Abstract:
For millennia, the Nubians of Upper Egypt
faced harsh climatic conditions and scarcity of
building materials. Yet they succeeded in
building their shelters by using mud bricks to
build thick walls, arches, domes and vaults.
Nubian vernacular architecture, with its
aesthetics and functionality was not
discovered and appreciated until the late
Egyptian Architect Hassan Fathy had started
to study their settlements, architectural
elements and building techniques in 1946.
Since then Fathy has incorporated the
traditional mud brick vaults and domes in his
designs. His work is considered to be a revival
in Traditional Architecture, and he became
known for his theory of "Construction for the
poor".
Unfortunately most of his theories were
neglected, and what attracted a number of
architects was the use of traditional
architectural elements. This led to the
emergence of what can be called "Hassan
Fathy Style", a style that has been applied
tremendously in the past three decades to
create luxurious resorts on the Red Sea
shores. Such appropriation was encouraged
by investors and developers to create an
attractive and exotic built environment, one
that fulfills the dreams of tourists who come
to the region to enjoy the sea, sun plus an
extra piece of cultural heritage.
The aim of this paper is to trace the evolution and revival of a type of Egyptian Vernacular
architecture, and how it is transplanted in a
new environmental, cultural and social
context. The failure or success of this trend
needs to be assessed, as it can either be a
step on creating Neo vernacular architecture
or just an abuse of Egypt's cultural and
architectural heritage
