Modern cities are gradually distancing themselves from the people they are supposed to serve. Under pressure from global trends, architecture can become placeless and devoid of memory.
There’s a growing awareness that something essential is being lost in the modern built environment.
Globalisation has not only reshaped economies, but it has also standardised our streets, our skylines, even our sense of belonging. Bahrain stands at a crossroads familiar to many nations. The question is: how to embrace progress without surrendering identity.
Where design was once shaped by climate, craft, and community, it now speaks a more universal language - with sometimes negative consequences.
In our Managing Director Nicholas Bonaventure’s conversation with Ammar Mohsen on the Perspectives Series Podcast, a vital question emerged: how can we pursue modernity without surrendering identity?
The answer lies in having the courage to build from what surrounds us: local materials, traditions, and culture. Only then can urbanism be authentic - not a borrowed vision, but a genuine expression of the ground it rises from.
Urbanism should rise from the ground it stands on: from climate, craft, memory and community. The challenge facing Bahrain lies in forging its own path to modernity - one that remains deeply rooted in local identity and unmistakably Bahraini, rather than replicating models from elsewhere.
