The Arabian Gulf stands at a crossroads. For five decades, the region’s architectural narrative has been defined by a singular impulse: the pursuit of the future at almost any cost. Mega-developments, parametric complexity, technological spectacle—these became the markers of progress, the visual proof that the Gulf was moving forward.
Yet something fundamental is shifting. And this shift matters not just for architecture, but for how we understand luxury, identity, and the future itself.
The Age of Spectacle Is Ending
Walk through Dubai or Riyadh today, and you’ll encounter extraordinary technical achievement. Buildings that defy gravity. Interiors optimised by algorithm. Cities re-imagined from first principles. The ambition is undeniable; the sophistication is real.
But there’s a growing exhaustion.
As architectural analysts observe, ‘the past 50 years of urban development in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula have primarily been motivated by the luxury, spectacle, and above-all: capital.’ This narrative made sense. After decades of being dismissed as culturally insignificant, the Gulf declared its arrival through sheer architectural bravado: Look what we can build.
The problem is that spectacle, once it becomes normalised, ceases to impress. Every developer builds higher. Every architect designs more complexly. Every rendering becomes more algorithmically sophisticated. The result? A kind of visual exhaustion. Abundance becomes indistinguishable from emptiness.
More troublingly, something essential was sacrificed in this pursuit: cultural continuity.
The Question Clients Are Now Asking
I’ve spent 25 years designing high-end residential architecture across three continents. And I’ve observed a pattern that has become increasingly pronounced: families commission their first luxury home with us, and it’s often about statement-making—about creating spaces that announce arrival, demonstrate taste, signal success through visual impact.
Then, several years later, many of these same clients return with a different request entirely.
They want a second home—a private family estate—where the imperatives are fundamentally different. They want spaces that feel rooted. They want design that expresses who they actually are, not who they want to be perceived as. They want their home to honour their heritage without replicating it as a museum piece. And increasingly, they’re asking whether the architecture industry can deliver this.
This is not a minority impulse. As Elias Abou Samra, CEO of Rafal Real Estate Development, recently articulated: ‘Under Vision 2030, we have seen a unique approach to developing landmark projects compared to other emerging economies. Heritage and sustainability have been given priority over ultra-modern structures that do not relate to the local context.’
This is a deliberate strategic repositioning—not a nostalgic retreat, but a sophisticated recognition that the future of Gulf luxury lies in cultural authenticity.
The Saudi Model: Heritage as Vision
The conversation is most explicit in Saudi Arabia, where Vision 2030 has created space for a fundamental reconsideration of what progress actually means.
Architectural analysis of contemporary Riyadh identifies a crucial tension: ‘In recent years, there has been a growing chorus calling for a reassessment of this trajectory – a renewed attention to tradition, cultural continuity, and identity.’ This tension plays out concretely in neighbourhoods like Al Shumais, where ‘residents express both pride in their historic urban fabric and concern that it will be erased. That tension – between renewal and remembrance – sits at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s urban dilemma.’
But Saudi Arabia is responding to this challenge in a remarkably sophisticated way. Recent initiatives like the Saudi Architecture Characters Map are designed to ensure that ‘even the most futuristic developments remain authentically Saudi’ and align with Vision 2030’s focus on ‘cultural enrichment’ and ‘sustainable development.’
The underlying logic is explicit: ‘It's not just about aesthetics—it’s about shaping environments that enhance quality of life, attract tourism, and drive economic growth. By reviving traditional designs and integrating them into modern construction, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as a global leader in architecture tourism.’
This is not about preserving the past. It’s about leveraging cultural identity as a competitive advantage in the global luxury market.
The Emergence of ‘Salmani Architecture’
What’s particularly interesting is the emergence of architectural frameworks that codify this new direction. Architect and theorist Jamal Badran identifies contemporary approaches that take ‘the concept of heritage and incorporate the values of the community, such as privacy and familiar values, into the design.’ In Riyadh specifically, this has crystallised around ‘Salmani architecture’—a contemporary vernacular trend that pays homage to the Najdi heritage of the city while remaining unmistakably modern.
This is crucial: these aren’t retro designs or nostalgic pastiche. They’re serious architectural frameworks that honour cultural wisdom while embracing contemporary methods and living standards. As the Saudi government explicitly recognises: ‘As it continues to modernise, it also celebrates and appreciates the heritage of the city, avoiding the loss of historic structures and villages.’
A Broader Architectural Shift
This isn’t unique to Saudi Arabia. Across the Arabian Peninsula, ‘Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates feature ultra-modern cities that developed in opposition to the physical patterns of traditional historical settlements. In the past years, however, there has been a renewed attention to urban heritage and two metropolises, Jeddah and Dubai, have decided to aim for World Heritage status and to leverage historic city centres as engines of economic development and tools for the reinforcement of national identity.’
Even more fundamentally, there’s growing recognition that traditional building approaches held profound wisdom that contemporary architecture has overlooked. Recent scholarship on Arabian Gulf architecture argues that ‘despite the Arabian Gulf’s challenging environment, the predominant scenographic trend in Gulf architecture overlooks the significance of intergenerational (past to present) tectonic legacy in contemporary practices.’ The implication is clear: we’ve been solving problems our ancestors already solved, and in abandoning traditional approaches, we’ve lost something essential.
What This Means for Clients and Developers
The practical implications are significant.
For private clients: This shift gives permission to pursue residences that are personally meaningful rather than trend-following. It validates the intuition that true luxury is about feeling home, not about visual spectacle. It means you can commission architecture that honours your heritage without apologising for not being cutting-edge.
For developers: This represents genuine market differentiation. In a Gulf market saturated with maximalist spectacle, the projects that will age best—and attract the most discerning clientele—are those that integrate cultural authenticity with contemporary sophistication. Heritage becomes a strategic advantage, not an antiquarian concern.
For architects: This requires a fundamental shift in thinking. It’s no longer about technological prowess or formal innovation for its own sake. It’s about deep cultural listening, about understanding the timeless principles embedded in regional building traditions, and about translating those principles into contemporary expression.
The Deeper Shift: From ‘New’ to ‘Meaningful’
What we’re witnessing is a maturation in how the Gulf understands luxury and progress.
The first wave was about proving capability: We can build anything, anywhere, faster than anyone. That impulse is satisfied. The question now is different: What should we build, and for whom?
This is not regression. It’s the opposite. It’s the recognition that genuine innovation isn’t about novelty; it’s about wisdom applied to contemporary challenges. It’s the understanding that cultural continuity and technological advancement aren’t contradictory—they’re complementary.
The clients driving this shift aren’t nostalgic or backward-looking. They’re sophisticated, internationally educated, and deeply thoughtful about their choices. They’ve experienced maximalist luxury and found it intellectually hollow. They’re asking for something more intellectually rigorous: architecture that serves human meaning, cultural identity, and environmental intelligence simultaneously.
The Oasis in the Desert of Spectacle
There’s a poetic truth in this moment. The Arabian Peninsula has always understood oases—spaces of refuge, rootedness, and authenticity amid vast emptiness. What the Gulf is now recognising is that in an age of algorithmic sameness and digital overwhelm, architecture itself must function as an oasis.
Not a rejection of the future. Not a nostalgic retreat. But an intentional creation of spaces that offer genuine sanctuary—places where people can feel rooted, present, and authentically themselves.
This is happening. It’s documented, it’s intentional, and it’s reshaping how the region thinks about architecture, development, and luxury.
The question for architects, developers, and clients is simple: Will you move toward this future, or cling to the spectacle of the past?
For those ready to move toward this future, architecture becomes not just an asset, but a vessel for meaning.
— Werner van Blerk
Sources & References
Arab News (September 2025). ‘Saudi Arabia leverages architecture and culture to project soft power’
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2614369/business-economy
Key source on Vision 2030 architectural approach and Elias Abou Samra's perspective on heritage-informed development.
Round City (June 2022). ‘Saudi Arabia and its path towards a contemporary architectural identity’
https://round-city.com/saudi-arabia-and-its-path-towards-a-contemporary-architectural-identity/
Comprehensive analysis featuring Jamal Badran on contemporary approaches to heritage integration in Riyadh.
Dezeen (March 2025). ‘Saudi Arabia plans to preserve architectural heritage in new developments’
https://www.dezeen.com/2025/03/27/saudi-arabia-traditional-architecture-initiative/
Detailed reporting on the Saudi Architecture Characters Map and Crown Prince’s architectural vision.
Soul of Saudi (April 2025). ‘How the Saudi Architecture Characters Map is Preserving Heritage While Shaping Tomorrow’
https://soulofsaudi.com/saudi-architecture-characters-map/
Analysis of the 19 architectural styles and the economic and cultural impact of heritage-informed development.
ArchDaily (January 2024). ‘Saudi Arabia’s 2030 Vision Unveiled through Mega Projects’
https://www.archdaily.com/1012457/saudi-arabias-2030-vision-unveiled-through-mega-projects
Overview of landmark Vision 2030 projects blending cultural heritage with contemporary design.
Built Heritage (September 2018). ‘Urban Heritage in the Arabian Peninsula, the Experiences of Jeddah and Dubai’
https://built-heritage.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/BF03545713
Academic analysis of the shift from opposition to heritage toward strategic heritage preservation in Gulf cities.
City, Territory and Architecture (February 2025). ‘Transferable tectonics: rethinking building technology in the Arabian Gulf cities’
https://cityterritoryarchitecture.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40410-025-00251-1
Scholarly article on the intergenerational tectonic legacy and contemporary building practices in the Gulf.
Whitewall (December 2020). ‘Badran Design Studio: Translating Architecture Into Today's Environmental Spaces’
https://whitewall.art/design/badran-design-studio-translating-architecture-into-todays-environmental-spaces/
Interview with Jamal Badran on contemporary approaches to environmental and cultural architecture.
Dar Al-Omran (June 2025). ‘Rasem Badran: Architectural interpretations of heritage and culture’
https://www.dao-badran.com/post/rasem-badran-architectural-interpretations-of-heritage-and-culture/
Profile of Rasem Badran’s foundational role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s contemporary architectural identity.
Scene Home ‘How Palestinian Architect Rasem Badran Shaped Saudi Arabian Modernity’
https://scenehome.com/Architecture/How-Palestinian-Architect-Rasem-Badran-Shaped-Saudi-Arabian-Modernity
Historical perspective on Badran’s influence on the dialogue between traditional and contemporary Arabian architecture.
Arabian Business (August 2025). ‘RED Summit explores design ideas and forges connections for Vision 2030’
https://www.arabianbusiness.com/abnews/red-summit-explores-design-ideas-and-forges-connections-for-vision-2030
Coverage of industry conversations on evolving development models in Saudi Arabia’s urban future.
The Business Year (October 2024). ‘Elias Abou Samra – Saudi Arabia 2025’
https://thebusinessyear.com/interview/elias-abou-samra-saudi-arabia-2025/
Interview with Rafal Real Estate Development CEO on Vision 2030 alignment and evolving client demographics.