The Impact of Using Heritage Architectural Elements in The Facades of Contemporary Buildings: The Shanashil in the Facades of Contemporary Houses in Iraq

Architecture has always been an expression of the culture of the people who created it, and it is also a reflection of the way societies live and their intellectual orientations.The issue of architectural communication generated through heritage is crucial wherever they occur.Heritage elements used in the facades of contemporary houses enhance the values of local architecture through their expressions of time and place.They create continuity by embodying the cultural identity communicated to the present generation.In Iraq, shanashil is one of the prominent heritage architectural elements in the domestic architecture of Baghdad.It has been previously commonly used in the construction of houses, employing its communicative capabilities through architectural forms.In recent years however, especially when local architecture adopted the imitation of architectural models from outside the country, a new issue has emerged.Buildings today do not express the urban cultural heritage of the country leading to the absence of cultural concepts in local architecture.This paper addresses this issue.It employs two research methods: a literature survey and case studies.A number of case studies have been studied by observations and some interviews to ascertain the meaningfulness or its absence in the contemporary local architecture of Iraq.It sheds light on the role played by heritage architectural elements used in the facades of contemporary houses in enhancing the values of local architecture through their expression of time and place.It concludes that they create continuity by embodying architectural cultural identity communicated to the present generation.It also concludes that there is a reluctance among many designers to employ architectural heritage elements in the facades of houses to pacify the customers or because of the high costs.Buildings with shanashils do express heritage architecture even though their use is merely decorative.