Basil Al Bayati

Basil Al Bayati
باسل البياتي
Born
Basil Younis Rasheed Al Bayati

(1946-05-13)13 May 1946
Baghdad, Iraq
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Baghdad, University of London
OccupationArchitect
AwardsKing Saud University main Mosque Competition first prize, Abu Dhabi City Competition third prize, Las Terrenas Architectural Competition Honourable Mention, MECO Architectural Competition First Prize
BuildingsEdinburgh Central Mosque, Palm Mosque King Saud University

Basil Al Bayati (Arabic: باسل البياتي; born 13 May 1946) is an Iraqi-born architect and designer who has lived and practiced for the most part in Europe, in particular, London and who Neil Bingham, in his book 100 Years of Architectural Drawing: 1900–2000, has described as "an architect in whom East meets West."[1] Al Bayati is considered to be one of the most important names in metaphoric architecture, an area he was at the forefront of pioneering, which uses analogy and metaphor as a basis for architectural inspiration as well as the "exploration of geometric and design patterns found in nature" .[1]

He is also the inventor of what he termed "the mechanism of the wasitah (or excitor apparatus)" a geometric feedback mechanism for generating form and a method he himself often uses in the design process.[2][3][4][5][6]

Throughout his almost 50 years working in the field of architecture, he has also designed furniture and artistic pieces for the household using such varied techniques as metalwork, inlay, glass and ceramic work and stonework as well as authoring nine books, principally on architecture but also fantasy/fiction and autobiography.[7]

"His work is manifested in plans and publications that express an exuberance for visual forms rare in the Arab world today…… His projects encompass a wide variety of architectural possibilities and transcend generally accepted patterns……. In all of his buildings an organic obsession with flower forms and old Islamic symbolism has been merged into a fantastic alternative architecture for the future."[8]

He currently resides in Málaga in the South of Spain where he runs a successful architectural practice and cultural centre as well as continuing his writing.[9]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Bingham was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference arabcity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference function was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference dariyah was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference process&pattern was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference architect was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference collins was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference udo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference centroMálaga was invoked but never defined (see the help page).