Despite being considered as a post-modern movement, High-tech. is in fact a continuity of modernism and an improved version to a large extent. Its pioneers have benefited from the hostile criticism addressed to modernism. According to High-tech architects, the basic doctrine of modernism was right; it had merely become obscured in the hands of the less talented successors.
One of the critical issues that faces the high-tech movement is the extensive recourse to technology and the heavy reliance on techniques and man-made solutions to the problems of people and nature.
Regardless of the intellectual debate on this movement, its architects had achieved a universal reputation and marked many cities with their projects. Example of such architects are: Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Michael Hopkins and Nicholas, Grimshaw, to state but a few.
Gulf cities such as Dubai, Manama, Kuwait, Doha and Riyadh have hosted many projects of this kind. Some of these projects are becoming a logo-like of these cities.
Medinanet opens a debate on the movement of High-Tech in the light of Islamic concepts, and propose some questions that feed such a debate:
1-What are the achievements of the movement of high-tech at the universal level? And at the regional level such as in the Gulf region?
2-Can Muslim architects and intellectuals formulate a standpoint based on the Islamic concepts such as the impact on environment, the need for innovation, the pros and cons of such projects. Etc.
3- Can technology respond to the human needs and face environmental problems, if so, at what cost, and to what extent?
4-Due to the technology gap between Muslim societies and the West, What could be the role of importing High tech architecture? Would it be positive or negative?