Book Review: Architecture in the Emirates
AE Architecture In the Emiratesby Philip Jodidio  Within the memory of many citizens of Qatar, the capital cities of the emirates strung out along the shores of the Arabian Gulf were small desert or coastal settlements. During the last decade they have expanded at a dizzying rate and are continuing to do so, with ultra-modern, glittering towers popping up throughout the region and offshore artificial islands in ever more fanciful designs being boldly created. This lavishly illustrated book looks at the finest of the new buildings already constructed or about to be constructed in Doha, Bahrain, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. It comes as no surprise that the Gulf region is now attracting some of the world's most prestigious architects, including IM Pei, the designer of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, and Hadi Siman, the architect of the Aspire Sports City Tower. Other world-famous architects and architectural practices whose buildings are featured include Jean Nouvel, Studio Pei Zhu, Kazuhiro Kojima, Kazuko Akamatsu and Carlos Ott. Besides colour photographs, the book, which is also published in German and French, includes short biographies, plans of each structure, details of each firm's most prestigious recent projects and contact information. The Gulf emirates have been described as 'today's top architectural hotspot'. The architectural phenomenon rapidly unfolding in the Gulf is unique in the world, and the dazzling buildings and other structures illustrated make this not hard to believe. Aimed primarily at architects and designers, Architecture in the Emirates is also of interest to anyone resident in the Gulf who would like a record of the rapid transformation now taking place. by Fran Gillespie, author of Discovering Qatar Buy this book from Amazon USA I UK
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