Computational Design as an Approach to Sustainable Regional Architecture in the Arab World

In the last two decades, architecture in the Arab world has undergone dramatic changes. Such changes were driven by three major paradigms; globalization, environment, and technology. However, these changes seem to ignore the rich architectural heritage of the region, especially Islamic architecture, trying to use technology breakthroughs in design and construction to replicate the same western building forms and concepts. This research discusses the current state of contemporary architecture in the Arab world, then reviews computational design as an innovative design tool, highlights its potentials to revisit regional architectural heritage in a contemporary way.