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The built heritage as a resource for architectural education: documentation of the vernacular settlements and architecture in Oman

Naima Benkari (Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman)

Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development

ISSN: 2044-1266

Article publication date: 31 May 2022

Issue publication date: 18 June 2024

282

Abstract

Purpose

Through a project of cooperation between the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MHT) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), a team including faculty members, technicians and students from the SQU department of civil and architectural engineering (CAE), was involved in the project of documentation, survey and the development of management plans of four (4) Omani Vernacular settlements (Harat). Such an experience was meant to initiate students from different levels in undergraduate programs of civil and architectural engineering to the fieldwork and professional practice in the field of built heritage studies. The present research aims to explore the effect of such an experience on the learning process and skills acquired by the involved students.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was undertaken with students of CAE undergraduate programs at SQU. The documentation method has been implemented in 4 different settlements with the same students. A questionnaire has been administered to the participating students after their graduation to collect their feedback regarding the benefits of this experience on their education and skills development. The data was complemented by active observation and semi-directive interviews with some students randomly selected among the respondents to the questionnaire.

Findings

The outcome of each documentation campaign as well as the results of the questionnaires administered revealed that this experience has raised students' awareness about the importance of studying the built heritage and safeguarding it. The research has shown that important soft skills, such as team-working, leadership and communication, have been consolidated. It has also revealed that this experience was an opportunity for students to discover the variety of options within the profession of architecture and its intellectual and ethical responsibilities. Such aspects are hardly grasped when taught within a “classical” teaching/learning setting.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this research were the hard working conditions during the summer in Oman and the direct interaction of the students with the buildings. Even cautious, such interaction represents a risk for an already fragile heritage.

Practical implications

The paper includes a detailed description of the architectural documentation tools and methods used in the case studies. These tools and methods can easily be applicable, with slight adaptations, in other architectural documentation projects involving undergraduate students. The documentation methodology and the generated corpus of 3D digital models can be used in other documentation projects and further studies such as architectural typologies, bioclimatic properties, natural ventilation patterns, daylight performance, etc.

Originality/value

This paper reports on the outcomes of the first experience of its kind in Oman and the Gulf region, where undergraduate students (predominantly females) were involved in an interdisciplinary project for the documentation of important vernacular settlements and their buildings. The added value of this research is that its methodology can be a reference for professors of Architecture and related specialties aiming to integrate research and field work with education.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank SQU for its continuous support of research activities. She would like to acknowledge the significant contribution of CAE students in the documentation work and the graphical input. Recognition is also due to Eng-s. Aliya A. Al Hashim, Asma Al Muqbali, and Mohsen Ghanama for supervising the field surveys. Deepest gratitude goes to the inhabitants of the surveyed settlements in recognition to their hospitality and support. Finally, sincere appreciation goes to the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions which have considerably helped in refining the initial version of this article.

Unless stated otherwise, all illustrations presented in this paper were prepared by the Author and the SQU documentation team.

Funding: This research was funded by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism and Sultan Qaboos University (Oman) (award number: CR/ENG/CIVIL/14/08).

Citation

Benkari, N. (2024), "The built heritage as a resource for architectural education: documentation of the vernacular settlements and architecture in Oman", Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 710-729. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-12-2021-0211

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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