Towards the future of the past

edited by MANLIO MICHIELETTO

FUTURE

TOWARDS THE

OF THE PAST

Book Market Hall Projects

Azbakeya

edited by

MANLIO MICHIELETTO

TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF THE PAST

Azbakeya Book Market Hall Projects

TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF THE PAST

Azbakeya Book Market Hall Projects

ISBN 979-12-5953-060-8 (printed version)

ISBN 979-12-5953-083-7 (digital version)

edited

by Manlio Michieletto

editorial board

Ahmed Hegazy , Meryem Kubra, Yara Galal

related laboratories and research programmes

The Integrated Design Studio Project 3 (ARCH505) is scheduled on the 5th semester at the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the German University in Cairo, Egypt. According to the Curriculum the Design Studio is integrated with Building Technology 4 (ARCH504).

translation by Manlio Michieletto

book design

Margherita Ferrari

publisher Anteferma Edizioni Srl via Asolo 12, Conegliano, TV edizioni@anteferma.it

First Edition: February 2024

Copyright

This work is distributed under Creative Commons License Attribution - Non-commercial - Share-alike 4.0 International

FOREWORD

Manlio Michieletto

TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF THE PAST

The Integrated Design Project at GUC (German University in Cairo) is built on the knowledge learned and acquired in previous courses: Design Studio 3 and Building Technology 4. It combines more detailed thoughts on the tectonic aspects of the projects with the vision of getting a proper combination of the building’s architectural elements. Then, the integrated design process aims to achieve synergistic solutions, a comfortable indoor climate and adequate use of local building materials.

The students were asked to work from the conceptual design phase to develop and execute complex constructional details, allowing them to experience a project’s whole design process. Moreover, students working in teams enabled them to handle more complex programs, and each had a greater depth of detail, training their teamwork skills, learning to communicate and discuss design decisions and compromises and sharing the workload among the team members.

The problem-solving education approach prompted and guided the delivery of the course, challenging the students to work in a built and unbuilt environment, the one of Old Cairo, that needs to be carefully analysed. The analogical methodology conducted through case studies pushed to consider the proposals’ typological and morphological appropriateness constantly. The project of a Book Market Hall given to the students consisted of a complex spatial program incorporating a larger span structure. It motivated students to understand the design process as a comprehensive approach and reaction to the fundamental concepts of type, form and construction without leaving behind the memory of the past. Besides the conceptual development of spatial relationships and space sequences based on the program and the urban context, including orientation climate control, the design studio integrates the development of a structural system in strict relationship with the chosen construction materials.

THEORETICAL FRAME: ARCH505

TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF THE PAST

Manlio Michieletto

EL-AZBAKIYYA

Yara Galal

EL-AZBAKIYYA BOOK MARKET

Meryem KübraUluç Tolba

EL-AZBAKIYYA METRO STATIONT

Ahmed Alaa El Dien Hegazy

TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF THE PAST

Manlio Michieletto, associate professor, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, GUC German University in Cairo - Egypt

The story of Azbakeya is the urban history of Cairo from the caliphate to the present day, becoming a founding part of the project theme for students enrolled on the third year of the Architecture and Urban Design program at the German University in Cairo. The Book Market Hall project has involved a precise methodological point of view based on analogies and a critical reflection on the design process. A reflection on the teaching of a way of approaching the art of building in a context, that of Cairo, rich in significant elements, but at the same time critical of the reading of the city, of the references, and of how to make them meaningful in designing a new artefact. Therefore, adopting the analogue method has solved the theme of designing a new building in a consolidated historical context. The proposal has referred to case studies motivating the overall composition according to the analysis of the context, built and unbuilt, in the conviction that architectural project makes the city over time. Reading the city as an organism that can be developed through architecture brings the relationship between architecture and the city back to the centre of the discussion, intending it as a project (Aureli, 2013).

Cairo is a city in the making. The forma urbis of the most crowded capital of the African continent is far from being, in the present time, re-composed in an intelligible design, if not as a project of summation of indistinct parts.

A development made by satellite nuclei between the end of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century went beyond the banks of the Nile towards the east and west, spreading the neighbouring desert areas with new settlements. Hassan Fathy defined this development in a 19781 interview as disrespecting the Egyptian capital’s true nature, which has always been oriented only towards the north and east. The design laboratory in the third year of the architecture program at the German University in Cairo2 saw students mending two urban flaps that brought back attention to the delicate relationship between architecture and the city in a site that is part of its history: the Park of Azbakeya. Indeed, the Azbakeya Park occupies in the imagination of the inhabitants of Cairo the memory of a physical and metaphysical transition between the Haussmanian plan for the district called “Downtown” and the so-called Islamic city, a place made of history where history continues to rewrite itself in time. The projects developed by the students for a book market hall have as their primary objective the re-appropriation of a disused public space by the city or the community, restoring its shape and recognizability. Furthermore, the work on Azbakeya seeks to put the discussion on the relationship between architecture and the city back in the wake of the urban tradition, evoking a critical approach on the part of the students to the past, present and future context.

The Great Cairo and the Azbakeya Park location. Image by Manlio Michieletto.

Historical maps show Azbakeya from the 15th century (Abu-Lughod, 2018). It was a previously uninhabited area outside the walls of the Islamic city. In the second half of the 1000s, under the command of Al Mue’z Al Atabiki Azbak, the site was occupied by digging an artificial lake and building the first residential buildings along its banks (Abdel-Rahman, 2016). The lake, fed by the Al Nasery stream, was the largest in Cairo and soon became the most coveted site for the construction of palaces, mainly due to the favourable environmental and climatic conditions compared to the dense and chaotic urban plot. This urbanisation process will subsequently trigger the construction of public services such as mosques, baths, and commercial activities (Behrens-Abouseif, 1985), helping to increase the interest and value of the area. Upon Azbak’s death, the new part of the city was named in his honour Azbakeya, under the rule of Muhammed Ali Pasha, who assumed the role of centre of the Ottoman government authorities, was also a character emphasised during the French occupation.

With the rise to power of Khedive Ismail, just back from Paris, the lake was drained, and a French-style park was designed in its place, entrusting the task of designing it to the architect Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps. The octagonal park was officially inaugurated in 1872 (El-Kadi, 2012), and each cardinal direction is identified by a main entrance that seeks alignment with the surrounding context.

The old Azbakeya Lake with the existing Cairo in the background. Collage by Manlio Michieletto.

The composition of the park revolves around the central element, a small body of water that reconnects past and present in the sense of representing its historical memory. A cave, a bandstand, and a botanical garden with 114 different species complete Azbakeya. If the lake initially occupied an area of 45 Feddan (1 Feddan = 4200 m²), the park covers just under half of it or 20 Feddan (Hamdy et al., 2007). Nowadays, the construction of the subway and the placement of various buildings inside it, such as the National Theater, has eroded the available greenery up to its current condition as an urban element disconnected from city life, a fixed natural scene on which it has descended, momentarily, the curtain.

The city’s vision as a place of social representation and, therefore, as a stage for a life that the wealthier classes translate into the need for recreation and entertainment brings to Cairo an urban element, the park, already in vogue in European capitals. Azbakeya Lake has become a park precisely because of its value as a public space where the city shows off and recognises itself. However, the “void” does not exist except as a construction of solids or artefacts that demonstrate its existence. Here, then, the importance of Azbakeya was confirmed by the palaces, hotels, theatres, and public offices that the authorities in different eras decided to erect there. Today, not only has the subway construction site

The original octagonal layout of the Azbakeya Park in the existing context. Drawing by Manlio Michieletto.

Source: https://www.delcampe.net/

created the “void,” but the architecture of the city that built its spaces is missing. In the 20 th century, Cairo moved its social centre of gravity more and more towards the Nile to live and experiment in the last decades with a development model for satellite nuclei and the so-called cities in the desert. However, the city object of the design laboratory in the third year at the German University is to be understood as an architecture that inevitably continues to build and write its history through the project. Therefore, the latter becomes the consequence of the study of Cairo as a stratification of consolidated urban plans and strategies over time and subsequently considering the project site’s morphological evolution. Azbakeya, as well as being considered a mere metro stop, called Attaba, which means threshold, a non-random name given its position at the gates of the ancient city, must recover its role as a pivot between the Downtown district and the Islamic city as an interlude capable of re-composing the lost harmony. Hence, the idea of implementing the book market, already present outside the park, by moving it inside and outlining a renewed relationship between architecture and nature.

The morphological and typological analysis conducted through a “Nolli” plan considering the ground floor connection of several significant buildings

Postcard depicting the Opera Square with the Mohamed Ali Pasha statue and the Azbakeya Park in the background.

in the area, namely the High Court and nearby commercial buildings, one can trace the continuity of architectural tradition. A further design premise was identified in the desire to consider the park as a building material, in symbiosis with the building, necessary for its location in that place. Hassan Fathy reminds us that architecture can be considered as such only when it responds adequately to the characteristics of the context and becomes such a constituent part of it that it cannot be conceived or transported to any other environment. The Egyptian architect has also suggested the groove to route the Azbakeya book market, given that the climate marks human life and defines the living spaces. Right from the start, the choices for a bioclimatic architecture capable of exploiting the sometimes extreme conditions of Cairo were shared by proposing a vocabulary of appropriate architectural elements and principles. For example, the orientation of the building with the prevailing winds from the north must be articulated along the east-west axis in such a way as to allow constant natural ventilation, which modern Malqaf must guarantee, and the spaces affected by direct solar radiation need continued protection.

The Egyptian architect Ramy El Dahan3 was invited for a lesson entitled Towards the future of the past, which helped to recall the inseparable link between

Photo of one of the buildings located on the north side of Azbakeya Park. Photo by Manlio Michieletto.

architecture and memory. His work at the beginning of his professional career at Hassan Fathy’s studio certainly contributed to shaping an approach to design that was more in keeping with the built and unbuilt environment of the Arab country for the construction of elementary architecture. Another design aspect discussed from the beginning of the course concerns the identity of a context in which the artefact should be an epiphany and which does not reside in the imitation of past styles but in the re-proposition of materials, spaces, and atmospheres of the genius loci of Attaba. On the north side, the buildings inspired by the Italian neoclassical style, characterised by a row of arcades and a vertical sequence of orders on pilasters; on the south side, a monumental garage has taken the place of the Khedival Opera by Pietro Avoscani from Livorno (Godoli, 2008). The Opera, built entirely in wood in 1869, managed to resist for over a century, leaving a trace of its permanence in the statue dedicated to Mohamed Ali Pasha, which, since the 19 th century, dominated the space in front of it. On the east side of the project area is the Cairo National Theatre. On the west side, the blocks of blocks are made up of buildings in height that transgress the vertical order historically dictated by the minarets alone. The park, therefore, covers a strategic position of confluence and influence due to different cities enclosed in a multicultural identity that still distinguishes Cairo today.

The students, divided into 23 groups, first worked on defining a strategy capable of supporting the project through the analysis of case studies, examples not functionally analogous to the theme of the laboratory but pertaining to the typological choice obtained from reading the context. From an initial morphological analysis, the courtyard-type building re-emerges forcefully from the city’s history and indelibly marks most public and private functions. The studied and redesigned architectures have also made it possible to familiarize the students with the market spaces. A series of activities related to disseminating reading have been added to selling books, such as conference rooms, an auditorium, a temporary exhibition, and a library dedicated exclusively to children. To verify an adequate confrontation with the context, the insertion of the building in a figure ground map was requested, emphasizing the relationship between the new and the existing, in this case, with the alignment with the High Court on the prospective background of the boulevard 26 th of July. The technical drawings have been accompanied by sections of the buildings corresponding to sun protection and natural ventilation systems. Finally, the sketches, information, and research gathered during the semester provided a logical and rational basis for the project’s development.

The story of Azbakeya is the urban history of Cairo from the caliphate to the present day, where it has become a founding part of the project theme for students enrolled in my third year in the architecture department. The covered book market has both a methodological point of view and a critical reflection on the project. A reflection on the teaching of a way of approaching the art of building in a context, that of Cairo, rich in significant elements, but at the same time critical of the reading of the city, of the references, and of how to make them meaningful in designing a new artefact.

The Site Project in Azbakeya Park, Cairo. Southern the Opera House and Western the High Court. Collage by Manlio Michieletto.

The research group comprises an associate professor, an instructor and teaching assistants of the German University of Cairo, Department of Architecture and Urban Design, with different specialisations, including architectural and urban design, heritage and building technology.

Team: Associate Professor Dr. Manlio Michieletto (IDP Studio Coordinator), MSc Meryem Kübra (Instructor), MSc Ahmed Hegazy, BSc Yara Galal, BSc Marwa Ali and BSc Nadeen Amged.

Students: Afnan Mohamed Alballat, Ahmed Alaa Gamaleldin, Ahmed Hytham, Alaa Mohammed, Anne Marie, Arwa Yasser, David Sherif, Esraa Sayed, Farida Mohamed Fathy, Farida Yasser Elhadidy, Ganna Mohamed, Ghada Hossam, Habiba Maged Ragaie, Habiba Mohamed Mahrous, Hana Ahmed Mohamed, Hana Ahmed Talaat, Hana Ayman Marzouk, Hana Hossam Samir, Ilaria Ashraf, Jana Amir, John Mohsen, Jomana Sami, Joumana Ashraf, Karen Hani, Karma Ahmed, Khaled Wagdy, Lina Ramez, Lucia Ramses, Malak Tamer Mohamed, Malak Yasser Talaat, Manar Yaser, Maria Zakaria, Mariam Mohamed Elsherbiny, Mariam Mohamed Ali Aboelela, Mariam Sherif Fekry, Mariam Zakaria Fouad, Marian Emeel, Mirna Mamdouh, Nada Medhat, Nadia Wael, Nadine Tarek, Nelly Adel, Noran Mohamed, Nour Ahmed Hamdy, Nour Ahmed Lotfy, Nour Mohamed

Donkol, Omima Gaber, Passant Samir, Raheem Khaled Abdelrahman, Raneem Ehab Ahmed, Raneem Medhat Nafie, Rawan Abdelhamid Nasr, Rawan Ramadan

Ibrahim, Salma Mohamed Saied, Sama Alaa Ezat, Sama Eslam Shiba, Sama Hani Deskouy, Sama Yehia El Baisary, Sandra Mazooz, Sara Monir, Sarah Mohamed Nabil, Sarah Tarek Hanafi, Shahd Fadi.

Notes

1. The 1978 interview was conducted by the Insitut National de l’Audiovisuel and collects Hassan Fathy’s reflections on the state of the Islamic city and the conditions of modern living: “Il ne suffit pas que Dieu soit avec les pauvres”.

2. The German University of Cairo (GUC) is a private university located in New Cairo and the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning is part of the Faculty of Engineering. The students of the ARCH504 architectural design course who worked on the project for the new book market were enrolled in the 5th semester AY 2022-23.

3. Rahmi El Dahan is an Egyptian architect who first as a student and then as a young architect collaborated with Hassan Fathy from 1979 to 1989. After this working experience founded Rami El Dahan & Soheir Farid Architects with Soheir Farid in 1983. Since 1996, the firm has been known as El Dahan & Farid Engineering Consultants.

EL-AZBAKIYYA

Yara Galal, teaching assistant, Architecture and Urban Design Department, GUC German University in Cairo

“I sing the fair days of my life that were passed at (Azbakiyya) ... There one sees boats floating on the waters like stars on the celestial vault. Magnificent dwellings form a circle around the pool and serve as frames around so many beautiful moons. Palaces shaded by green trees, where the tender dove sings her song”

Shaykh Hasan al-Attar 1

“Attaba! Attaba!” a call loudly shouted by microbus co-pilots signalling to Egyptians on the Cairene streets the direction to Azbakiyya and the Attaba square. It signals that this bus is heading to the city’s bustling heart. However, Azbakiyya did not always hold that central position in Cairo; it first started as dunes on the outskirts of the town overlooking the Nile River, then it was developed into a birka (pond in Arabic) with elite settlements surrounding it, and finally to a European style garden at the turn of the twentieth century.

Azbakiyya of the Mamluks

In the fifteenth century, the thriving port of Bulaq existed on the northeast banks of the Nile River. The development of Bulaq was a reflection of the centuries of trade between Europe and Africa. Consequently, it provoked a need to develop westward of Cairo, leading to the Nile. But only during the last quarter of the fifteenth century did noticeable growth start to appear. One of SultanQaytbay’s highest officials, The Circassian emir Azbak Min Tutukh, undertook construction west of Cairo. The project intended to urbanise the area to bring settlements and residents; Emir Azbak has the ground terraced, a birka dug, and a palace built. The palace occupied the prime location southeast of the birka; next to the palace were shops, a mosque on one side, a school, and houses surrounding the birka. Ibn Iyas writes in Bada’i al-Zuhur, “The population started to build splendid summer houses there. Construction continued until the year 901 (Islamic calendar, 1495 AD). Everybody wanted to live in Azbakiya, which thus became an independent suburb”2 . However, the lustre of the Azbakiyya area did not last long; after Sultan Qaytbey’s and Emir Azbak’s death, the district was partly burned and looted; nothing of its former glory remained except the name Azbakiyya.

Azbakiyya of the Ottomans

Azbakiyya, after Emir Azbak’s efforts at urbanisation, saw a significant decline through the following two decades; it was apparent through the spread of prostitutes, fleshpots, bordellos and hashish dens. However, the marginalisation of Azbakiyya did not last long; towards the end of the eighteenth century, the area started to become more urban again, as indicated through two major architectural projects. The first project dates back to 1732, when Qassim Al Sharabi, a great merchant of the time, built a modest-sized mosque and a fountain on the east banks of Birkat al Azbakiyya, the building of the mosque was a catalyst for the population to agglomerate during Friday prayer because none was built since 1661.

Le Kaire [Cairo]. Vue de la place Ezbekyeh [Ezbekîya], côté de l’ouest. Source: 3. Rare Book Division, The New York Public Library (1809).Retrieved from https://digitalcollections.nypl. org/items/510d47e0-2171a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

The second project was a much more ambitious one commissioned by emir Uthamn Gazdaghli in 1734, who was aware of the former glory of Azbakiyya. The mosque commissioned was on the southwest of the birka; it was built to serve the needs of an already sizable population.

After these two significant projects, the area around Bikat al Azbakiyya develops. It became an attractive destination for the royal class and upper-middle-class population. By the end of the eighteenth century, 15% of the shores of Azbakiyya were occupied by the emirs (princes in Arabic) of the time. Savary writes, “This square, largest in the city [...] forms an immense pool surrounded by the palaces of the beys, lit by lamps of different colours. Several thousand boats with lights hanging from their mast produce an ever-shifting pattern of illumination”3. Alongside the royal class living on the shores of Bikat al Azbakiyyawere the high middle-class houses. The largest and most prominent were on the north of the birka, and they were predominantly Coptic Christians. The houses show a generally higher quality than most of the Egyptian population. Azbakiyya prospered until the end of the eighteenth century with the French expedition led by Napoleon. The headquarters of the French army was in Alfi Bey’s palace on the western side of the birka. The French occupation was met with determined resistance from the Cairene population, which led to a sys-

tematic destruction of the palaces along Birkat Azbakiyya. Jabarti writes, “All turned to sparkling fire and ruins, as though there had never been enchanting villas here, or gathering of friends or promenades […] time and adversary have so ravaged these places that their beauty has dissolved and the dwellings have emptied”4. Consequently, during the end of the French occupation, the draining of Birkatal-Azbakiyya started.

Ismael’s Azbakiyya

During the last days of the French occupation, they signalled the arrival of Mohammed Ali, a soldier of fortune who was only an officer in an Albanian Corps. He managed to seize power in Cairo and was elevated to the status of Khedive and the ruler of Egypt. With the arrival of Mohammed Ali, the first steps to modernising Egypt started.

During the reign of Mohammed Ali and his son Ibrahim Pasha, many reforms and projects were started; however, they were only finished during the reign of Mohammed Ali’s grandson Ismael Pasha. One of the major projects is the drainage of Birkat al-Azbakiyya through a circular canal and its transformation into a European-style garden. The changes in Cairo by Mohammed Ali and his

Map of biket al-Azbakiyya, Description de L’Egypte, 1809. Souce: Description de l’egypt: Publiée par les ordres de Napoléon Bonaparte (1994), Taschen.

descendants were directed towards cleaning up the abuses left by the French expedition, which made the city uninhabitable. One of the projects is reorganising the canal systems and the ponds, which the Azbakiyya was part of.

The draining of Birketal-Azbakiyya was a gradual work that took almost half a century; during that time, a park was gradually planted to cover the whole surface area of the birka . This was the case until the 1860s when Khedive Ismael’s projects started to assume a more glorious light after a visit to Universal Exposition in 1867, where the Khedive met Haussmann and was impressed by the tour he took of his projects and construction sites in Paris. The Khedive made contact with Pierre Grand, a civil engineer who was responsible for the reconfiguration of Cairo’s streets for many years, and last but not least, Barillet Deschamps, who created the Bois de Boulogne in Paris and would be responsible for the redesign of Al-Azbakiyya garden.

Khedive Ismael tasked the Minister of Public Works, Ali Mubarak Bey, with transforming Cairo into “The Paris on the Nile”. In particular, Khedive Ismael put Ali Mubarak in charge of developing Cairo to the west, rebuilding the Azbakiyya quarter and creating a master plan to unify the medieval core with the new Hausmannian expansion. The first step was to reduce the area of the Azbakiyya garden to make way for a new system of roads connecting Azbaki -

Hammerschmidt, W., Cairo: Coptic Houses at the Esbekieh in Cairo, 1860. Photograph exhibited at Stadel Museum.

yya to the citadel and Sultan Hassan Mosque through a two-kilometre-long boulevard and to Shubra towards the north. For the boulevards extending from the Azbakiyya Garden to be laid, land clearance led to the demolition of entire neighbourhoods. Houses, baths, mosques and commercial structures were cut through at a record speed for the sake of Mohammed Ali Boulevard. Mohamed Ali Boulevard was central to Ismail’s urbanisation effort and paid homage to Mohammed Ali, the founder of modern Egypt. The old Mamluk palaces on the shores of Azbakiyya were demolished to make way for public buildings with façades resembling Paris’ boulevards. Of these buildings were Théâtre National de la Comédie and the Cairo Opera House, which was modelled after Milan’s La Scala.

Another prominent landmark around Azbakiyya Garden was erected during Abbas Pasha’s time; the landmark was Shepheard’s hotel on the shore of the long-forgotten Azbakiyya Lake. The hotel was founded by Samuel Shepheard, a British sailor who landed in Cairo after being convicted of mutiny. Abbas Pasha granted Samuel Shepheard land, including the structure of Mamluk Alfie’s Palace from the Ottoman’s time, which later served as Napoleon’s headquarters during the French invasion. Shepherd’s Hotel became Egypt’s most famous hotel and remained open for almost a century.

Deschamps redesign of Azbakiyya, Madaq Online Archive, 1897. Source: Al-Madaq - خرائط. المدق - جولة افتراضية في تاريخ القاهرة. (n.d.). https://www.almadaq. net/en/maps

The Khedivial Opera House, Memory of Modern Egypt Digital Archive, 1869. Source: Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Shepheards’ Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, Library of Congress’s. Source: Print and Photography Division, 1920 to 1933.

Unfortunately, the hotel was lost in the same fire that destroyed the Cairo Opera House.

Thus, Azbakiyya Garden came to be where it sits at the doorsteps (Attaba) of the Khedive Ismael’s Cairo; it was intended to be the centre of the city with the inclusion of Attaba Square in the southeast, the Opera House and the Khazindar Square. However, it was not to be; the Azbakiyya garden now indicates the stepping from one district to another, as Berque describes on the urban development legacy of Ismail Pasha: “Cairo is like a cracked vase whose two halves can never be put back” 5

Notes

1. Jabarti, Aja’ib al Athar, 1:204, 192; 3: 97; idem, Merveilles biographique, 2:145 (Sharaybi), 124; 6: 187; Claude Savary, Lettres sur L’Egypte, 3vols (Raymond and Wood, 2007, p. 127).

2. Ibn Iyas, Bada’i al-Zuhur, 4:268-269; idem, Journal d’un bourgeois, 1: 251-252: Gaston Wet, Cairo: City of Art and Commerce, translated by Seymour Feiler (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1964), pp. 153-155 (Raymond and Wood, 2007, p. 183).

3. Ibidem, Jabarti.

4. Jabarti, Aja’ib al Athar, 3 : 25-28; idem, Merveilles biographique, 6:55 (Raymond and Wood, 2007, p. 298).

5. Jacques Berque (1967), L’Egypte. Imperialisme et revolution, p. 85; translated by Jean Stewart (1972) as Egypt: Imperialism and Revolution (London: Faber & Faber)(Raymond and Wood, 2007, p. 318).

EL-AZBAKIYYA BOOK MARKET

Meryem KübraUluç Tolba, instructor, Architecture and Urban Design Department, GUC German University in Cairo

Azbakeya Book Market

Azbakeya Park’s central location in growing metropolitan Cairo makes it easily accessible to residents and visitors. Azbakeya Park holds cultural significance as it has been a gathering place for intellectuals, writers, and artists throughout history. It has served as a meeting point for literary discussions and social gatherings,contributing to the cultural fabric of Cairo. The Azbakeya Book Market, also known as the Azbakeya Wall or Soor El-Azbakeya in Arabic, is famous in Cairo, Egypt. It has a long history and is considered one of the city’s oldest and most renowned book markets. Soor El-Azbakeya is a book market whose name and approximate location originally started on the walls of Azbakeya Park. Ahmed, one of the book vendors today in Azbakeya, tells a story often heard from his grandfather about how book selling used to be in the very beginning. The book vendors used to stray in the streets of downtown, and the rest used to be on the wall/fence of Azbakeya. The police would chase them down in King Farouk’s time as they were seen as illegal sellers.

In the 1952 revolution, the vendors could sell the books at the fence (Linthicum, 2014). Later, part of the park transformed into a dedicated bookstall. However, in 1992, the park was temporarily shut down, and the market was emptied due to the metro construction. The vendors were relocated to El Darasa before returning in 1998. Today’s Azbakeya Book Market is characterised by its labyrinthine alleys and tightly packed book stalls. It has a unique atmosphere with the sounds of vendors calling out their offerings and customers browsing through the stacks of books. The market attracts locals and tourists interested in its treasures and hidden literary gems. The number of book stalls is more than 130. The second-hand book market is a cultural landmark. Most sellers inherited this job from their fathers and have carried out the same job until now, such as Fathi Taha (Shahine, 2003). The Azbakeya fence, in previous times, enjoyed the presence of eminent literary personalities such as the playwright Tewfik El-Hakim and the novelist Naguib Mahfouz. According to the testimonial of Mohamed Ahmed, 61, the eldest vendor in the Azbakeya book market hall, “It consistently functioned as an accessible institution of higher learning. Hence, Azbakiya holds a significant place within the annals of history”.

Today, wooden semi-formal book stalls are packed together, overflowing with books in several languages and topics one can only imagine. Soor El-Azbakeya is a number one destination for those looking for an affordable general book and for traders in rare volumes. However, for several reasons, the vendors state a decline in sales. Soor El-Azbakeya was, for years,the only refuge for people experiencing poverty who wanted to buy books for low prices and for the cultural elite who could find books here they could never find anywhere else. With a stroll today, it can be observed that some of the vendors closed their shop, since it is no longer financially viable (Zaher, 2017), reflects the situation of the book market in his article as “not promising”. Over the years, the park has faced challenges, including neglect and deterioration.

The book market was no different than the destiny of the park. There has been a slight effort from the current government in 2022, a student competition to redesign the book stalls in Azbakeya. However, the results and further actions are not publicised. In the integrated design studio, the history of the location and the existing book market are analysed, along with their dynamics, to understand what can be done to upgrade such a cultural heritage site. It is often discussed how to integrate the Azbakeya Park and the commercial activity brought up with the book market and serve once again the intellectual and bare visitors of the site.

EL-AZBAKIYYA METRO STATIONT

Ahmed Alaa El Dien Hegazy, instructor, Building Technology Department, GUC German University in Cairo

Azbakiyya and the Metro

During the era of the Mamluks and Ottomans, the Azbakeya district in downtown Cairo was characterised by its unique construction systems. The predominant construction methods during this period were using load-bearing structures, which can be observed in notable buildings such as Bayt El Sehie my and Bayt Al Razzaz. These structures relied on the distribution of weight through thick walls and arches, showcasing the architectural style of the time. However, as time progressed and advancements in construction techniques emerged, the Azbakeya district underwent significant changes. One pivotal turning point was during the reign of Khedive Ismael and the process of Hausmannization, where the district started to witness the adoption of construction systems utilising post-and-beam concrete instead of load-bearing structures. The introduction of post-and-beam construction brought several advantages to the development of the Azbakeya district. It created more expansive and adaptable floor plans, enabling architects to design buildings with larger rooms, interconnected spaces, and more floors. This departure from the traditional load-bearing structures gave architects greater freedom to experiment with architectural styles and incorporate modern

elements. The Azbakeya district has recently undergone further changes due to the introduction of Metro Line 3. Azbakeya Garden, a historically significant park in the area, was chosen to host the Attaba station, one of the main stations for this metro line interconnecting with metro lines 1 and 2. Unfortunately, the construction process for Metro Line 3 led to the temporary transformation of Azbakeya Garden into a storage area for construction materials and equipment. Additionally, it served as one of the primary access points for the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) used in excavating the underground tunnels due to the park’s vast area on the planned metro line (The Arab Contractors, 2007). Regrettably, the construction activities associated with the Attaba metro station resulted in the destruction and removal of the park. The extensive excavation and tunnelling works necessary for the metro line caused significant changes to the landscape of Azbakeya Garden. Despite these challenging circumstances, it is essential to note that the construction of Metro Line 3 began in 2007 and is still ongoing, with the anticipated completion date set for the late 2020s (The Arab Contractors, 2007). It will be interesting to observe how the completion of Attaba station in the late 2020s will contribute to the revitalisation and transformation of the Azbakeya district, as well as the potential opportunities for the restoration of the park. The ongoing evolution of this historically significant area underscores the dynamic nature of urban development and the need for careful planning and preservation efforts to ensure the sustainable growth and preservation of Cairo’s architectural and cultural heritage. Our Integrated Design Studio within Azbakeya Park has allowed students to undertake a unique design challenge. Tasked with using locally utilised construction materials and systems, students were encouraged to create structures that align with sustainability principles. To ensure minimal disruption to the newly constructed metro station and its access points, students were provided with the construction drawings of the metro, allowing them to integrate their designs seamlessly. Furthermore, students were asked to consider passive cooling techniques,incorporating elements such as trees and water bodies within the park to coolthe air entering the buildings naturally. For optimal daylighting, students were instructed to employ direct and indirect techniques based on the specific needs of the book market hall. Additionally, exterior and interior finishes were restricted to strictly local materials, such as marble and concrete, fostering sustainability and honouring the surrounding environment. The Integrated Design Studio’s location within Azbakeya Park provides an inspiring setting for students to create innovative designs that respect the district’s historical significance while embracing sustainable practices. This approach revitalises the park and the Azbakeya district and fosters pride in preserving Cairo’s architectural and cultural heritage for future generations.

CASE STUDIES

SAN PAULO ART MUSEUM by LINA BO BARDI

Noran Alansary, Sama Eslam

SABE SCHOOL by PATR IK SCHWEITZER & ASSOCIATED

Zeina Olimy

LYCEE SHORGE by FRANCIS KERE

Nada Medhat, Mariam Zakaria

NEW ART MUSEUM by SANAA

Sara Mounir, Mariam Mohamed, Sama Yehia

San Paulo Art Museum

Lina Bo Bardi

Students

Noran Alansary

Sama Eslam

The building is an embraced museum serving as a culture exhibition and a stage on which it was created. The architect envisioned the museum would belong to people, not to the politicians and the city’s cultural elite as it was thought of. It is based on a dominant structure of two massive pre-stressed concrete beams and a suspended voluminous box. However, Bo Bardi intended to imbue the visitor’s experience with artistic and political meaning.

SABE School

Patrick Schweitzer & Associés

Student

Zeina Olimy

Rwanda’s natural colours and shapes inspire the building design as they are represented in the concept of the building. The overall composition comprisespure stereometrics prisms inspired by Rwanda’s landscape and topography. The architect Patrick Schweitzer broke the masses down to create fault lines and canyons to make the outdoor living space emerge. The building is an educational tool to inspire young architects to use local resources.

Lycee Schorge School

Kéré Architecture

Students

Nada Medhat

Mariam Zakaria

The Lycee was intended to be an inspiration by using local building materials in an intelligent and modern way. The architects divided the school into nine modules: classes, administration rooms and medical clinics. Moreover, local laterite stones were used for the walls for their thermal mass. Wind catchers and overhanging roofs enhance the temperature interiorly.

New Art Museum

SANAA Students

Sara Mounir

Mariam Mohamed

Sama Yehia

The museum consists of community gathering spaces, workshops and exhibitions. The public zones are organised to provoke interrelation with public spaces encircling the museum. The building is left free to be explored from all directions. The scattered galleries are decided to provide transparency with a side view of a 360-degree panoramic glass façade.

DESIGN STUDIO: THEMES

TUTORIAL 01- YARA GALAL

Projects I-IV

TUTORIAL 02 - AHMED HEGAZY

Projects V-IX

TUTORIAL 03 - MARWA ALI

Projects X-XV

TUTORIAL 04 - NADEEN AMGED

Projects XVI- XXII

PROJECT I

Lucia

The main idea behind this project is to create a building that adds continuity to the context and provides a bridge between the various elements in the Azbakeya Garden. Reviving the site’s historical context as a reminisce of the beautiful haven was also one of the main aims of the design.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Ramses , Alaa Mohamed , Ahmed Hytham

Bird-Eye Shot

Concept Phase

Site Plan

Exterior Shot

Infront of the Lake Shot Exploded

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Main Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Model Main Elevation Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

PROJECT II

Hana Ayman , Raneem Ehab , Malak Yasser

The essence of the project is to revitalise the Azbakeya Park and book markets While also creating a monumental landmark. This was achieved by blurring the barrier between inside and out. By having an open, accessible, but sheltered space, we can accomplish the dichotomy of the spaces. The courtyard’s design further reinforces such dichotomy as it follows the central bold axis between the 26th of July street and the old Azbakeya market. The ellipse was chosen as the unifying shape as it highlights the context of the space by contrasting it.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept

Bird-Eye Shot

Book stores Exterior Shot Interior Shot

Courtyard Shot Exploded

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Model Prespective Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

PROJECT III

This design aimed to create a space considered a familiar area to the native residents and a new experience for the visitors. The Medina hierarchy of Old Cairo was one of the main inspirations, aiming to make it more formal and geometrical and create a street shopping-like experience. A central courtyard with visual connectivity to the four sides of the site, which could hold the market, was created and covered using a dome to highlight the placement of the market and provide shade.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Vidor Fady , John Mohsen , Khaled Wagdy

Courtyard

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section One

Façade Section Model

Photo Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation

Photo

Model Main Elevation Photo

PROJECT IV

Lina Ramez , Mariam El Sherbiny , Passant Samir

The concept of this project was acquired from the Old Cairo Aqueducts. Its idea of having considerable Arcades about the human scale and giving the feeling of a monumental & massive building was vital to how to design such a project and what the visitor should sense in such a market. The Building block suspended from the gigantic arcades was placed parallel to the old Cairo aqueducts as its reflection & as a visual connector. Access to the suspended floor is through the exposed stairs or the elevators within some of the building’s columns.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Exterior

Interior

Ground Floor Plan

Main Elevation

Cross Section

Side Elevation

Façade Section Model Close Up Photo

Model Main Elevation

Photo

Model Side Elevation

Photo

PROJECT V

This design aimed to break the familiar natural rhythm found in almost all of our surrounding pre-existing buildings while conserving the area’s culture and its old Market. The main pathway was placed on the axis connecting the 26th of July and the old market. The building’s market was then highlighted by increasing its height and using a modernised version of the area’s arches. An underground level with natural elements complimenting the garden was created to host complementary functions.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Sara Mounir , Salma Mohamed , Raheem Khaled

Concept Phase

Park View Shot

Site Plan

Courtyard Shot

Entrance Pathway Shot

Book Stores Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Cross Section

Main Elevation

Exploded Axnometric View

Model Perspective Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

Model Close Up Photo

PROJECT VI

Sara Tarek , Ziad Amr , Sama Hani

The building’s concept is to create a “Walk through timeline” by using giant monumental stone arches cutting through a modern square-shaped building. The primary axis of the arches is placed on one of the central existing axes within the site. The main axis connects the 26th of July to the existing book market. Another inferior cut that connects the top and the bottom greenery in the landscape was created to provide a pedestrian-friendly journey through the building.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section Model Photo Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation

Photo

Model Main Elevation Photo

PROJECT VII

Ahmed Alaa , Devid Sherif , Anne Marie Wafik

The aim behind this design was to bring back the idea of the open-air book market space, which connects the old Azbakeya book market and the 26th of July street through a series of pathways that split the building into three buildings. One primary market space in the middle and two secondary ones on the sides are designed, all with a landscape reminiscing the site’s heritage. The roof of the building is designed in a unique way that allows indirect light and good ventilation to the space. The formation of spaces relies on the pre-designed diamond grid.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

Market Entrance Shot

Book Stores Shot

Arcade Walk-through shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Model Prespective Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

PROJECT VIII

This project aimed to use the existing metro and street circulations to guide the users into the place. The building was split into several masses that connected through the shading element. This shading element reflects the pedestrian pathways that circulate the masses. The main path highlighted the line between the 26th of July street and the old Azbakeya market.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Habiba Mohamed , Malak Tamer , Afnan Mohamed

Concept

Site Plan

Main Elevation Shot

Pathway

Ground Floor Plan

Cross Section

Side Elevation

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section Photo

PROJECT IX

Arwa Yasser , Nour Mohamed , Manar Yasser

Creating a comfortable place for the people and maintaining the site’s history were two of this project’s main aims, from attempting to restore the Azbakeya garden to building a new book market. The spaces are separated based on the daily and occasional activities. The public spaces cater to the rooms frequently visited, while the private ones relate directly to the clients. The transitional spaces have a cheerful atmosphere with people and nature interacting due to the existence of skylights.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Bird-Eye

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section Model Photo Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Main Elevation

Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

PROJECT X

Noran Alansary , Sama Eslam , Farida Yasser

The main focus when designing the project was to create a friendly and welcoming space that allows people to enjoy their book-shopping experience. Designing a building that reflects the culture and history of the place was one of the main aims, concurred by using suitable materials and designing the façades and the landscape that holds the old history of the Azbakeya garden. The new market design acts as an extension of the old, existing book market. The central axis of the building connects the old and new book market to the Court at the end of the 26th of July street.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept

Entrance Shot

Arcade Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section Photo

PROJECT XI

The project reflects the idea of re-establishing a geometrical order in the park where the park has lost its relationship with the urban context. The circular shape allows an interaction with the surroundings, enhancing the interchange of the site from multiple directions. In the middle of the courtyard, a symbolic tree reminds us of Azbakeya’s original nature.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Zeina Olimy , Nadine Tarek , Zoubida Hassan

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

On the Hill Shot

Arcade Shot

Pathway Shot

Courtyard Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

Façade Section

Photo

PROJECT XII

Nour Moursy , Ilaria Ashraf , Hana El -Ekiaby

The essence of the project “Etched on Walls” was to help people interact entirely with the building. By having the main structural walls and designing an open-plan building, people can interact easily with each other, each function and most importantly, the natural element surrounding them. Adding the natural element was to revive the old Azbakeya garden and help people enjoy their journey throughout their visit. The roof connects all the standing walls to unite the building and has an opening to provide natural light.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Exterior Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XIII

Jana Soliman , Mariam Hendawy, Joumana Sami

The proposal intends to achieve a plastic composition of volumes. On the ground floor, the central aisle is flanked by volumes hosting the selling market spaces surmounted by a rectilinear element aligned with the axis visually connecting the High Court Building on the 26th of July street. The elevations are protected using perforated walls as well as overhanging slabs.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Site Plan

Book Store Shot

Exterior Shot

Staircase Shot

Arcade Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Model Close Up Photo

Model perspective

Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XIV

Maria Zakaria , Farida Mohamed , Rawan Shakwir

The main concept behind the building was to create an open space that integrates with the park and has easy circulation. Four courtyards were placed along the central axis, which connects the old book market and the 26th of July street. The main functions are distributed around the courtyards. The openings in the roof are reflected in the elevations to give the same sense inside out.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Site Plan

Bird-Eye Shot

Staircase Shot

Courtyard Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Cross Section

Longitudinal Section

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XV

The central concept was to create a book market that relates to Egyptian culture through modern ways and techniques; the masses are connected through two main axes, one that combines the existing book market and the 26th of July street, which has the Egyptian court at the end, and the other axis leads to the Azbakeya garden through a pond as a part of reviving the two-hundred-year-old lake of Azbakeya. The shops are located in 3 different courtyards, creating a hierarchy of spaces taking inspiration from old historical buildings of Egypt.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Mariam El Shamy , Rawan Ramadan, Hana El Minshawy , Nadia Wael

Bird-Eye Shot

Over the Lake Bridge Shot

Entrance

Ground Floor Plan

Main Elevation

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Façade Section Model Photo Model Perspective

Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XVI

Sandra

The project results from an analogical approach in which the study of the past guided the design of the Book Market Hall. Typologically, it recalls the courtyard type typical of the religious buildings in Old Cairo. Its public character is enhanced by the combination of the courtyard and a monumental arcade aligned with the High Court Building.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Mazooz, Sama Yehia, Mariam Mohamed, Omima Gaber

Concept Phase

Entrance Shot

Site Plan

Courtyard Shot

Main Entrance Shot

Book Market Arcade Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Exploded Axnometric View

Façade Section Model Side Photo Model Perspective

Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XVII

Nada Medhat , Ganna Mohamed , Shahd Fadi

This project was aimed to be bold and of a different style, yet respect the old culture of the surroundings. It startswith an initial idea of a simple walk-through tunnel to a massive structure standing in a vast space of greenery. Users can differentiate between the limestone recessed exterior grid, which matches the historical site, and the modern interior, which has two embedded masses that hold functions and provide a unique circulation experience. The building also contains four massive columns that define spaces alongside the roof-waffled slab, entering light into the space.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

Interior Shot

Book Market Park Shot

Staircase

Shot

Book Stores Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Main Elevation

Exploded Axnometric View

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XVIII

Joumana Ashraf , Yoanna Sameh , Karma Ahmed

This design is intended to take the users to a traditional yet modern market walk-through. With the old book market taken as an inspiration, this building conveys the idea of creating a central pathway, simplifying the circulation and giving a better visual connection with the various masses and functions. Those separated yet aligned masses lie under a connecting roof with openings for natural light and a better user experience. Courtyards and the roof were added to some of the masses to highlight socialising areas.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

Courtyard Shot

Arcade Shot

Inner Courtyard Shot

Book Stores Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation

Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XIX

Hana hossam , Raneem Medhat Nour Lotfy

Creating a building that acts as a guiding element was one of the main goals while designing this project. The main axis was immediately chosen based on the main existing line between the 26th of July and the old Azbakeya market. Continuing the current market, the new market was placed on the ground floor with glass walls for transparency while giving a lighter sense to a hectic market. The secondary axes were placed between every market mass for easier circulation, and four main pillars were added to the entrance as highlighting elements.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

Market Pathway Shot

Interior Shot

Book

Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Main Elevation

Cross Section

Longitudinal Section

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XX

This building was designed to tie the old Azbakeya Market with the modern world while preserving the culture and history of the surroundings. Using the language of both the past and the present, the building comprises modular concrete frames with arches. The arches are designed to create spaces and harmonious transitions to guide the users through the market. The new market is placed along the project’s central line, occupying parts of the ground and the 1st floor. Wooden designed railings were added to the market terraces as part of history design preservation.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Habiba Maged , Esraa Sayed , Marina Sroor

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Site Plan

Exterior Shot

Market Pathway Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XXI

Mirna Mamdouh , Ghada Hossam

This building carries on Azbakeya’s idea of circulating the books. The building implements the concept of outdoor circulation where shops are accessed from the outside so that users don’t have to be inside a building to reach the shops without however being exposed to direct sunlight, which is why the walls of the building are recessed to the inside to provide shade for the customers. The main book market hall is on the ground floor; all other services are on the first floor.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Functios Diagram

Site Plan

Bird-Eye Shot

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Side Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

PROJECT XXII

Sama Alaa , Sarah Abdelhamid

The main aim behind the building is to preserve the idea of street shopping in old Azbakeya and the culture of Egyptian markets and add a stable shading element. The building consists of 4 main masses split along the main market path connecting the old market, the new one and the 26th of July street. Two other perpendicular paths are designed for easy access to other functions. A leading architectural element that was added to highlight the market pathway is the Concrete canopy.

Site Model Photo

Nolli Map

Concept Phase

Bird-Eye Shot

Exterior Shot

Interior

Ground Floor Plan

Longitudinal Section

Side Elevation

Main Elevation

Façade Section Model Side Photo

Model Main Elevation Photo

Façade Section and Elevation

WINTER SEMESTER 2022-2023

3D MODELIZATION

Marwa Ali, Nadeen Amged

STUDENTS’ MODEL MAKING

Modelling has been a special focus of this studio as it is a well-crafted 3D medium that integrates spatial awareness, scale reference, orientation of the masses, and materiality. Besides, models give students a sense of how elements would be in reality. It is therefore necessary for students to present their design development throughout the entire semester using architectural models.

Ahmed Alaa , Anne Marie Wafik , David Sherif

Sara Tarek , Sama Hani , Ziad Amr

Nadine Tarek, Zeina Olimy, Zoubida Hassan

Raheem Khaled , Sara Mounir , Salma Moussa

Jana Amir , Joumana Sami , Mariam Hendawy

Hana El minshawy , mariam Zakaria , nadia Wael , Rawan Ramadan

Ilaria Samuel , Hana Elekiaby , Nour Moursy

Sara Tarek , Sama Hani , Ziad Amr

Jana Amir , Joumana Sami , Mariam Hendawy

Ganna Mohammed , Nada Medhat , Shahd Fadi

Esraa Sayed , Marina Emeel , Habiba Maged

Mariam Mohamed , Omima Gaber , Sandra Mazooz and Sama Yehia

Lina Ramez ,Mariam El Sherbiny and Passant Samir

Esraa Sayed , Hanina Maged and Marina Saroor

Jomana Sami , Jana Amir and Mairam Hendawy

Ganna Mohamed , Nada Medhat and Shahd Fadi

Raheem Khaled , Salma Moussa and Sara Mounir

Abdel-Rahman, N. H. (2016). Egyptian Historical Parks, Authenticity vs. Change in Cairo’s Cultural Landscapes Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 225, pp. 391-409.

Abu-Lughod, J. (2018). Cairo: 1001 Years of the city victorious. Princeton: Princeton Univ Press.

Al Sayyad, N. (2013). Cairo: Histories of a city. Harvard: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Al Sayyad, N. (2023). Routledge Handbook on Cairo: Histories, representations and discourses. London: Routledge.

Aureli, P. V. (2013). The city as a project. Berlin: Ruby Press.

Behrens-Abouseif, D. (1985). Azbakiyya and its Environments from Azbak to Ismail, 1476–1879. Cairo: Institut français d’archéologie orientale.

Delchevalerie, G. (1899). Maps of Cairo gardens. In Les promenades et les jardins du Caire published in 1899.

El-Kadi, G. (2012). Cairo. Centre in movement. Marsiglia: Edizioni IRD.

Godoli, E. (2008). Architetti e ingegneri italiani in Egitto dal diciannovesimo al ventunesimo secolo. Firenze: Maschietto Editore.

Hamndy, R. S., Abd El-Ghani, M. M., Youssef, T. L., El-Sayed, M. (2007). The Floristic Composition of Some Historical Botanical Gardens in the Metropolitan of Cairo, Egypt. African Journal of Agricultural Research, vol. 2(11), pp. 610-648.

Linthicum, N. (2014). Soor El-Azbakeya | Cairo Book Stop. Cairo Book Stop, 2014, https://cairobookstop. wordpress.com/find-a-book-in-cairo/soor-el-azbakeya/ (accessed in August 2023).

Raymond, A., Wood, W. (2007). Cairo: City of history. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press.

Shahine, G. (1998). Old is Gold. Al Ahram - Weekly Online, Al Ahram, 23.07.1998, http://weekly.ahram.org. eg/1998/387/fr3.htm (accessed in August 2023).

Tawfik, M. S., Essam Ali, S. (2018). Governance and Public Awareness. Dilemma in the Conservation of Heritage and Cultural Parks in Egypt. Proceedings of Science and Technology, vol. 1, pp. 109-123.

The Arab Contractors (2007). Greater Cairo Metro Line 3 - Phase 3. Projects. https://www.arabcont.com/english/project-632 (accessed in August 2023).

Zaher, H. A. (2017). Cairo’s historic Soor el-Azbakeya book market is facing uncertain future | Hassan AbdelZaher | AW. The Arab Weekly, 03.12.2017, https://thearabweekly.com/cairos-historic-soor-el-azbakeya-book-market-facing-uncertain-future (accessed in August 2023).

INTEGRATED DESIGN PROJECT

Azbakeya Book Market Hall

ARCH505

AA 2022/23

GUC German University in Cairo, Egypt

Team

Associate Professor Dr. Manlio Michieletto (IDP Studio Coordinator), MSc Meryem Kübra (Instructor)

MSc Ahmed Hegazy

BSc Yara Galal

BSc Marwa Ali

BSc Nadeen Amged

Invited Professor Rami El Dahan

Participant Students

Afnan Mohamed Alballat, Ahmed Alaa Gamaleldin, Ahmed Hytham, Alaa Mohammed, Anne Marie, Arwa Yasser, David Sherif, Esraa Sayed, Farida Mohamed Fathy, Farida Yasser Elhadidy, Ganna Mohamed, Ghada Hossam, Habiba Maged Ragaie, Habiba Mohamed Mahrous, Hana Ahmed Mohamed, Hana Ahmed Talaat, Hana Ayman Marzouk, Hana Hossam Samir, Ilaria Ashraf, Jana Amir, John Mohsen, Jomana Sami, Joumana Ashraf, Karen Hani, Karma Ahmed, Khaled Wagdy, Lina Ramez, Lucia Ramses, Malak Tamer Mohamed, Malak Yasser Talaat, Manar Yaser, Maria Zakaria, Mariam Mohamed Elsherbiny, Mariam Mohamed Ali Aboelela, Mariam Sherif Fekry, Mariam Zakaria Fouad, Marian Emeel, Mirna Mamdouh, Nada Medhat, Nadia Wael, Nadine Tarek, Nelly Adel, Noran Mohamed, Nour Ahmed Hamdy, Nour Ahmed Lotfy, Nour Mohamed Donkol, Omima Gaber, Passant Samir, Raheem Khaled Abdelrahman, Raneem Ehab Ahmed, Raneem Medhat Nafie, Rawan Abdelhamid Nasr, Rawan Ramadan Ibrahim, Salma Mohamed Saied, Sama Alaa Ezat, Sama Eslam Shiba, Sama Hani Deskouy, Sama Yehia El Baisary, Sandra Mazooz, Sara Monir, Sarah Mohamed Nabil, Sarah Tarek Hanafi, Shahd Fadi.

Manlio Michieletto

Manlio Michieletto is an associate professor at the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at the German University in Cairo. He holds a master’s in architecture and a PhD in architectural composition from the Iuav University of Venice. He has held teaching and research positions in various institutions in Europe and Africa. After being an assistant lecturer, he became an associate professor in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2011 to 2016. After that, he was the Dean of the School of Architecture and the Built Environment of the University of Rwanda in Kigali. He also set his practice designing and implementing projects in Italy, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. He is supervising master’s and doctoral theses focused on modern and adaptive architecture. His latest research primarily investigates the city development process, adaptive architecture and architectural heritage in the sub-Saharan and Egyptian context.

Meryem KübraUluç Tolba

Meryem Kubra obtained her master’s degree in architecture from Bauhaus University-Weimar. Currently, she is working on her PhD in building transformation between the typologies, namely adaptive reuse, at Universität der Künste, Berlin. Her research includes housing, architectural typologies, spatial design, architectural design principles, upgrading the informal settlements, adaptive reuse, and building transformations in urban and architectural contexts. She was a project architect in several projects in varying countries, such as Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, and Egypt. She got involved in exciting and pioneering projects such as collaborative housing projects in Germany and several building designs on the Technical University campus in Eindhoven.

Ahmed Alaa El Dien Hegazy

Ahmed graduated from the GUC Faculty of Architecture and Urban Design and started his academic career just after graduation. He received his master’s degree from the GUC in 2023. His research interests are in building technologies and BIM. The topic of his master’s thesis discussed the application of BIM to the Egyptian construction sector

Yara Galal

Yara Galal has been a teaching assistant in the Architecture and Urban Design Program since 2017. She worked on various courses, including Building Technology, Visual Design and Design Bachelor Studios. Yara’s primary experience and research focus on visual studies and their relation to space and architecture.

Marwa Ali Abdelrafie Youssef

Marwa worked on various courses from 1st to 4th years, such as Visual Design and Building Technology, Freehand Drawing, introduction to Urban Design, History of Architecture, CAADCAM II, III, Building Technology III, PMCM and Integrated Design Projects.She is interested in the field of human comfort in architectural spaces.

Nadeen Amged Elamir Tadros

Nadeen has been working in GUC since 2022. She has worked on various courses, such as Design Studios with different batches and Housing and Building Technology courses.

From right to left :

Nadeen Amged, Marwa Ali, Meryem Kubra, Manlio Micheletto, Yara Galal and Ahmed Hegazy

February

The city’s vision as a place of social representation and, therefore, as a stage for a life that the wealthier classes translate into the need for recreation and entertainment brings to Cairo an urban element, the park, already in vogue in European capitals. The story of Azbakeya is the urban history of Cairo from the Caliphate to the present day, where it has become a founding part of the project theme for students enrolled in the 5th semester in the architecture and urban design department at GUC. The Book Market Hall has both a methodological point of view and a critical reflection on the project. A reflection on the teaching of a way of approaching the art of building in a context, that of Cairo, rich in significant elements, but at the same time critical of the reading of the city, of the references, and of how to make them meaningful in designing a new artefact.

ARCH505 Integrated Design Project

“Azbakeya Book Market Hall”

AA 2022/23

GUC German University in Cairo, Egypt

ISBN

Anteferma Edizioni