes and large halls. The style also had massive vaulted gateways and delicate ornamentation with decorations around it. It was also characterized by slender minarets with cupolas at its corners. While comparing the differences between the two architectural styles, Frampton, in his book argues that Islamic architecture is more complicated than the modern style. He bases his argument on the idea that modern architecture has brought about simplification of the architectural form. The modern style has resulted in the use of theme and structure of a building which eventually forms highly attractive structures. The modern style eliminated the use of decorations by simplifying its design layout to look as sophisticated as a decorated Islamic architectural design.
Summary
Unlike the Islamic architectural design, the modern design was first used in the early twentieth century and became more popular after the end of World War II. The design according to Petruccioli et.al, placed emphasis on building designs that were more attractive and stable for long-term use (41). In their research work, Petruccioli et.al, state that the modern style introduced the use of new materials that assisted in building attractive, stable structures that would be used for centuries (44). The new measures and materials introduced by modern architectural style included the use of glass, steel and reinforced concrete walls and pillars. In his review, Frampton argues that the appeal and durability the modern architectural style made it more prominent with institutional and corporate buildings (27). He went ahead to state that in as much as the Islamic architecture offered stability to the building, it was not enough to support huge projects. As a result, the Islamic states had to fuse the modern architectural designs to build their cities skyscrapers. This was made possible by the advancements made after World War II which gave birth to more stable economies.
As time went by Islamic architectural designers were left with no option but to adopt the modern architectural design. Ismail, et al. states that despite the stringent Islamic beliefs and the long-lasting traditions, modern designs were rendering the Islamic designs obsolete and risky to the Islamic nation (360). They argued that Islam was experiencing exceptional population growth which meant they had built huge structures that would manage the population and advance their cities. For this purpose Islamic states had no option but consider better building standards that would support their needs and still keep their tradition alive. Ali et.al, claim that the shift in architectural positions was also made possible by the improvement of economic conditions in Islamic states especially after the discovery of oil in the Arab region (83). The discovery of oil brought about external income for the Islamic states making the government to initiate the construction of better buildings borrowing designs from the modern architectural style. The modern style fused with the Islamic traditions ensured that the governments built sophisticated and modern buildings that have come to be synonymous with the Arab nations.
Conclusion
Works Cited
Ali, Nagah, et al. “Comparison Study of Traditional and Contemporary Islamic Dwelling Design in Hot Climates, with Reference to Benghazi, Libya.” 2016, https://www.dora.dmu.ac.uk/handle/2086/12495. Accessed 1 February 2017.
Frampton, Kenneth. A Genealogy of Modern Architecture. Lars Müller Publishers, 2015.
Ismail, Sumarni, et al. “Application of Islamic Architecture at Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur.” vol. 9, no, 5, 2015, pp. 358-366 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/43816/. Accessed 1 February 2017.
Petruccioli, Att, et al. Understanding Islamic Architecture. New York, RoutledgeCurzon, 2013.
