Dar Al-A’mir: Architecture of Geography, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The house of Dar Al-A’mir explores architectural continuity in the Al-Sarah highlands, adapting the principles of traditional load-bearing masonry to contemporary living. Located in the Al-Baha region of southwestern Saudi Arabia, the project has employed local stone, reclaimed wood, and vernacular construction techniques to create a home rooted in landscape and cultural context. It thereby challenges the prevailing reliance on transient globalized building systems, demonstrating how traditional know-how can respond to contemporary environmental, structural, and social needs. It reinterprets regional building traditions, blending landscape, history, and culture, and exploring how local character may be sustained through architecture.