Sustainability of architectural heritage elements“An Applied Study of the Basra City Corniche from the Establishment to the Present”

Heritage represents the cultural and intellectual treasures of peoples. The urban heritage is an important material treasure because it represents the knowledge reached in the field of construction and urbanization. The research deals with the area of the urban heritage of the city of Basra because it represents an important architectural and architectural significance. It differs from the rest of the Iraqi cities because of its special urban construction. The area adjacent to Shatt al-Arab is identified locally as the Basra Corniche because of its urban and cultural importance heritage in the memory of people. In addition to the importance of buildings built on the Corniche, whether existing at present or not and the lack of architectural studies that dealt with the Basra Corniche and its urban character and scarcity. The gap of knowledge was the absence of architectural studies of Basra city Corniche. For this reason, the research has developed a methodology characterized by the distinction of architectural elements used in the design of the buildings located on the Corniche of Basra. Therefore, the research studies the Corniche of Basra city from the foundation to the present and clarifies the most prominent buildings there. The research assumes that the design elements are inspired by the heritage elements despite the different functional use of the building. The aim of the research is to study the design elements of the buildings on the Corniche of Basra and to show the sustainability of these architectural elements in the urban environment of Basra. A methodology has been developed to achieve the objectives, conclusions and recommendations of the research.