The Social Adequacy of Dwelling: Tradition, Evolution and Transformation of Subsidised Housing in BAHRAIN

Abstract

In some of the most densely populated parts of the world, namely in Asia, the provision of housing is still very much the responsibility of local governments in the form of top-down decision processes where the government develops social and subsidised programs and takes on most of regulating, financing, planning, and design responsibilities. One of these regions is the Middle East, specifically the Arabian Gulf. After discovering oil in the first half of the twentieth century, countries of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) have undergone a dramatic change at all levels. In the course of a few decades, these countries went from small trading ports and nomad tribes to highly developed economic metropolises. This is the case of the Kingdom of Bahrain where, since the mid-twentieth century to this date, the government has been responsible for housing around one-fifth of the local population. However, it is common for residents to perform extreme alterations to their houses immediately after their reception, ranging from simple decor to complete functional and structural changes. There is a considerable gap between what is provided and what is expected. Discourses on the relationship between domestic space and behaviour started around the 1960s as the failures of early Modernist projects to answer residents' needs had become evident. Researchers have an ongoing debate on the relationship between the design and use of houses. The form and spatial patterning of domestic architecture are considered to be equally affected by physical and non-physical variables. Despite divergent opinions, it is commonly agreed that the problem of research on domestic space lies in the lack of a multidisciplinary approach and a methodology able to equally measure and analyse these two variables. It is hypothesised that physical structures are changing faster than cultural norms, because design decisions are mainly informed by current social changes and new ways of life, leaving a gap between longstanding traditions and values and new lifestyles. These are both being imprinted in space in the actions of residents over their houses and just need to be decoded. To understand the social adequacy of current housing models, the research proposes a methodological framework to equally measure the two variables. The analysis of the physical object (houses) is supported by space syntax theory to investigate the meaning behind the patterns of space in three different analytical exercises that correlate to non-physical variables: the cultural context of the traditional house; the evolving society through 50 years of government housing programs and; the individuals' experience in perpetuating socio-cultural norms. At every stage, the space syntax analysis is supported by qualitative and quantitative methods for the interpretation of results, mainly archive research, statistical accounts, typological representation, direct observations and semi-structured interviews with residents. The results confirm contemporary houses to be a hybrid merge of continuities of past tradition as well as ruptures derived from new social habits that emerged and are being imprinted on domestic space in the way residents use their houses. Drastic changes in geometry and plot occupation have greatly affected inhabitants' privacy and visual connection. Changes in the spatial configuration led to increased use of transition spaces and isolation from the outside world. Residents are segregated both from the outside and from each other. The research is also able to identify the perpetuation of important socio-cultural values such as gender segregation, and hospitality. At the same time, society is displaying a different relation with important traditional values such as modesty. The house has moved from a spatial to a transpatial layout which emphasises the importance of status at the expense of family life. This is accentuated by the increased individuality of inhabitants exacerbated by social media, and digital communication tools. Families can be together without sharing the same physical space.