ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION an‎d CULTURAL CONTEXT IN THE UAE: CHALLENGES an‎d OPPORTUNITIES

Recent researches about architectural education in the Arab and Islamic regions identify the fact that current programs are compromised by course content that is disconnected from their socio-cultural contexts. This paper examines the architectural curricula taught in the UAE, their strengths and weaknesses with reference to local cases. It offers a positional interpretation of examples taken from the Gulf region and the Islamic world at large. Acknowledging major trends in this educational system, we argue that this system in UAE faces most of the challenging issues of architectural education in the region. Our investigation revealed the poor integration of cultural references in these programs. This is reflected in the feebleness to form graduates, who master an architectural language that is deeply rooted in their local and regional culture. These perceived weaknesses are considered as a counterpoint to the opportunities available to graduates who aspire to create contemporary architecture in the Arab and Islamic regions that is inspired by local material culture.