Visit Jeddah Al Balad Architecture

There are different types of buildings in Jeddah AlBalad and facades show the interior structure. Jaimesan analyses the most typical models of facades through sketching them and presenting unique artwork to help understanding them.

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There are different types of façades in Jeddah AlBalad. Most of them are built by addition of spaces without a global construction or design project. One example is this kind of facade is the corner of Bazan and Abu Inabah Lanes. 

Size of openings

Observe the size and position of the windows and mashrabiyah where main common rooms like majliss and living rooms have grand mashrabiyah, bedrooms have a larger window and service rooms have smaller windows. Some plots are big enough to keep the service windows to the back or interior patios but this example show them on the facade due to the narrower size of the plot.

Height of windows

Arab homes have windows located at different heights than western homes. Some windows will be high on the walls to let heated air go and keep the lower areas of the room more fresh where people sit. Some windows will be very low on the wall to have incoming air at sitting level. Remember that traditional sitting is on cushions on the floor. And finally, some other windows will be representative of the status of the house both inwards and outwards decorated with the best possible wood latticework. Check some interior images down in this article.

Private-public space

It is typical of the Arab world a particular relation between public space and private constructions, where public space has been traditionally neglected and occupied by private owners. Here we see the volumes sticking out of the facade making the sidewalk irregular. Luckily this fact has been kept until our days and we can enjoy the beauty of it!

This brown watercolor is the art work depicting the facade pictured in above images.

Other façades in Jeddah Al Balad are regular in their composition and, in general, have a similar proportion of openings/walls. More modern and wealthy buildings have been designed to keep proportions and verticality in the structure of openings and walls.

Ventilation

 The high humidity from the Red Sea in summer could only be fought by forcing cross-ventilation and the goal of this facade is to allow as much ventilation as possible inside the house.

Shade

Sun exposure is also a threat for house comfort and all openings have a mashrabiyah which allow for ventilation but not for direct sun access. Also all facades are painted white to increase solar reflection and reduce its heating effect. The fact that AlBalad is built with coral stones also helps for thermal isolation. 

This house has a leaning façade. It is thicker in the lower floors and thinner in the upper floors, although the rooms inside must be about the same size.

Some other buildings are of a much more humble origin but they do not lack charm, still decorated with wooden latticework and bright colors. This house in Abu Inabah Street has two interesting features: the shading structure of the roof and a continuous mashrabiyah with an outside shelf.

Roof structures

The top floor was added after the first two floors were done, built with higher ceiling but also using the roof terrace. Observe the wooden panel is higher than the construction on its left which means that this space is an outdoor sitting area protected from the sun and views by a wooden structure, the roof mashrabiyah.

Different latticework

This facade has 3 different type of mashrabiyah: the one with opening larger than the visual protection, the one which opening matches the visual protection and the one with vertical wooden stripes. The mashrabiyah on first floor is continuous probably to ease the construction and make the whole structure more sturdy. Also, there is a continuous shelf on first and second floors which use is a mystery to me.

This example shows the scaling of windows from larger rooms at the corner of the plot to the smallest for service rooms, probably bathrooms, to the neighbor plot. Middle size windows could be bedrooms.

We have developed a collection of items with Jeddah AlBalad facades theme!

The mashrabiyah

The main feature of this neighborhood is the abundance of mashrabiya, also called roshan or shanshul. Mashrabiyah are wooden over structures added to the façade openings to provide sun protection and privacy. Usually, the mashrabiyah covers windows and encloses balconies with wood latticework. When built on roofs, the mashrabiyah provides shade, ideal for evening outdoor sitting as the windows can be opened while keeping the privacy. The interiors are just fabulous spaces with high ceilings for stratification of temperature, filtered natural light and bespoke built cabinets and sitting areas.

If you look carefully at the drawings, there are different types of mashrabiyah with different capacity for privacy.

Jeddah AlBalad interiors

The interiors of these constructions are stunning. Of course, some will be more refined than other, but all of them have the atmosphere qualities needed in the region: filtering the sharp sunlight, allowing for cross-ventilation to cope with the high humidity in summer and protecting the privacy of the Arab family. Coral stones are not that strong and therefore walls are thick, allowing for built-in cabinets and shelves.

It is also typical of these houses communicating windows between rooms. They allow for cross-ventilation during the day and privacy during the night. Some larger houses have a splendid sitting room, diwan or majlis, that we have to imagine covered in carpets, with bespoke made cushions and low furniture, hanging lamps and fabrics. The Gayer-Anderson museum in Cairo is a splendid example of Arab home interior. For sure there are even nicer examples in real Arab homes, still for us to investigate one day, inshallah.