Publisher's Synopsis
Sahel Al Hiyaris work has been described as a material reflection on and of the constantly shifting landscapes of the Middle East region. His buildings seek to work with and draw inspiration from the limitations and potential of working in an area that some might consider to be at the `margins of global architectural production, creating exciting new contemporary modalities. Actually, Al Hiyari finds the relative cultural and geographic isolation liberating as it drives him to seek alternative solutions through which the work can address and assert its material presence. As his designs progress, he uses a process of filtration, negotiation and even appropriation to assimilate each projects context into its internal logic. Each of the works presented in comprehensive architectural detail in this book, featuring photography, plans, models and sketches, internalize with the conditions in which they were created and can even be seen as semi-autonomous works of art that ebb and flow between resistance and adaptability to their surroundings.
