ABSTRACT
The origin of contemporary architecture in Saudi Arabia stems from the fi rst half of the twentieth century when Aramco (Arabian-American Oil Company) built its fi rst housing projects in the eastern region of the Kingdom between 1938 and 1944 (fi gure 6.1).1 These projects introduced a new concept of space and a new image of the home (Shiber, 1967). It is possible to argue that this early introduction had a deep but not immediate effect on the local people. It made them question their knowledge and how to react to these developments. In other words, this early change can be seen as the fi rst motive for a social resistance to the new forms and images in the contemporary Saudi built environment (Al-Naim, 2006).
