'hot cities' by ahmed & rashid bin shabib adapt arab architecture at vitra design museum

Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture

Vitra Design Museum presents ‘Hot Cities,’ taking a close look at the metropoles of the Arabic-speaking world and the challenges posed by the region’s harsh climate. On view until 5 November 2023, the exhibition showcases how architects blend traditional vernacular styles with modern technologies to tackle future challenges. By exploring the architectural and urban design solutions employed there, the exhibition seeks to inspire climate resilience in our own environments.

Curated by Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib, ‘Hot Cities’ also presents urban case studies that offer insights into climate change-related questions. This is an extension of the curator’s ecological research, which recently received the Golden Lion at the 2021 Venice Biennale of Architecture for their contributions as authors of the book ‘Anatomy of Sabkhas.’

installation view, ‘Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture’, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib, photo: Bettina Matthiessen

timeless learnings from the past

The exhibition ‘Hot Cities’ at Vitra Design Museum (for more information, click here) explores the architectural and urban approaches employed in the Arabic-speaking world to cope with extreme heat. The project aims to demonstrate the possibilities of thriving in such conditions and how urban culture can flourish through climate adaptation. It features examples from twenty Arabic-speaking cities, spanning various time periods and architectural styles, ranging from ancient to contemporary and from vernacular to postmodern.

The show seeks to create a dictionary of Arab architecture through the lens of climate adaptation and the emerging aesthetics of everyday life. It also serves as an invitation to reconsider our relationship with the future and sustainability discourse by drawing from timeless lessons of the past, showcasing the invaluable knowledge passed down through generations.

installation view, ‘Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture’, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib, photo: Bettina Matthiessen

How can we live in hot cities?

The archive explores this question through a threefold approach, utilizing different media to intersect ideas. It comprises architectural models that depict the intricate connection between aesthetics and climate adaptation, a library of architectural vocabulary specific to each of the twenty cities, and a colloquium where practitioners and scholars gather to share their expertise on the subject. This dynamic forum acts as a platform for experts to share their knowledge, foster meaningful dialogue, and inspire fresh perspectives on the future of hot cities.

installation view, ‘Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture’, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib, photo: Bettina Matthiessen

Khan al-Mirjan, Baghdad, Iraq, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib, photo: Andreas Sütterlin

installation view, ‘Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture’, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib, photo: Bettina Matthiessen

Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib, photo: Andreas Sütterlin

installation view, ‘Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture’, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib, photo: Bettina Matthiessen

Hassan Fathy, New Baris, Egypt, © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib, photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Research for ‘Hot Cities’, © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib

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Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

Lattice screen window © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Hassan Fathy, Shahira Mehrez Apartment, Cairo, Egypt © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Water towers © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Omari Tribal School and Clinic, Oman © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

La casa de la mujer, Algeria © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Fountain © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Kikuma Watanabe, Community Center, Jordan © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Rifat Chadirji, Siraj al-Din Mosque, Iraq © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Al-Masjid An-Nabawi Umbrellas, Medina, Saudi-Arabien © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Frank Gehry, Vitra Design Museum Gallery and Gate, Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein, Germany © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

Jean-François Zevaco, Courtyard Houses, Agadir, Morocco © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib photo: Andreas Sütterlin

poster of the exhibition 'Hot Cities', © Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

installation view, 'Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture' © Vitra Design Museum © Rashid & Ahmed bin Shabib photo: Bettina Matthiessen

Ahmed & Rashid bin Shabib, © Taken by Alex Wolfe for Kinfolk

Tuwaiq Palace Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, photo: Rashid & Ahmed Bin Shabib

project info:

exhibition title: Hot Cities: Lessons from Arab Architecture
location: Vitra Design Museum Gallery | @vitradesignmuseum
dates: 29 April 2023 – 5 November 2023
curatorial team: Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib
exhibition design: Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib (Dubai, UAE), Ms. Anne Geenen, Site Practice (Mumbai, India), Mr. Abdullah Kenani and Mohammed Alruways, Wearebytwo (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)