From Character to Parameter: A Review of Regional Saudi Architecture and a Performance-Anchored Framework for Applying the Saudi Architecture Characters Map

Abstract

Since the Saudi Architecture Characters Map was launched in March 2025, the façade of a new building in Makkah is no longer a matter of taste between the architect and the owner. The map divides the Kingdom into 19 regional characters, each applied through a traditional, transitional or contemporary approach, and compliance is now checked at the building permit stage. The risk seen in daily practice is formal compliance: the same air-conditioned concrete box with large glazed façades, covered at permit stage with a skin of wood substitutes and decorative screens that do no environmental work. This review brings together published evidence on the climatic performance of regional Saudi elements, the identity debate in Saudi and Gulf cities, and the codes and digital tools that act on new façades. The evidence shows that the rawshan cuts peak solar gain sharply but does not replace air conditioning in a hot and humid summer, that thick earthen walls lower peak demand without cooling a house on their own, and that Saudi architects themselves rank climate response above copying traditional forms. The character guidelines and the energy code (SBC 602) are checked in two separate routes that never meet. The paper therefore proposes the Performance-Anchored Character Translation (PACT) framework, which turns the descriptive guidelines into five families of measurable design parameters, including a new indicator for cleaning and maintenance access, and tests every option against thermal, daylight and authenticity anchors. A worked example for a two-storey villa and a research agenda close the paper.