Engineering and Technology Journal (Dec 2016)
The Impact of Contemporary Monument Buildings on Urban Context Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf - Case Study
Abstract
The research concerned with monument buildings, which regarded as prominent urban landmarks in the city، since they are one of the main axes for city establishment throughout their history and for being the main motive in their transformations. These buildings were، and all still، renewed urban elements that keep up with the urban development، connected with them spiritually and physically. The research depends on a basic hypothesis "the contemporary monument buildings affect their urban context through the visual properties، semantic meanings and urban activities". To test its validation، two buildings in Al-Najaf city، were chosen according to specific criteria .The research found that contemporary monument buildings have an effect on their urban context، whether those buildings were of historical symbolism related to the local or contemporary heritage of the city. This enhances the ability to blend the heritage with the contemporary buildings to strengthen the identity of the city and its culture، especially when its image goes beyond the local level
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