**Abstract**

 Sustainability has often been a fundamental part of the composition of both tangible and intangible cultural resources; sustainability and preservation of cultural identity are complementary. Elements of sustainable design are integral to vernacular architecture that have evolved over time using local materials and technology emerging from ambient natural and cultural environment creating optimum relationships between people and their place. This chapter aims to redefine what identity is as a concept and the impact of globalization on contemporary architecture especially on regions with rich heritage and unique culture as the Arab World. To accomplish this, the chapter examines the emergence of "local identity" as a reaction to the globalization of cultural values, uniform architectural styles, and stereotype patterns through discussing sustainability as a motivation for identity in culture and architecture. The research methodology is based on conducting a qualitative analysis of literature review to the main concepts discussed in this chapter such as: identity, culture, vernacular architecture, and sustainability. Through comparative analysis, the chapter investigates sustainability potential of vernacular architecture in the region to derive core concepts as guidelines of reproducing the characteristics of society and reveal identity of contemporary architecture in the Arab World.

**Keywords:** sustainability, identity, vernacular architecture, culture, heritage, globalization, contemporary architecture, Arab World

## **1. Introduction**

Through history, human civilization has evolved and kept its continuation through integration with the surrounding environment and is dependent on the preservation of nature. Over time and the multifaceted interaction of evolution and human adaptability to the ambient environment, every place and region developed unique characteristics that distinguished it from other places, that is, the core of "identity."

Preserving the identity and special characteristics of a place requires in-depth understanding of the natural systems in place and immersion into the time-tested cultural responses to that environment's assets and liabilities, which contain the essence of sustainability.

The Arab World is one of the regions that embraces a diverse and rich architectural heritage; however, since the second half of the twentieth century, the vernacular architecture, in the Arab World, was exposed to extensive deterioration and destruction, due to the rapid modernization and drastic economic, social and cultural changes that took place in the region (**Figure 1**).

This uncontrolled expansion transformed major cities in the region into metropolitan areas and changed the traditional life style into a modern one. All these factors and drastic changes led to mislay the identity of the Arab architecture.

This chapter explores identity as an essence of architecture that goes beyond formal interpretation and visual metaphors through investigating sustainability potential of vernacular architecture in the Arab World.

**Figure 1.**  *Modern high-rise buildings in Arab cities (Source: Salman, Maha).* 
