DEVELOPMENT OF PRIVATE HOUSE DESIGN IN SAUDI ARABIA:

Questioning the Socio-cultural Parameters

DR. MASHSARY ABDULLA AL-NAIMAssociate Professor

Vice Rector, Prince Mohammed University

mugallat also used as dining room but people never call it ‘dining room’

later )

Living room (the chairs and sofas added

A villa constructed after 1975

A number of villas constructed in the

late 1970’s and early 1980’s. a) A villa

(designed in 1977) shows the

development of the living room. b) A villa

(designed in late 1970’s) shows how the house became

two storeys (bedrooms

transferred to first floor). c) A villa

(designed in early 1980’s) shows how

the staircase became closer to the living

room .

A

B

C

Entryfrom main

street

Family Living room

Front stage (communal)Middle (private)

Clean activities

Majlis

Semi-clean activities

Staircase

Mugallat

Setback(front

garden)

Passageway

KitchenToilet

Toilet

Back (Semi-private)

Back setback

side setback

In some cases the majlis and mugallat are

connected by a passageway connected

directly to the front setback

A sharp segregation found between guest

and family parts

Multi-purpose or bedroom

WomenMajlis

Dirty activities

Bedrooms

Storage

Added later

The number of bedrooms depends on the size of the

house

The organisation of internal domestic

space of the contemporary house

of the late 1970’s (The women’s majlis was

one of the room in the ground floor. There was no specific room

for it).

A number of stone facades (also notice

the pavement in front of the house

facade which is used to emphasize

the visual characteristics of the contemporary private home in Saudi Arabia).

Granite facades with some visual symbols (mainly palm trees and Quranic

calligraphy).

A number of

gateways constructe

d in the late 1970s reflect the growth of

the individual perceptual

identity

Development of private home in the early 1980s. a) The staircase

moved to the living room and

the women’s majlis became

well identified. b) The majlis hall associated with

the mugallat (was to be used on

occasions as one space). c) The living room is

half covered and half open to the

first floor rooms.

Entry

from main street

Family living room

Front stage (communal)Middle stage (private)

Clean activities

Majlis

Semi-clean activities

Staircase

Mugallat

Setback(front

garden)

Passage-

way

Kitchen

Toilet

Toilet

Back (Semi-private)

Back setback

Side setback

A sharp segregation found between guest

and family parts

Multi-purpose or bedroom

WomenMajlis

Dirty activities

Bedrooms

Storage

Added later

The number of bedrooms depends on the size of the

house

In some cases the mugallat approached from the majlis hall

Entrance

Storage

The organization of internal

domestic space of the contemporary house of the early

1980s.

Development of the private home in the late 1980s. a) The

living room became two storeys in height and moved towards

the front stage. b) the house form started

taking fantastic forms. c) The living room

confirmed its position between the middle

and the front stages. The house firmly

developed its spatial organisation by

developing the two entrance halls.

A private home constructed in the late 1980s

Entry

from main street

Family living room

Front stage (communal)Middle stage (private)

Clean activities

Majlis

Semi-clean activities

Staircase

Mugallat

Setback(front

garden)

Passage-

way

KitchenToilet

Toilet

Back (Semi-private)

Back setback

Side setback

A sharp segregation found between guest

and family parts

Multi-purpose or bedroom

Women’sMajlis

Dirty activities

Bedrooms

Storage

Added later

Divided into three clusters, for boys, for girls, and for

parents

In some cases the mugallat aproached from the majlis hall

Entrance

Developmentof an entry zone for the

women’s majlis

The access from the

side setback to the living

room became

less important

Storage

The organisation of internal domestic

space of the contemporary

house of the late 1980s. The living

room and women’s majlis became

more symbolic and displaced towards

the front stage.

A number of gates constructed in the first half of the 1980s. a) A gate decorated with ceramic tiles. b) The traditional coffee pot image drawn on the main door to indicate the guest door. c) A gate and a fence show the Saudi symbol. d) Notice the sign in the

side of the gate, which indicates the guest door. Also, the sign in the top which carries the expression of ‘In the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful’.

Two examples showing how the staircase split from the living room in the 1990s houses.

A villa constructed in the early

1990s

A number of villas constructed in the first half of the 1990s showing

the re-establishment of the symbolic role of the staircase

Entry

from main street

Family Living room

Front stage (communal)Middle (private)

Clean activities

Majlis

Semi-clean activities

Mugallat

Setback(Front

garden)

Small hall Include the

main staircase

Kitchen

Toilet

Toilet

Back (Semi-private)

Back setback

Side setback

A sharp segregation found between guest

and family parts

Multi-purpose or bedroom

WomenMajlis

Dirty activities

Bedrooms

The number of bedrooms depends on the size of the

house

In some cases the mugallat approached from the majlis hall

Entrance

Storage

Entrance

Passage-way

Dirty kitche

n

The kitchen started to move

towards the living room

Arabic majlis

In some

houses only

The organisation of internal domestic

space of the contemporary house

of the early1990s. The living room and

women majlis became more symbolic and

displaced towards the front stage.

A number of villas constructed in the

early 1990s showing the treatment of the central areas which are always occupied by the living spaces. Also, they show how the kitchen became

very close to the living spaces

The recent development of the private home in Saudi Arabia. a) The kitchen

associated with a food corner and opened to the family living spaces. b)The kitchen associated with the

living room. c) The kitchen associated with the living spaces

Entry

from main street

Family Living room

Front stage (communal)Middle (private)

Clean activities

Majlis

Semi-clean activities

Mugallat

Setback(Front

garden)

Small hall Include the

main staircase

Kitchen

Toilet

Toilet

Back (Semi-private)

Back setback

Side setback

A sharp segregation found between guest

and family parts

Multi-purpose or bedroom

Women’smajlis

Dirty activities

Bedrooms

The number of bedrooms depends on the size of the

house

In some cases the mugallat approached from the majlis hall

Entrance

Storage

Entrance

Passage-way

Dirty kitche

n

Arabic majlis

In some

houses only

Family dining (breakf

ast corner

The organization of internal domestic

space of the recent contemporary house

(after 1995). The living room and

women majlis became more symbolic and

displaced towards the front stage

A number of gates constructed in the early 1990s. The gate was used

to personalize the house

Conclusion