The Middle East at Peace

edited by Sheila Kim -- Interior Design, 6/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Architects from Le Corbusier to Arata Isozaki have recognized a modernity in traditional Arab architecture. From multifunctional rooms to designs that regulated interior temperatures before the invention of thermostats, Arabs have been innovative in addressing questions of daily life. Berlin's Vitra Design Museum explores these topics and more in "Living Under the Crescent Moon: Domestic Cultures in the Arab World." Through models, reconstructed rooms, photos, textiles, and ceramics, the exhibition looks closely at the diversity of lifestyles in Morocco, Syria, and the Arabian peninsula. The survey also covers negative aspects of Arabian architecture's modernization, from the decay of historic city centers to the emergence of uniformly drab satellite towns. July 4– January 11; 49-30-4737-7712; vitra.com.