Museum Of Egyptian Contemporary Art- New wing for the Historical Egyptian Museum in Cairo by Mohamed Ramadan

To my mother, my family, my beautiful partner and to all my friends I met during my experience and to everyone who contributed to the production of this thesis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dedicated to the memory of my aunt, Sanaa, who has passed away during my master study. May Allah bless her soul...â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Mohamed

Politecnico di Milano Scuola di Architettura, Urbanistica, Ingegneria delle Costruzioni MSc in Architecture of Interiors A.Y. 2015 / 2016

MUSEUM OF EGYPTIAN CONTEMPORARY ART New Wing For The Egyptian Museum In Cairo

Supervisor: Professor Rocca Alessandro Author: Mahmoud Mohamed Ramadan Matricola: 851288

Contents.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ABSTRACT

0| INTRODUCTION 1| CONTEXT ANALYSIS 1.1 Location 1.2 A Brief History of the Urban Evolution of Downtown Cairo 1.2.1 Introduction 1.2.2 Downtown early establishment and planning 1.2.3 The Modern Transformation 1.3 Downtown Current Situation 1.4 Erasing The Remnants of Revolution 1.5 Contemporary Art Spaces/festivals in Downtown Cairo

2| THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM 2.1 Historical Overview 2.2 Architectural description of the Egyptian museum

3| VISION TO DESIGN A MUSEUM IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Theoretical foundation: Museum design problem 3.2.1 Museum definition 3.2.2 Museum as a building type 3.2.3 Museum form and morphology 3.3 Theoretical foundation: contextual design problem 3.3.1 Contextual design types 3.3.2 Strategies for infill problematic design 3.4 Practical foundation: toward a new vision to design a museum in historical places 3.5 Conclusion and recommendations

4| PROJECT 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7

Site analysis Design Strategy Site Plan Master Plan Architectural drawings Architectural details Rendered Views

INTRODUCTION Museums as social learning spaces for knowledge producing processes. – Why and what does it mean? Museums are democratic educational institutions that contribute to culture being an active resource in society. This implies that museums as social learning spaces for knowledge producing processes can create social change and sustainable growth. They are platforms for engagement and social inclusion, focussing on knowledge sharing and production in relevant and qualified settings for today’s citizens, with a view to ensuring that museums are transformed into central players in the development of societies. In the 1972 Declaration of Santiago de Chile, ICOM encouraged member states to support the social role of museums, and museums are increasingly viewed in most countries as playing a key role in society, and as a factor in social integration and cohesion. In this sense, they can help communities to face profound changes in society, including those leading to a rise in inequality and the breakdown of social ties.1 Thus, museums that became the voice of societies should encourage and facilitate dialogue, and the building of relationships between societies and museums, and between different communities. The museums’ role in society is changing. In the same way as all other parts of society are constantly changing. We now expect the museums to rethink their exhibition practice, that they are present on other and new platforms, that they continually develop their professional work, and, not least, that as

modern knowledge institutions, they ensure access to current knowledge.1 Global and major museums may have numerous roles to carry out, while small, local and regional museums should be more dedicated to and responding to their host communities as platforms for social inclusion.2 In Egypt, museums are stepping stones for a new progressive era. The museums of Egypt are not only increasing in number but also in their roles, social activities, and performance; however, there is more to achieve in order to fulfil the social roles of the museum. The social changes that occurred during and after the 2011 revolution are reflected in museums and types of visitors they attract. Although museums have recently demonstrated positive changes, these need to be adjusted to fulfil the diverse roles of museums reflected in international standards and guidelines. Thus, analysis of the needs, interests and expectation of Egyptian society must be carried out in order for museums to respond to their social roles. This should be reflected in their programs, activities and events as well. On the other hand, identifying the historical and current perspective and directions of the museums in Egypt is a vital issue to recognize the realistic gaps in museums’ roles, as well as the needs and expectations of society. One of the most important museum in Egypt if not the most important one till now is the Egyptian museum in Cairo, for more than one hundred years, the Egyptian Museum has been a landmark in the centre of downtown Cairo, renowned for housing the world’s largest col-

In the words of Mariette, a French conservator of Egyptian monuments, and later founding father and first Director of the Egyptian Museum: “I knew I would die or go mad if I did not return to Egypt immediately.” This was said upon his departure from his first visit, echoing the thoughts of many of our modern-day tourists. The Revival of the Egyptian Museum Initiative serves to keep that sentiment alive. Today, Mariette’s body lies near the artefacts he struggled all his life to collect, protect and place on display: he rests beneath his mausoleum and bronze statue in the garden of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, with the Revival Initiative commemoration stone in his full view. The museum area has been changed many times since 1902 the date of museum establishment, even today. It has witnessed colonial rule, a king, a revolution, three presidents, and most recently, yet another revolution. Located right on Tahrir Square, a place that is now familiar around the world, the Egyptian Museum continues to occupy a dynamic role in the country’s unfolding history.

Fig.01 Egyptian Museum in Cairo exterior view-2018 (source : Author) 1 B. Lundgaard, J. T. Jensen, Museum Social Learning Spaces and Knowledge Producing Processes (Denmark, 2013). 2 Anne Catherine Robert Hauglustaine, The role of museums in the Twenty First Century’, in Bernice, L. Murphy (ed.), Museums Ethics and Cultural Heritage (New York, 2016). 3 The revival of the Egyptian museum, Year book 2014, http://www.egyptianmuseumrevival.org/

0| INTRODUCTION

lection of ancient Egyptian art.2 The Egyptian Museum was built at a time when museums were established d in urban centres to foster national identity, and it has managed to do just that. The notable density of artefacts in this one-of-a-kind building attests to the staggering cultural heritage of Egypt’s first civilization, continuously attracting visitors from all over the world. Equally significant is the museum’s 19th century Beaux-Arts architecture, which provides a dignified setting for a rare and exceptional collection.2 The museum is quite literally the home of all of Egypt’s ancestors and the archive of our life as we know it. The building itself, the walls that hold all this history, is very special. Designed by the brilliant “Marcel Dourgnon”, who won the international competition held in search of worldwide architectural talent by “Khedive Abbas”, the building was a purpose-built museum. Many of the world’s best museums today were not, in fact, built for that purpose at all, such as the Louvre for example, which makes this building even more architecturally exciting.

0| INTRODUCTION The thesis is an applied project, the aim to design and propose a new wing and extension for the existing Egyptian museum that was built in 1902. The new project proposal is located on the plot adjacent to the Egyptian museum that was used to be the National Democratic Party (NDP) building till 2011 when major changes happened to this area that will be explained in detail during the research. The project is based on a research and analysis for the context and its main features followed by a detailed study on the history and architecture of the Egyptian museum to understand the best way to deal with the building. In the second part, there will be a general study on how to design a museum in a historical or special context; The research aim is to know what are the features and considerations for designing a museum today. As well this study will be supported with global case studies showing how new contemporary museums can be adapted with the historical neighbouring buildings by respecting the value of the existing ones and adding a new value for this area.

Context analysis

1.1 Location Cairo is located in the northern part of Egypt, 17 km to the south of the meeting point of the Nile’s branches (Delta). It’s the political and economic capital of Egypt. It’s considered as the largest metropolitan area in Egypt and the largest urban area in Africa. Cairo is divided between three governorates (provinces) Cairo governorate, Giza governorate and Qalyubia governorate.1 It expands 27 km to the east of the Nile River and 34 km to the west. According to the last official population count performed by the Egyptian central agency for public mobilization and statistics (CAPMAS) in 2006, Cairo has a population of 17.8 million inhabitants, on the other hand according to the last estimate of CAPMAS1 in 2012 Cairo has approximate population of 20.5 million inhabitants. Cairo is divided into 67 districts (municipalities), which is the smallest local unit in urban communities in Egypt. Each district is divided into sub-district or neighbourhood to facilitate the district management.2 Cairo is a city with a very rich architectural leg-

acy, through the history since its birth; it gained a very strong urban identity which was kept for centuries. The city passed through lots of phases of change, which enriched and drew its identity. One if the most important neighbourhoods in Cairo is the downtown area with its identical planning and architectural style, it has a great history and many layers of development through history. The story begun when Egypt vice regal khedive Ismail (governed Egypt in between 1863– 1879) who studied in Paris, fascinated by the French culture, tried to develop a blueprint of Cairo’s future. So he asked the third Napoleon to send him Hausmann (1809–1891) to plan the new Cairo at this time. Presently, Khedivial Cairo is a small neighbourhood downtown. In 1863, the new streets of Khedivial Cairo were wide and straight to ease the commuting compared to the Islamic Cairo (641 till beginning of 19th century), these streets met at beautiful plazas rich in fountains and statues. Fig. 3 Delta / Alexandria Direction

Ismailia

Suez

Sinai Direction

Cairo

6th of october

5 km

10 km

15 km

20 km

Giza El Ain El Sokhna Fayoum Main Roads Network Railway Network

Oasis/ Western Desert Direction

Urban Context Cairo Downtown Site Location

South Egypt Direction

Fig. 02 World map highlighting Egypt Location

Fig. 03 Map of greater Cairo

Nile River

Location Downtown Cairo is the commercial heart of the modern city of Cairo, centred on Midan Talaat Harb and located to the east and north-east of Midan Tahrir (Tahrir Square). Formerly known as Midan Ismaili until it was renamed on the 2nd of September 1954 by president Nasser as Midan Tahrir “Liberation Square”. The home of an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities located in the north of Tahrir square under the name of Egyptian Museum. Midan Tahrir was the location of Africa’s first Hilton hotel, which is now under the name of Nile Ritz Carlton. The other imposing building on Midan Tahrir opposite the Egyptian museum, is the bay-fronted government Moga’maa building opened in 1952 which houses the bureaucratic offices, and where visitors can renew or

extend their Egyptian visas. Although lacking in obvious tourist “attractions”, Downtown is nonetheless the convenient location of many smaller hotels, retail outlets, travel agencies and restaurants that would be of interest to the tourists. The district’s central location makes it, together with Midan Tahrir, a natural “jumping off point” for exploration of the city. The east end of Downtown is marked by Midan Ataba, the starting point of Islamic Cairo.

Fig.03 Cairo Downtown Sattelite view

Fig.04 Cairo Map showing the downtown borders 1 CAPMAS is considered under presidential decree no. 2915 of 1964 the official source for data and statistical information collection, preparation, processing, dissemination and giving official nature of the statistical figures in Egypt. 2 Heba Adel Ahmed Hussein (2011), Crime and Urban Planning in Egypt: Case Study: Greater Cairo, Ain Shams University, Cairo. David Sims, College London, London (2003). 3 Abbas M. Hassan, Evaluation of the contemporary urban design through the classic urban theories: Cairo and Gwangju downtown as a case study

1|Context Analysis

shows Haussmann’s concept and the new European style arrived in Egypt. These elements attracted foreign communities, rich merchants and senior civil servants to move out of the walled neighbourhood of the old city into the new downtown with its gardens and cafés.3

1.2 A Brief History of the Urban Evolution of Downtown Cairo 1.2.1 Introduction Downtown Cairo was developed by Khedive Ismail in the late 1800s to showcase a modern Cairo as “the symbol and showpiece of Egypt’s progress” to numerous heads of state during the Suez Canal opening in 1869. give two of the most comprehensive accounts of the historic, political and economic contexts surrounding Khedive Ismail’s plans to create a new city, dubbed “Al-Ismailia”. Historians differ on the inspiration behind developing Khedival Cairo, most credit the drive to build a modern city to Ismail’s visit to the newly-redeveloped Paris during the 1867 World Fair.1 Others argue that Ismail had the idea long before his 1867 Paris visit but that it gave the drive to start the implementation of his vision and that he used it as a networking opportunity to secure funding of this mega project.2 Ismail charged Ali Mubarak, the Minister of Public Works, with this ambitious undertaking to create an upscale suburb in less than three years – in time for the Suez Canal Opening.2 The direction of all infrastructure investment towards the new quarter negatively impacted the old city, which consequently suffered from decades of disinvestment.1 The Haussmannian influence on the planning of al-Ismailia was evident, with the radial network of straight, wide streets connected by squares, and public green spaces, all which contrast with the labyrinthine network of narrow streets prevalent in the vernacular urban design of Islamic Cairo. The Haussmanian urban planning philosophy with its wide boule-

vards not only facilitated mobility when contrasted with the labyrinth-like vernacular city architecture of the old city, but also increased the state’s ability to control the space Ali Mubarak was able to complete the infrastructure and physical development of the Ismailia quarter in record time, however the area took several years to attract residents. During the rule of Ismail’s son, Khedive Tawfiq (18791892), the area witnessed a significant boom and started evolving from a well-designed yet empty residential suburb to an urban centre. Tawfiq continued his father’s development dream and created the adjacent Al-Tawfiqiyya with bustling commercial zones and governmental entities.1 The area underwent a rapid growth before World War I (1897-1907), coupled with an influx of foreigners who found the modern quarter a favourable place to live and work, turning it into the cosmopolitan centre of the city. Figure 05 shows a map of Khedival downtown in relation to the traditional (Islamic) city. The urban development of downtown has always been tied to the country’s political environment; the British occupation of Egypt and the influx of Europeans and foreigners had a significant impact on the architecture of downtown. The foreign presence and influence increased significantly between the two World Wars, giving way to down-town’s titling as “the colonial city”, with 62% of foreigners residing in Al-Tawfiqiyya in 1927. Now Al-Ismailia created a spatial divide between the “traditional” Cairo where the locals lived, and the “modern” Cairo where foreigners and the crème de la crème of wealthy and well-connected Egyptians lived and socialized.

1|Context Analysis Fig.05 Map of Khedival Cairo in relation to the traditional (Islamic) city (AlSayyad, 2011, p. 215) 1 Janet Abu-Lughod (1971) and AndrĂŠ Raymond (2001) 2 AlSayyad, Nezar. (2011). Cairo: Histories of a City. Harvard University, Belknap Press.. 3 Abaza, 2014b; Elsadek, 2011

Fig.06 Aerial view of Cairo, showing the British barracks to the right, and the Qasr Al-Nil Bridge. The Museum appears in the back facing what was then known as Midan Al Ismailiya (courtesy of Cairo_Giza_E-_Spelterini-1904).

In the 19th century, Cairo began to be transformed way beyond its earlier configuration as a pre-modern city. The change was due to political and social changes that permeated the way younger generations lived. Cairo city was extending at that time between the citadel from the east side till Al Azbakia cemetery and Al Ataba from the western side, most of the area was urban deteriorated and surrounded by ponds. In few years Khedive Ismail could be able to transform Old Cairo to Paris of the East, (as it was called at that time) and it became an architectural masterpiece competing most beautiful cities in the world, and an open museum featuring all the European architectural schools prevailed. The position of the khedival Cairo complex is understandable in the context of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history at that time, the ruler of Egypt who was brought up and taught in France wanted his capital city to be a part of Europe, he wanted to Europeanize his capital and his country as a continuity for his grand-

father Mohammad Aly project of Egypt modernity. The architecture of the buildings is clearly redolent of Paris in 1870. There was a focus on the importance of urban planning for the first time in Modern Egypt , to include broad, linear gridded streets, geometric harmony and modern European architectural style. The new city built by Khedive Ismail, became the centre of Cairo, including the most political , social , cultural and commercial activities, and in the same time a historical feature for a lot of socio-political changes happened in Egypt all over the modern history of nationalization.3 This chapter will be highlighting the major transformation of Tahrir square affected by main political decisions since the 19th century reaching the era of Mubarak ending before the 25th of January revolution which was the moment Tahrir square became the most important spot in Egypt. The story of downtown Cairoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transformation is complex. From the origins of the modern city

1|Context Analysis Fig.07 Soliman Pasha square pre-ww1.Today renamed Talaat Harb square

Fig.08 The khedive wanted to make Cairo a piece of Paris. These photos shows the relation between el Tahrir square in Cairo and Charles de Gaulle etoil square in Paris

district to its ongoing transformations, downtown has reflected the city’s social cultural and economic shifts. These transformations came in many forms including the general urban expansion of highways through the centre, the use and reuse of early twentieth century buildings, the moving in and out of institutions such as Hilton hotel, the American university and the Egyptian museum and finally the redefinition of the public space in the general Cairene context. In this paper I have listed and analyzed these moments to transition and their effect on the urban landscape of el Tahrir square and its cultural, social and historical significance in the making of a nostalgically driven architectural image today. Along through the history of Cairo, squares and urban open spaces played a very important role in gathering the inhabitants for events, ceremonies and protests. “The Tahrir Square” is one of the most important squares in Cairo that played that role very well till today, and as el Ahram weekly once wrote about el Tahrir Square: “Tahrir Square.

patch of silt, part of the Nile’s bed. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Nile shrank eastwards, uncovering land which was to become the Qasr Al-Aini area, Munira, Garden City, and Tahrir Square. In those days, however, the area was known as Al-Louq. The first developments on the new land were far from glamorous. At the beginning of the last century, the Cairo tanneries were moved from Hawsh Al-Sharqawi (south of Midan Bab Al-Khalq) to the Louq area because of their bad smell. In 1865, they were moved to an area near Fustat, where they have remained ever since. Until the time of Al-Nasser Mohamed Ibn Qalawun, who developed the area into a garden reputed to have included all sorts of fruits and flowers, many of which were brought in from the Levant. Meanwhile, a certain Emir Tussun became an important political figure, prompting the sultan to give him a part of this garden. Tussun established a stable there, on the banks of the Nile. The stables won the place its name: Zaribat Tussun. After thriving for a time under Al-Nasser, the area became a quagmire of swamps and lakes.

1.2.2 Downtown early establishment and planning

II. Khedive Era The next saviour of the site was Ali Mubarak under Ismail Pasha (1863-1879). Ismail was the patron of a comprehensive project to develop the city of Cairo and Ali Mubarak

I. Islamic Era Once, the highly developed square was a

1 Janet Abu-Lughod (1971) and André Raymond (2001) 2 AlSayyad, Nezar. (2011). Cairo: Histories of a City. Harvard University, Belknap Press.. 3 Abaza, 2014b; Elsadek, 2011

was his right-hand man in the task. The latter earmarked an area of 359 feddans4 for major development and rehabilitation for an area originally known as the Ismailia quarter, today the downtown area. Streets were planned in straight lines at right angles in most cases and squares were made. (Fig 08). On both sides of the streets were pedestrian walkways, and the middle of the street was for cars and animals. So it was inhabited by princes and great people. It became and remains the navel of the city and is the site of the most important services whether they be government, companies, banks or commercial stores. Although Ismail is always credited with the creation of Midan Al-Ismailia, Said Pasha before him oversaw developments that fed into the creation of the square. In fact, the first landmark in the history of what is known today as Tahrir began with the Qasr Al-Nil Barracks (which stood where the Nile Hilton stands today) set up in the reign

The Downtown areae a map from an 1885 tourist guidebook.

of Khedive Said (1854-1863). The barracks also served as the Ministry of War and drew peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention to the area west of Cairo, setting the pattern for developments that were introduced by Ismail Pasha later on. The British took over the barracks when they took over Egypt, and the red buildings were to become a hated symbol of occupation. Eventually Egypt was to rid itself of the British and in the place of the barracks; the Arab League and the Nile Hilton hotel were built.

1|Context Analysis First Planning Map for the downtown area with the Egyptian Museum layout

1.2.3 The Modern Transformation “Once the rather exclusive domain of the colonial foreigners and franc phonic Egyptian elite, this zone has obviously undergone a dramatic transformation since the revolution of 1952. And in the novel by Alaa el Aswany “The Yacoubian Building” it is centered on a building which stands as a symbol of beautiful times, a piece of urban iconography, whose cultural context has shifted to the in bearable present. It sees the present as having lost something which was alive in the past, making the past more attractive. The modern transformations of el Tahrir square viewed two major turning points; the Nasser’s era and the notion of modernity, and the Sadat era and the notion of “infitah”.1 The First Turning Point (Nasser 1952) Nasser›s first set of alterations for Cairo included the remaining of downtown streets and squares, this included Ismail square where the barracks and the museum were located. The new square would be called Midan el Tahrir (liberation square) and Kasr el Nil barracks building was torn down in 1952 to figuratively liberate the square of its occupation. The building could have remained and been reused as was the fate of many downtown buildings, however the choice to remove the building was a necessary symbolic act (Maria Golia, city of sand, 2004). And Ismail once quickly built his modern city, Nasser quickly constructed concrete blocks his new ministries, national enterprise and civil servants. The fact of these buildings would soon showcase an alliance with the east, the USSR whose notorious soviet modernist architecture was spread as far as its economics arm reached. The Ussr›s willingness to fund Nasser›s large scale project as the Aswan high dam would mark the new beginning for the facades of Cairo. Prior to this alliance downtown was already blessed with soviet inspired block, The Mogamma. (Facades of modernity, Mohamed el Shahed, 2005). The primary transformation of downtown dur-

ing the Nasser-era is an intensified shift in the district’s status from raqi (high-class) to sha’bi (popular).53 The view of downtown as a distinctly different district from its surroundings has been dissolved and blurred as it deteriorated and its surroundings modernized in up-dated styles. Most importantly, the previously European associated customs and behaviours have been so absorbed into the popular psyche of the Egyptian middle-class which inhabits the city in all directions around downtown. Downtown no longer was the stage of certain behaviours or codes of dress, for better or worst, it has lost any signs of alienation and it has been fully integrated. Greater Cairo has lost its center, and in the coming decades as the city expands into the desert in government planned cities such as Nasr City, Cairo will be a multi-center fragmented city with zones catering to three economically divided social groups: lower strata, intermediate and upper strata. Despite this shift, downtown Cairo, also referred to as Kasr el-Nil, belongs to the intermediate strata of Cairo’s social space. By the second half of the twentieth century downtown’s density was slightly declining as residents left it and it increasingly was becoming baladi.14 Cairo’s new modern, luxury quarters in the 1960s were diffused in Zamalek or Doqqi while the primary streets of downtown falling into disrepair are more active then ever before with ordinary goods replacing luxury items in stores. The Mugamma’ (Complex) The word “mugamma” is a corruption of majma’, a collection or, more accurately in this case, office complex. The construction of the formidable building it refers to in Tahrir Square began in February 1950 -- an ambitious project involving 4,500 square metres of land, 1,500 tonnes of metal, 3,000 tonnes of cement, 15 million bricks, 4,000 workers and LE1 million. By October 1951 the combination had yielded the frighteningly familiar 55-metre high, 13-floor building; its 1,400 rooms, four stairwells, 10 elevators, 60 toilets and 300 faucets were finally open to the public.2 The notorious fifteen-story Mugamma was part

Sadly no sooner had the Mugamma become functional than it became synonymous with a populist regime’s centrally oriented bureaucracy. Andre Raymond’s Cairo: City of History offers an apt summary of the image it still conjures up: “The Nasser government must nonetheless be credited with a serious campaign of public spending to reduce overcrowding in the city. In some instances there was clearly a political agenda, as with the renovation of the large public square of the Midan Al-Tahrir, which, rid of its cumbersome British barracks in 1946, was graced with the hideous state office tower, the famous Mugamma, a concrete hymn to the inefficient and harassing bureaucracy of Nasser-style socialism.” Likewise Max Rodenbeck in Cairo: the City Victorious : “Nasser’s guarantee of a government job for every college graduate became a fiasco. Bureaucrats showed up once a month to collect their paltry pay; their despairing bosses preferred it that way, because offices simply did not have enough chairs to seat them in. A peek in those days into the rooms at the Mugamma, the colossal state office building on Tahrir Square, would reveal secretaries diligently peeling potatoes, darning socks and knitting sweaters for their children.” Blamed for, among other things, bureaucratic inefficiency and overcrowding of Midan AlTahrir, the Mugamma has suffered as much

1|Context Analysis

of a plan to redevelop Ismailiyya sq under king Farouk. Although the building is associated in the Egyptian collective memory as a vestige of Nasser era bureaucracy. It was actually opened in 1951 immediately before the revolution. The building was described by its architect Kamal Ismail to be a «simplified form of the Islamic style» and built by an Italian-owned company, EGICO, it was designed to host «a large number of bureaucratic functions… under one roof, including many carried out ministries of interior and education, as well as the new Cairo municipality itself.1

Fig.09 A panorama of the ‘complex’ and its environs, photo by: Mohamed El-Seheti

Fig.10 faulty plumbing has taken its toll; the gracious curvature of the interior of the main hall, photo by: Mohamed El-Seheti

as it has caused suffering - notably from inefficient management. Though it was handed over to the Cairo Governorate in 1960, no serious attempt at maintenance was made until the mid-1980s, and by the time President Hosni Mubarak visited the Mugamma in 1991, he was appalled by the condition in which he found the place: one consequence was that the then prime minister Atef Sidqi set up a board headed by the deputy governor responsible for the management of the building and an LE3.7 million budget was allocated to the development of the building in 1992; another LE2.6 million was added in 1998 -- all to no avail. Recent visits reveal the same picture of long queues gathering before decrepit elevators, the broken plumbing of unclean bathrooms and horrendously overcrowded offices. Which is not to say that the Mugamma, the principal landmark of Cairo’s busiest square, has not been at the centre of activity for over 50 years now, housing 14 ministries and 65

1- Infitah:(“openness”) was President Anwar Sadat’s policy of “opening the door” to private investment in Egypt in the years following the 1973 October War with Israel. 2- Farrag,Fatma. A myth dismantled,Al Ahram weekly, 2005. www.weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/764/feature.htm

government departments which employ an estimated 18,000 civil servants who cater to the bureaucratic needs of some 30,000 citizens every day.2 The Nile Hilton What was known as the Nile Hilton Hotel is part of a complex of buildings located in Tahrir Square. These would include the Arab League building, the Socialist Union Headquarters and the Mogamaa (an office building). Complementing these is the Egyptian Museum, opened in 1902. In the centre is the Hilton itself opened in 1959. The hotel is located on a site that represented for Egyptians at that time the essence of colonialism and occupation – the English barracks. A 1904 photo taken from a balloon shows them next to the Kasr al Nil bridge and also the Museum (Figure 06). The Zamalek island appears as an agricultural paradise which was to change during the course of the century. The specific locale of the barracks in relation to the city and the Nile is of significance. A map shows them facing the Nile and in the back is the new city that had been planned by Ismail to create a European centre that would rival Paris. Nasser opened the zone of Tahrir square for modern hotels to develop along the east bank of the Nile. The proximity to the museum and the famed downtown made the southern tip of the district a prime location for tourist accommodations. The Semiramis, le meridian, Sheraton and Hilton quickly took advantage of the opportunity to establish new business in the centre of the world’s oldest tourist destination and birth place of western civilization. The Hilton on Tahrir square was Nasser’s attempt at attracting foreign currency, tourism and advertising an interest in capitalism. The hotel opened in February 1959 and “the modern form of the structure was the materialization of the modern social practices that it housed. The building rendered public certain aspects of Nasser’s new Egypt. It shows Egypt’s ambition to acquire international political status through modernization).1 The architecture of the hotel and its white façade is a twelve-story

high blank billboard on Tahrir showcasing Nasser’s vision for the city. The Nile Hilton was a new facade associated with a new era’ however, what was behind the facade was a familiar institution: a social space for the rich and powerful in Cairo near to the old shepherd’s hotel. The functional facade of the hotel with its equally sized room balconies and the exposed stairs, three on each side of the slab. Zigzagging up its side appears to be a new departure from the classical architecture of the museum next door or even the recently opened Mogamma. Although the building was a private enterprise accessible to a few, its symbolism on the site of the old barracks and its modern contemporary image was seen by all Egyptians who flood the square. The building thus as a double-edged tool for Nasser, signifying a degree of openness to the west marking a new beginning to locals with a clear architectural symbol, finally eradicating to ghost of British occupation on the site.

Fig.11 A The Nile Hilton hotel

Fig.12 (a) Presidents Nasser and Tito and Conrad Hilton during the opening of the hotel in 1959. (b) Image showing them inside the hotel’s lobby. Source: Rene Burri/Magnum Photos.

Fig.13 A 1965 image showing the Nile Hotel from the back (courtesy of Ben Wellesely-Smith).

The Results of the First Turning Point Following the 1952 military takeover(1952 revolution), Egypt’s former president Nasser initiated a pan-Arab movement that sought to distance Egypt from its Islamic past. Architecture and urban space were tools through which this vision was specialized. Among the buildings constructed at the time, the Nile Hilton Hotel in particular became a symbol for the kind of Egypt that was envisioned by the new regime. Adopting the international style of architecture, it was an ideal canvas onto which the national aspirations of a new emerging nation could be placed.1 After the 1952 revolution was fully effected, the cosmopolitan ethnically non Egyptians population of downtown along 4000 wealthy Egyptian families began their exodus from the city. Nasser would officially rid the city of its outsiders residents and confiscate their property in the name of revolution. In the immediate months after the revolution, the once prestigious but now abandoned downtown flats, buildings and shops were quickly taken over by the government companies, revolutionary military personnel and their families, a significant transformation in the socio-cultural make up of the district. (Beattie, cited in “facades of modernity by Mohamed el Shahed, 2005 Besides the shifting demographic of the area 1- El Shahed,Mohamed. Facades of Modernity, 2005 3- Raymond, Andre. Cairo, Harvard university press 2000.

1|Context Analysis

and the transformation of downtown roofs into squatter settlements for the poor, the core of downtown will be replaced by taller apartment blocks. The southern end of downtown around the ismailiyya square is where dramatic Nasser era change will take place in this part of the city.1 Another vision by Andre Raymond in his book “Cairo”, where he stated that “The view of downtown as a distinctly different district from its surrounding has been dissolved and blurred as it deteriorated and its surroundings modernized in up-dated style. Most importantly, the previously European associated customs and behaviours have been so absorbed into the popular psyche of the Egyptian middle class which inhabits the city in all directions around downtown. Downtown no longer was the stage of certain behaviours or codes of dress, for better or worst, it has lost any signs of alienation and it has been fully integrated. Greater Cairo has lost its center, and in the coming decades as the city expands into the desert in government planned cities such as Nasr city, Cairo will be multi-center fragmented city with zones catering to three economically divided social groups: lower strata, intermediate strata of Cairo’s social space. By the second half of the twentieth century downtown’s density was slightly declining sa residents left it and it increasingly was becoming lower class. Cairo new modern, luxury quarters in the 1960s were diffused in Zamalek or Dokky while the primary streets of downtown falling into disrepair are more active then ever before with ordinary goods replacing luxury items in stores” 2

The Second Turning Point (Sadat 1970) In 1974, President Sadat of Egypt initiated an Open Door Economic Policy “Inftah”. It called for the revitalisation of the private sector, opening the country’s doors to the flow of foreign and Arab capital and the partial dismantling of the public sector. The sum of these policies, which are still operative at the present time, constituted a reversal of Egypt’s socialist transformation experienced under Nasser (19521970). The open door economic policy tilted progressively towards capitalist. As a corollary, the logic of the open door economic policy has been manifested in urban public service provisions as part of the government domestic policy.1 In the 1970s with Sadat’s Open Door Economic policy, downtown buildings witnessed their worst deterioration. By the mid-1970s development has ceased to exist in downtown for over thirty years with major catastrophic events such as Black Saturday and the migration of residents by 1956, the central district grew increasingly popular with bargain shoppers and professionals establishing more businesses in the upper floors of downtown buildings transforming the area into a fully commercial zone that is swarming with activity during the day and abandoned by night. Except for the occasional news about razing of belle époque buildings to be replaced by multi-level garage structures or high-rise office blocks, the area was for the greater part of the 70s, 80s and 90s forgotten by the general public. The recent revival of interest in the old central so-called-European district of downtown is due to a new phase of Cairene identity-making, the search for a counter balance to the present fragmented city with its multiple manifestations serving diverse social and economic segments of the population that do not share a city center.2 As Ismail looked at Paris and Nasser looked at the USSR, Sadat looked at American cities. Sadat›s vision was for every young Egyptian man to be able to «get married, own a villa,

drive a car, possess a television set and a stove, and eat three meals a day.»3 This vision meant a sprawling Cairo expanding into the deserts with green, villa-filled residential neighbourhoods connected to the city with highways and bridges. The open-door-policy benefited a rising Egyptian bourgeoisie class interested in brand new lifestyles away from the established old centres. Like Ismail, Sadat›s modernization turned its back to old parts of the city and started anew with the emphasis on image of modernity fit for the capital of Egypt. ‹Downtown was out of the conversation.4 The Results of the Second Turning Point Downtown Cairo is contested space, between the rich and the poor, government agencies and private interests, pedestrians and motor traffic, streets vendors and shopkeepers and most importantly between promoters of visual rehabilitation and promoters of tactile rehabilitation. Downtown is thus in the middle of multi faceted conflict between competing interests all of whom aim at optimizing their advantages. The larger trend of commercial and economic decentralization that Cairo is witnessing has shifted the primary node of commercial activity to scattered points in the city. Downtown is also loosing its role as a cultural node for the city with the moving of the Egyptian museum. The American university in Cairo also left its urban campus in the contested space of downtown Cairo for a garden campus on the periphery. The American university expansion is another missed opportunity that could have transformed downtown Cairo into vibrant, expansive urban injecting money and resources into the centre. Downtown thus transformed from an urban space conveying aesthetic beauty to merely a domain for circulation. (Krampen, 1979. cited in “façades of modernity by Mohamed el Shahed, 2005) the belle époque facades of downtown were embellished with multi-story signs and billboards the respond to the scale of the speedway.

1|Context Analysis Fig.14 Tahrir Square 1970

1 Daef,M Ayman. The impact of open door policy on public service, 1986 2 Zaaza, Ahmed. Cairo: The Multi-Schizophrenic City,2009 http://cairomsc.blogspot.it/2009/11/el-tahrir-square-multi-layeredhistory.html 3 Anwar el-Sadat, In Search of Identity (Cairo, 1978), 12 4 El Shahed,Mohamed. Facades of Modernity, 2005

Construction of the red neoclassical building of the Egyptian Museum was completed on the square’s northern side

Muhammad dhul-Faqqar Bek published a plan to redesign Qasr el-Nil area in al-Musawwar journal in April 1947. The utopian plan called for a cultural and political center for the city. This translated into administrative buildings for various ministries and government bureaucracies and a plethora of museums, in addition to a series of commemorative statues, all surrounded by vast public gardens.This plan was never fully realized, but elements from it, such as creating some open public spaces and an administrative building were carried out.

An aeria Square v

1902 1867

1947 1904

1960

In the late half of 19th century khedive Ismail ordered the building of a new, modern district of Cairo west of the Fatimid-era old town, and he assigned this task to the french planner Baron Haussmann , the aim was to create ‘Paris on the nile” Perspective view of Ismailia, now Tahrir Square (top) drawn from a 1904 plan (above).

Fig. 15 Cairo Downtown main historical changes timeline

On 2 September 1954, in its effort to remove a renamed 15 Cairo streets and squares. Nasser doghouse so that Midan Ismailia became Midan a

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plan to ournal culturslated nistries hora of emorapublic d, but open uilding

The defeat of June 1967 removed any expectation of a statue. Instead, the pillar was removed in the 1980s when construction for the Cairo Metro began. Down also came the decade-old metal pedestrian footbridge that had so greatly contributed to the city's uglification. From then on, things could only get better.

An aerial view of the Nile with Tahrir Square visible at bottom right, 1969.

1969

effort to remove all traces of the old regime, Egypt's new leadership d squares. Nasser had decreed all things "Ismailian" belonged in the lia became Midan al-Tahrir (Liberation Square).

1975 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s- 2011

Tahrir square remained with the same shape with no major alterations for more than 30 years untill the revolution happened.

31 1|Context Analysis

1.3 Downtown Current situation

Urban Context Downtown Cairo is the commercial heart of the modern city of Cairo, centred on Midan Talaat Harb and located to the east and north-east of Midan Tahrir (Tahrir Square). Formerly known as Midan Ismaili until it was renamed on the 2nd of September 1954 by president Nasser as Midan Tahrir “Liberation Square”. The home of an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities located in the north of Tahrir square under the name of Egyptian Museum. Midan Tahrir was the location of Africa’s first Hilton hotel, which is now under the name of Nile Ritz Carlton. The other imposing building on Midan Tahrir opposite the Egyptian museum, is the bay-fronted government Moga’maa building opened in 1952 which houses the bureaucratic offices, and where visitors can renew or extened their Egyptian visas. Although lacking in obvious tourist “attractions”, Downtown is nonetheless the convenient location of many smaller hotels, retail outlets, travel agencies and restaurants that would be of interest to the tourists. The district’s central location makes it, together with Midan Tahrir, a natural “jumping off point” for exploration of the city. The east end of Downtown is marked by Midan Ataba, the starting point of Islamic Cairo. Significance Long before gaining international recognition as the epicentre of the 2011 revolution and symbol for political expression, downtown Cairo and Tahrir Square have always been of significance to Cairenes and Egyptians in gen-

eral. It is where vital government institutions are located such as the mega administrative complex, Mogama’ el-Tahrir, the People’s Assembly (lower house of representatives), Shura Council (upper house), and numerous ministries. The headquarters of the National Democratic Party (NDP),– the ruling party at the time of ousted President Mubarak – is currently being demolished and was situated along the Western border of downtown and was one of the few institutions burned by protesters in 2011 as it was perceived as a symbol of political corruption. On the regional level, Tahrir Square also hosts the headquarters of the League of Arab States since its establishment in 1945, which coordinates the cooperation between its 22 member states. Walking distance from the Tahrir Square campus is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Egypt, the Egyptian Museum, which receives over 2 million annual visitors. Downtown and neighboring Garden City (SouthWest of downtown) has a high concentration of foreign embassies, including the American, British and Canadian embassies, among many others.

1|Context Analysis Fig. 16 Study Area Map

1 AlSayyad, Nezar. (2011). Cairo: Histories of a City. Harvard University, Belknap Press..

Neighbourhood Physical Profile Downtown Cairo boasts an interesting variety of architectural styles and registered heritage buildings. The physical and structural conditions of these buildings are primarily poor due to little-to-no maintenance by owners. As expected from the center of a bustling city as Cairo, downtown is frequented by all walks of life as it fulfills the needs of a wide variety of people. The government initiated interest in regaining its presence in the public sphere in 2013, which was followed by announcing revitalization plans for downtown. It launched a multi-phase development project focusing on important nodes in downtown, such as Tahrir Square, and the streets leading to Talaat Harb Square. The revitalization project was launched in August 2014 with the controversial removal of unlicensed street vendors that have overtaken several streets in downtown. The areas of intervention are mostly in the North and Northwest parts of downtown, with the exception of the upgrading of the Abdin Palace Square, currently underway, where the Governorate of Cairo is located. The commercial activity in the area was heavily impacted by recent events and is comparatively less active than northern parts of Downtown with concentrated retail activities such as Talaat Harb and Qasr el-Nile Streets.

nounced Capital City, which is to be built 60 kilometres (kms) from Cairo in partnership with a major Emirati real estate developer, In Mexico City, the city centre was developed in the early 2000s as a result of a partnership between the city administration and major local businesses (Davis, 2013, p. 54). Over the past decade, state institutions have shown interest in the revitalization of the city center through sponsoring international design competitions and developing strategic urban development vision for the city as a whole. The 2011 revolution was unexpected by all and created a pause, albeit short-lived, in the state’s development vision for the city. A brief detraction of the state in the following months created a security vacuum which resulted in increased public sense of ownership and informal usages of space, with Tahrir Square becoming “de facto the space for contestation, for grieving, and public performance” (Abaza, 2014, p. 9). The state gradually regained its presence in the public sphere and in August 2014 the Cairo governorate took heavy security measures to remove all the unlicensed street vendors in downtown and a large media campaign was launched to declare state plans to ‘revitalize’ Khedival downtown and bring it back to its “lost glory” and reclaim the sense of security and control of the urban space, particularly with the state’s declared “war on terrorism”.

Urban characteristics Downtown Cairo has been experiencing a significant deterioration over the past several decades, with businesses and residents alike fleeing towards newly-developed urban fringes if they can afford it. As such, developing downtown is seen by the state as one of the gateways to re-branding Cairo. In many developed countries, market forces gear urban transformation due to globalization, with the state taking the role of the facilitator through legislation and land use permits. Urban development in mega cities in developing countries, on the other hand, is often a “national project” planned and sometimes even executed by the state with the collaboration of the private sector (Salama, 2009, p. 45). In Egypt, the most recent example would be the newly an-

Concurrently, the increased flow of Arab capital into Egypt since the events of September 11th, 2001 coupled with the decreasing role of the state in urban development compared to the socialist ideology of the 1950s and 1960s impacted investments and the urban form in Cairo as a whole, with urban developments tailored to touristic and elitist consumption (Abaza, 2001). Consequently, downtown Cairo started to be seen by some investors as an undiscovered gem for real estate investments, with private investors purchasing prime real estate and iconic buildings in downtown. Downtown Cairo has always been a mecca for cultural and arts enthusiasts, with hubs such as Café Riche, Groppi and other establishments that were a second home to many renowned artists, filmmakers and writers throughout the

can find concentrated ground level functions in specific areas of downtown. For instance, Meret Basha St. (along Tahrir Square) is a hub for travel agencies and souvenir bazaars for its proximity to the Egyptian Museum and a high flux of tourists. Similarly, other street blocks are known for retail shopping (particularly clothing and electronics), mechanic repair shops, or schools. Alternatively, there are buildings with an almost unified usage, such as one on Tahrir St. which almost exclusively hosts healthcare service providers. It is worth noting that despite the mixed-use nature of downtown, residential usages has decreased significantly over the last few decades.

Usage and Typologies The land use mapping conducted by The International Institute for Urban Development (IIUD) and Mona Zakaria’s downtown assessment study in 2011 (IIUD and Zakaria, 2011) was used as a baseline and was updated with minor changes to uses in the area. Downtown is a mixed-use community, not only within the area, but often within each building as well. The majority of buildings – with the exception of large public administration buildings – host different types of commercial activities on the ground level,the rest of the building is often a mixture of offices, small hotels, storage space for commercial activities on the ground level, residences, and vacant units. Not to mention that the rooftops of some buildings have been transformed to one-bedroom apartments for lower-income families and more recently artistic studios. This mixed use, multi-class character is captured in the literary form in Alaa Alasway’s ‘Omarat Ya’coubian. Nonetheless, one

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twentieth century. Artists and art enthusiasts were restricted to specific known establishments, however over the past fifteen years, a plethora of alternative art galleries and cultural spaces emerged in downtown Cairo. These were not only limited to traditional ground level spaces, but also seeped into upper levels in residential buildings and other untraditional spaces such as warehouses as is the case with Townhouse Gallery’s Rawabet Theatre. The above stakeholders can be viewed as external, non-local forces directly and indirectly shaping downtown’s built environment and social fabric, each with its own goals and desired vision for downtown Cairo. In other cities, the conglomeration of art-based and entertainment activities in an urban quarter had indirect impacts on the urban and social form, for instance, arts and the creative types have been supported by private real estate investors as a tool to gentrify areas and make them more attractive to higher-income residents and extract monopoly rents (Harvey, 2001).

Fig. 17 Land Use Map of Cairo downtown((IIUD); Zakaria, (2011)

1|Context Analysis Fig.18 Keyplan showing the main buildings shaping the urban context of Cairo downtown

Mobility Barriers and Obstructions Different types of obstructions are scattered around downtown limiting vehicular and pedestrian mobility. For instance, pedestrian and vehicular mobility are limited by the handful of streets completely blocked by walls constructed post 2011. Some of these walls were transformed to gates that can be closed if unrest is foreseen. Other forms intentionally control pedestrian mobility to prevent the common practice of jaywalking. This often proves to be unsuccessful as pedestrians opt to walking on the street outside the placed fences. This is in addition to temporary construction work, and illegal commercial encroachments. Public Transportation: Downtown is well-connected to most, if not all, modes of public transportation. One of Cairoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s central bus and minibus stations (Abd el-Minâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;im Riad) is located at the northern tip of downtown, in addition to a regional bus termi-

nal. Four metro stations service downtown; the Sadat Metro station, which is in Tahrir Square across from the Main campus, is a transfer station between the two most used metro lines, and the closest to the bus station. The metro is one of the most popular mode of public transportation used to access downtown. Despite the reopening of the Sadat Metro station earlier this year, four of its eight exits remain closed. To make it more convenient for those parking at Tahrir garage, the governorate allocated 21 buses to circulate three routes in downtown to connect commuters to their points of interest in downtown with the parking garage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the routes of the 3 shuttle bus lines are shown in fig: . The shuttle buses are for the garage users only and costs EGP 4 and are supposed to run every 5 minutes from the garage. The concept of the shuttle buses is good in itself, however the buses only transport from the garage but do not offer the service for patrons to return to the garage, prompting them to walk back to their vehicle or use alternative transportation options.

1|Context Analysis Fig.19 Parking areas map

1.3 The Downtown during Revolution 1.3.1 Introduction: For many in Egypt, the 18 days of the January 25 revolution was something that Turner would call a liminal moment when everything is possible, but nothing yet is replaced. Tahrir square the centre of Cairo downtown became a symbol of hope, unity and power. And to a great extent that power, either real or implicit, was gained through people freeing their voices of expression. This freedom of expression per se and what it represented: self-empowerment, a pursuit of justice, expectancy of equality, etc. was one of the precious values and means of participation among revolutionaries. Speaking up and expressing one’s mind became crucial, and different people found different ways to embody this objective. Thus, the revolution created many genres of participation: sit-in protests in Tahrir,

tweeting or writing blogs and articles in various media outlets. The public sphere and vocal self-expression within it became inbuilt elements of the revolution. Eventually Tahrir square and its surrounding streets became a symbol of revolution, both day and night are filled with people. In addition to their mere presence, people started using the walls and streets surrounding the square, as another means of expression. Hereby, a genre of political graffiti in Cairo was formed and over time lapse it became an integral part of the revolution itself. Although graffiti in Egypt was present before the revolution, it was still a rather rare phenomenon and was mostly used by football fans or for “advertising” purposes, and thus January 25 put graffiti on a completely different scale.

marches and clashes with security forces, and

Fig.20 Tahrir Square crowded with more than 700,000 Protester during the revolution, Source : Wael EL SIsi

1|Context Analysis Fig.21 Protesters used the Tahrir square plaza to pray , Source : Dana Smiilie

Fig.22 Street Seller making his own cafeteria to serve the protesters , Source : Dana Smiilie

1.3.2 The Battle for Tahrir Square: Tuesday, Feb. 1 2011

Security officials say roads and public transportation would be shut down, but protesters cross bridges by foot.

The army guards major public buildings, like the museum, but does not prevent the protest from taking place.

Protesters occupy an area of about eight football fields.

The army lines up tanks and forms checkpoints to control access to the square.

Wednesday, Feb. 2 2011

Thousands of Mubarak supporters armed with clubs, stones, rocks and knives pass through army checkpoints here.

Mubarak supporters, some riding camels and horses, try to push their way into the square.

Army troops around the museum hold their positions and generally do not engage in the conflict.

Anti-government protesters break off pieces of pavement to use as projectiles. In the afternoon, both sides push back and forth in this area.

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Thursday, Feb. 3 2011

Egyptian security seize equipment from journalists working in buildings, like this hotel, that overlook the fighting.

Pro-Mubarak demonstrators attack foreign journalists in this area. Gunshots are heard in the afternoon.

Army troops and tanks take up positions here, creating a buffer zone between the two sides.

Antigovernment protesters put up barricades here, but it does not stop rocks from both sides from flying over.

Friday, Feb. 4 2011

The army is maintaining a buffer zone in this area with tanks and armored vehicles.

Antigovernment protesters are manning barricades in an area where Mubarak supporters tried to push through on previous days.

Protesters are using subway entrances (M) to dump trash, as well as to detain Mubarak supporters that have been captured.

Protesters have set up a field hospital and some smaller clinics on this block. A KFC restaurant is also being used as a clinic.

Many antigovernment protesters arrive via foot over this bridge. They form two long lines to pass through army checkpoints.

1.3.3 Reading Revolution on the Walls of Downtown: In no time graffiti pieces mushroomed all over the city and became more and more sophisticated. Graffiti artists and drawings themselves were acknowledged by journalists, bloggers and activists and gained a widespread recognition as a different means of communication, whereby they exceeded their otherwise relatively short-lived existence on the streets. The political graffiti in Cairo created an entire market around itself: numerous catalogues compiling graffiti drawings were published1; articles and reports on the topic appeared and were given coverage by all kinds of media starting with local newspapers2 before spiralling upwards to the BBC3 and Al Jazeera4; many bloggers and so-called graffiti hunters captured their favourite pieces and spread them through social media, trying to ensure that the graffiti messages were permanently etched in the public consciousness even after they were erased from the street walls. And once the graffiti reached the realms of social media, it started its life all over again, becoming a message, declaration, symbol and illustration that was shared, commented on and admired by people. Graffiti producers (particularly those who did not favour anonymity, but created pseudonyms which were left as a “tag” not only became well-known figures in the activist’s scene but were also recognized as artists exhibiting internationally.5 The majority of these reports presented the graffiti with glorified and romanticised connotations. Graffiti artists were regarded as resistance fighters primarily against the regime6, thereafter against security forces and eventually against the Muslim Brotherhood, and their works were seen as tributes to revolution, its illustration and narratives and as a social barometer. Numerous articles were published praising and portraying those responsible as artists, or as hero-like figures putting themselves in danger

for the sake of a common good, while the government’s attempts to whiten graffiti scrawled walls were portrayed in a damning manner and were bestowed with the epithet of professional whiteners who were accomplishing a “barbaric task” to “silence the nation”. However, after a long and rather investigative walk through the Cairo streets, a fairly different and rather contradicting impression about this unanimous struggle becomes apparent. Undoubtedly, a political critique of those in power and recollections of the revolution’s martyrs are the predominant topics of the graffiti in question. But in juxtaposition to this, a whole range of other topics were introduced through the graffiti: a critique of social injustice, topics of international politics, roles of religion, the status of women, different aspects of human rights, societal values, sexual harassment, nationalistic symbols, visions of future or pursued justice, portraits of national and international figures, Quran verses, quotes from literature and a lot more. Besides, none of these topics followed one prevailing discourse line. They have been debated and addressed from different angles just like they are debated and addressed in other different communication spheres from those regarded as “conventional” right through to the latest social media and friends gatherings, and they clearly differ in the kind of ideology, political, religious and value-system beliefs they represent

1|Context Analysis Fig.23 after several battles between the Egyptian Police and protesters, The police placed huge concrete blocks to prevent protesters from reaching the ministry of interior building, and that’s how the protesters used the blocks., Source :https://newrepublic.com/

Fig.24 A graffiti that judges Army and religious regimes, Source : https://newrepublic.com/

1 Mia Grondhal, Graffiti in Cairo, AUC Press, 2013, http://www.aucpress.com/p-4771-architecture-and-the-arts.aspx. 2 Egypt Independent, http://www.egyptindependent.com/taxonomy/term/15565 3 Writing on the Wall New Cairo’s Graffiti Workshop: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22453213 4 Egypt’s Youth Vocal against the Army, Al Jazeera, May, 2011, http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/egypts-youth-vocal-against-army 5 Exhibit around the World: http://suzeeinthecity.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/egyptian-graffiti-artists-exhibit-around-the-world/ 6 Soraya Morayef, Seven Wonders of the Revolution, Jadaliyya, March 2012, http:// www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/4776/the-seven-wonders-of-the-revolution

1.3 Erasing the Remnants of a Revolution Friday, 28 January 2011. Three days after the start of mass demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, protesters called for a ‘day of rage‘ to invigorate the demands of a nascent revolution. After midday prayers, up to a million people descended on Tahrir square from all corners of the city, resulting in a long day of bloody fighting with the police. As the evening fell, the police seemed to be losing control in most places and started to retreat from the streets. While protesters entered Tahrir square, news agencies made their first reports about a fire at the headquarters of former president Hosni Mubarak‘s leading National Democratic Party (NDP). The building, located between the Nile and Tahrir, had become a symbol of 30 years of oppression and was suddenly burning spectacularly, lightening up Cairo’s evening sky. Until today, it is unclear whether the NDP-building was set on fire by protestors, or by someone who wanted to erase all evidence of decades of dictatorship. What did become clear the

next morning was that the physical manifestation of a much hated regime had turned into a heavily scarred ruin. The charred, concrete skeleton was still standing and would from that day on overlook the rest of the events on Tahrir Square, from the joyful celebrations as Mubarak stepped down on February 11 to the violent clashes that would follow in the years to come. Its prominent position in the urban landscape has always made the building impossible to ignore, but from January 2011 onwards it would also constantly remind people, from commuters on the 6 October bridge to tourists visiting the adjacent Egyptian Museum, of Cairo’s recent history. In particular in recent times, with demonstrations in Tahrir becoming increasingly rare, the former NDP-building seems to have become the most obvious memorial to a landmark revolution.

Fig.25 A model of the NDP-building. (Source : https://failedarchitecture. com/erasing-the-remnants-of-a-revolution/)

Fig.26 The NDP-building after the fire, with the Egyptian Museum in the back. (Source: DEDMAXOPKA/LIVEJOURNAL)

1|Context Analysis Fig.27 The NDP-building during the fire, with the Egyptian Museum in the back. (Source: https://failedarchitecture.com/erasing-the-remnants-of-a-revolution/)

Fig.28 The NDP-buildingduring after 3 years and before the government decided to demolish it, photo from infront of the Egyptian Museum Facade (Source: https://madamasr.com/en/2015/05/31/opinion/u/erasing-history-why-demolishing-the-ndp-building-is-a-mistake/)

Tahrir square has been a symbolic place since the 1919 uprising against the British occupation and has remained a stage for high profile political events throughout the last century, from the 1952 revolution to the Iraq war demonstrations in 2003. The square started to get its current shape when Cairo’s late 19th and early 20th century urban expansion schemes, currently known as ‘Downtown’, were extended towards the Nile, which included the 1902 construction of the famous, pink-orange Egyptian Museum in neoclassicist style. The new square was cut off from the Nile by the British army’s extensive barracks, which kept a controlling military presence in the middle of the city for a long time. The south side of the square was shaped by the construction of the monolithic ‘Mogamma’ complex in the late 40s, which has housed government offices ever since and became a ludicrous symbol of a slow and incompetent state bureaucracy. In the same years, the British vacated their army barracks, which were torn down not much later. This provided Gamal Abdel Nasser, who became the first president of the newly independent republic in 1953, with ample space to construct the capital’s future skyline. In the first years of Nasser’s rule, three new landmarks would be added to the square, all involving the productive Egyptian architect

Mahmoud Riad. The modest Arab League Building, housing an organisation that clearly fitted Nasser’s pan-Arab ambitions, was the first to open in 1956. The more impressive and high-modernist Nile Hilton Hotel followed a few years later, which was co-designed with the American architect Welton Becket and was the second Hilton to open outside the United States after Istanbul. The final addition to the square was another overtly modernist construction, built just behind the Egyptian Museum in 1958. Originally designed to house the Cairo Municipality, it was at completion quickly occupied by Nasser’s Arab Socialist Union (ASU), the only legal political party at the time. A few years after Nasser’s death in 1970, the role of the ASU was succeeded by the National Democratic Party (NDP), founded by Egypt’s second president Anwar Sadat. Despite Sadat’s aversion of the ASU, its politics and and Tahrir premises, he moved the NDP into the building, where it would remain to the end of Hosni Mubarak’s thirty year reign. All three buildings can be considered as striking products of the architectural ideas of their time, and all were listed a few years before the revolution. Despite being built by the same architect in the same period, the modernist

Fig. 29 Postcard, with ‘Downtown’ on the right, the Egyptian Museum behind the minaret and a small part of the NDP-building on the left, built on the area vacated by the British barracks.

Fig. 30 Nasser’s skyline, with the Arab League building on the left, the Nile Hilton in the middle and the NDP-building on the right.

1|Context Analysis Fig. 31 Original drawing of the NDP-building by architect Mahmoud Riad.

additions to Tahrir didn’t form much of an harmonious ensemble however. All three of them were built in a slightly different style, with the former Nile Hilton the most notable outsider, and all were surrounded by a chaotic collection of loosely positioned side-buildings, undefined objects and fences. Their current state doesn’t help much either, especially since the NDP-building is being demolished and the Nile Hilton hotel is being renovated by the Ritz-Charlton chain in a way that is seriously damaging the original design. As long as part of the NDP-building is still standing, Nasser’s skyline gives Tahrir square its dramatic, but slightly unbalanced backdrop, as well as its current, rather undefined shape. While a recent, post-revolutionary renovation of the plaza in front of the museum hasn’t done much to improve the quality of the area’s public space, the demolition and subsequent transformation of the NDP-site might drastically change the square. Already within months of the beginning of the revolution, the future of the NDP-building was ardently debated. Before the beginning of the demolition, Cairobserver already argued that its structure was probably still in good shape and that it could (and should) be preserved. Interestingly, both revolutionary groups as well

as supporters of the now defunct NDP agreed, with the former hoping to turn the building into a monument or even a museum of the revolution. Architecture and heritage professionals from the National Organisation for Urban Harmony have also argued against its demolition, quoting its listed status. Mahmoud M.M. Riad, grandson of the building’s architect and head of the family business today, even started a campaign to save the building and drafted a proposal for its adaptive reuse. While suggesting future functions such as a five star hotel, a research center or, after more than half a century, finally the headquarters of the Cairo municipality, Riad noted that a thorough renovation would not have excluded the possibility of keeping a prominent reference to the building’s recent history. While there was indeed a fair bit of support to keep the building, most people didn’t seem to mind it being torn down. In particular the board of the adjacent Egyptian Museum was keen to see it go. The NDP-building was build uncomfortably close to the museum and the board has plans to realise some pleasant gardens next to its premises. Others argued that the demolition of the building would create the opportunity to finally connect Tahrir directly to the Nile waterfront. Whatever people’s opinions,

it seemed quite unlikely that Egypt’s current regime, headed by coup leader turned president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi since the summer of 2013, would take them into account. Not only has the regime become more confident to rule as it sees fit in recent times, it also owns the building and the land since all NDP’s properties and assets reverted to the state after the party was dissolved by court order in April 2011. Although officials have briefly mentioned a plan for a revolution-memorial-cum-botanical-garden, the government has in recent months been speeding up procedures to officially delist the building, among others by coercing the responsible organisation. In the spring of 2015 it was announced that the building will be demolished by the army’s engineering authority and probably be replaced by a public park.

Fig. 32 Opening Soon’, cynical graffiti text on the outside wall of the NDP-building. Source : PHOTO/GRAFFITI BY ZEFT

Fig. 33 ‘Investment is the key to what is good for Egypt’. Banner on the NDP-building announcing the ‘Egypt The Future’ conference.

Fig. 33 ‘Free Zone: Tahrir Square’, graffiti with a crude rendering of the NDP-building on the right. Source :AMR ABUTAWILA

In the last days of May 2015, workers suddenly arrived on the site to begin with a demolition process that will take at least three months. In the end, the NDP-building has not so much become the victim of a structural deficit or the Egyptian people’s lack of interest in modernist architecture, but rather of the successful attempts of the new regime to assert its authoritarian position and to erase all remnants of the revolution. All demonstrations are forbidden, the Muslim Brotherhood has been wiped out and revolutionaries are sentenced to years in prison or even death. A counter revolution is being implemented, which is masked by both a strong propaganda machine as well as, interestingly, all kinds of large engineering projects and spatial interventions. In March 2015, the NDP-building was temporarily covered with a life size banner announcing Egypt The Future, an economic development conference where plans for a new capital city where presented. Since, it has also announced a new civil airport, the accelerated construction of the second Suez Canal and the re-opening of the Tahrir metro station, which has been closed for the last few years for ‘security reasons’. Although the banner and its delusional message of ‘progress’ did not survive a mid-spring sandstorm, the current regime seems unstoppable and the demolition of the NDP-building is yet another political, spatial and visual milestone in their struggle for power.

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1.5 Contemporary Art Spaces / festivals in Downtown Cairo Contemporary Art Spaces Downtown Cairo has always been a center for the arts and entertainment, with a high concentration of theatres and cinemas that were very popular with high society in the first half of the last century, and numerous cafés and bars were – and still are – meeting points for intellectuals and writers, such as renowned writers Taha Hussein and Naguib Mahfouz as well as poet Salah Jahin1 and more current ones such as the late Ahmed Foad Negm, the famous poet. Jacquemond & Tresilian (2008) and Mehrez (2010, 2011)2 examine downtown Cairo through its rich literary history and its depiction in popular literary works. On the other hand, the visual arts were/are also heavily represented in downtown spaces. Over the past fifteen years there has been an emergence of art spaces and galleries, such as Townhouse Gallery and Contemporary Image Collective (CIC), Mashrabia Gallery and many others, however there are art galleries that predate this new wave of art spaces, such as L’Atelier Art Gallery and Karim Francis. Up until 2000 the visual arts were confined to private galleries, but this changed in December of that year with al-Nitaq Contemporary Arts Festival organized by Townhouse Gallery, Mashrabia and Karim Francis galleries 3. Al-Nitaq attempted to expand beyond art’s “elitist private gallery audience to the streets of downtown Cairo, the lobbies of its buildings, its narrow lanes, cafes, restaurants, apartments and shop windows, to further increase the accessibility of contemporary art and reach a wider public” 4. This was the first time in recent

history that uncensored arts were performed to the public directly in the streets, in abandoned buildings and narrow alleyways scattered over a 1-kilometer radius downtown Cairo. Al-Nitaq’s second edition in 2001 was the first time Hotel Viennoise was used for an art exhibition, and Townhouse managed the building as an exhibition space afterwards from 2001-2008 until Ismaelia purchased the building5. Al-Nitaq’s 2001 festival was significant as it also attracted those attending the state’s Briennale at the Opera grounds happening at the same time (W. Wells, personal communication, February 25, 2015). Unfortunately al-Nitaq was discontinued after the second year due to collaboration issues between the founders, but in 2008 a one-time festival “The Long Short Cut”, a collaboration between several arts spaces, galleries and cultural centers showcasing different forms of visual arts, installations, films, took place in downtown4. Despite its short life, one can say that Al-Nitaq triggered the imagination of many within the art community to experiment with more interactive and “pop-up” art expressions in downtown (W. Wells, personal communication, February 25, 2015). D-CAF, the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival, started as an annual festival in 2011 inspired by al-Nitaq and is now on its fourth edition. The festival’s main sponsor is Ismaelia and it is designed and executed by El Attar, with a vision to bring contemporary art into everyday urban spaces in downtown and to a diversity of people through its street performances in the Urban Visions program. It succeeded over the last four years to become one of the anticipated art festivals in Cairo for those already

Art Cinema The independent film culture has been gaining popularity over the past ten years in Egypt, gradually attracting more people than the few who would seek out such screenings in for-

eign-funded cultural centers and embassies’ cultural attaches. Misr International Films (MIF) Production Company established an independent European film festival in 2004, which became a highly anticipated yearly event for foreign film enthusiasts, and inspired the creation of Zawya, an art-house cinema to screen independent films all-year-round. Zawya decided to have its theatre in downtown for several reasons: first downtown already had numerous cinemas that were either partially utilized or not used at all which created the opportunity to approach these cinemas with a different operational model to rent one of their screens. Second, was accessibility – it would have been easier to have a screen at one of MIF’s theatre complexes such as American Plaza, about 30 km west of downtown in 6th of October City but it was very important to the founders to be hosted in a centrally located movie theatre as they wanted to be accessible and visible to the general public, not part of an institution that many view as inaccessible such as the Opera grounds or the AUC Tahrir Campus. Zawya reached an agreement with Odeon Cinemas and started operating in March 2014. Originally they forecasted that they would attract mostly a niche cinephile clientele who already frequent downtown. But throughout the last year, they realized that their customers are more diverse than expected; it included university students, senior citizens (particularly in the matinee shows) and sometimes people intending to go to Odeon and decide to watch a film at Zawya when intrigued by the film poster. Although they are yet to conduct surveys to get more accurate information on the diversity of customers, from observation one can see that some screenings attract a wider audience than the typical art enthusiasts. Despite just finishing its first year of operating, Zawya has become one of the most frequented spaces in downtown compared to other art and cultural entities, which is in part related to the familiarity of the cinema medi-

1 Waly, S. (2013). Maqahi al-Qahira - Muntadayat Igtima`iyya wa Fikriyya wa Siyasiyya. Wali Center Journal, (7), 39-44. doi:22/10/2013 2 Jacquemond, R., & Tresilian, D. (2008). Conscience of the nation: Writers, state, and society in modern egypt. Cairo, Egypt; New York, NY: American University in Cairo Press. 3 Azimi, N. (2004). Townhouse gallery. art scene egypt. Retrieved from http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2004/townhouse_gallery 4 Francis, K. (2013). Al-nitaq. Retrieved from http://www.karimfrancis.com/exhibition/events 5 Cairobserver is an online blog founded in 2011 by Mohamed El-Shahed that discusses urban issues, architecture and history. www.cairobserver.com 6 Abaza, M. (2011). Critical commentary. Cairo’s downtown imagined: Dubaisation or nostalgia? Urban Studies

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interested in the arts, however D-CAF received criticisms on their limited socioeconomic and cultural inclusion efforts, resulting in “the ‘usual’ D-CAF attendees: artists, downtown regulars, D-CAF staff and friends, embassy and cultural centre personnel, and foreigners… the audience, the performance and the venues seemed to be out of sync”. This was evident in the fact that even according to those in the downtown arts and culture scene, the majority of downtown users were not particularly aware that an extensive three-week open arts festival was happening. The festivals’ posters overflow the passages and side streets of downtown, however they are not designed to attract the average Egyptian, but rather the art aficionados. Citizen engagement and outreach was further hindered by D-CAF not being able to secure permission from the state to perform in the Borsa pedestrian area, as they have over the past two years. According to El Attar, this was due to a recent change in the regulations and procedures for obtaining the permission which was not known to organizers, leaving them with little time to reapply in time for the scheduled performance. This resulted in the Urban Visions program to take place inside the GrEEK Campus’ open area, which to average downtown users is still considered an inaccessible space5. The disconnect with the general audience during street performances in previous years was also a criticism of previous years’ events, whether through the content or type of performance, or the level of interaction with them6. William Wells, the founder of Townhouse, sees it closer to a “pop-up” festival with the city and the people as a “backdrop” than an interactive festival with its surrounding.

um to a wider audience (compared to contemporary arts) and in other parts to their clever and diverse selection of films and short film screening durations with each film showing for only one week, some special screenings are even shown for just one night. Restaurants and Bars Downtown arts and intellectual culture extends outside the galleries and exhibitions to the numerous nostalgic bars, cafes and restaurants in the area. Restaurants such as Estoril, Grillon and the Greek Club, cafes such as the famous Café Riche, and bars such as El-Horreya, were and continue to be the places where the arts enthusiasts meet for leisure in downtown for decades, and some even exhibited in these establishments (W. Wells, personal communication, February 25, 2015). And over the past ten years, new congregation centers such as the (often unlicensed) street cafes on the pedestrianized Borsa (stock market) street, and the nightlife scene buzzed with regular underground live music performances in bars such as After Eight. More recently Kafein Café and Eish & Malh (bread and salt) restaurant and nightclubs such as VENT have attracted young, high-mid income clientele who want to frequent downtown and enjoy its decrepit charm but are not as entrenched in the downtown arts scene per se or interested in the older establishments listed earlier. Collaborations between Arts and Cultural Entities Most of the arts and cultural spaces in downtown have a niche within which they operate, which creates opportunities for cooperation between them if a project’s scale and nature falls outside the expertise of one entity – with festivals being the prime example. Al-Nitaq festival was the first large-scale cooperation between different art spaces in downtown,

and now D-CAF with its diverse programming in visual and performing arts benefiting from spaces such as Zawya for its film screenings, and Townhouse’s Rawabet Theatre for some of its performances. On a smaller scale, entities from outside of downtown utilize the spaces and facilities of these entities for access to their faithful followers, such as the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) film screenings at Zawya. However, collaborations that are not properly managed often lead to the disbandment of very promising initiatives, such as al-Nitaq, which ceased after 2 years due to internal issues between the managing art spaces.

1|Context Analysis Fig. 34: Main alternative arts-cultural spaces in downtown Cairo (CAPMAS, 2006)

The architecture of Egyptian museum

2.1 historical overview For more than one hundred years, the Egyptian Museum has been a landmark in the centre of downtown Cairo renowned for housing the world’s largest collection of Pharaonic art. The Egyptian Museum was built at a time when museums were established in urban centres to foster greater sensitivity to national identity. The notable density of artefacts in this oneof-a-kind museum attests to the staggering cultural heritage of Egypt’s first civilization, continuously attracting visitors from all over the world. Equally significant is the museum’s 19th century Beaux-Arts architecture, which provides a dignified setting for an exceptional collection. The 1798 French expedition to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte was the first to bring to general attention the value of Egypt’s ancient heritage, catching the interest of Khedive Mohamed Ali, who issued the first decree in 1835 regulating the excavation of archaeological sites. His decree also prohibited artefacts from being sold and exported out of Egypt without permission. In 1848, the Khedive established the first antiquities storage warehouse, situated in the Cairo district of Azbakia. This storage space soon became congested with antiquities and was broken into by robbers several times. In 1851, under the reign of Abbas I, the antiquities were transferred from the Azbakia warehouse to one of the halls within the Citadel of Saladin. Regrettably, however, in 1854, Khedive Abbas gave all of these Pharaonic artefacts to the Prince of Austria, who had shown great interest in them during his visit. The Prince returned to Austria with this incredible treasure. In 1858, Khedive Said appointed the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette as Director

of the newly established Antiquities Service, acknowledging his care for Egypt’s cultural heritage, and his systematic supervision of many archaeological excavations across the country. The same year, Mariette was awarded a modest house in Boulaq, located close to the present-day Television Building and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This house had originally accommodated the River Navigation Company of Boulaq, one of Cairo’s ports, and became the nucleus of the first museum of Egyptian antiquities. This is where Mariette transferred the antiquities discovered during his excavations. In 1863, Khedive Ismail approved the construction of a museum of Egyptian antiquities in the city centre, but the project was postponed due to financial constraints and Mariette was merely granted more space in front of the house in Boulaq to expand his museum. During the same year, the Boulaq Museum was officially inaugurated and opened

Fig. 35: Auguste Mariette

In 1890, as the overall size of the collections at the Boulaq Museum increased, they were transferred to the Ismail Pasha Palace in Giza, which was located at the present-day Giza Zoo. Upon his appointment as Director of the Museum and Department of Antiquities, the scholar Jacques de Morgan reorganized these collections in the new museum, which was then known as the Giza Museum. Victor Loret temporarily assumed responsibility between 1897 and 1899, before the return of Maspero from 1897 to 1914. The palace contained many rooms, but their relatively small size and the intricate and rather complex design of the building made the display of the artefacts and the management of the museum awkward, if not difficult. The palace was simply not adapted to function as a museum, especially one where monumental sculptures could be exhibited. After several calamities in the Boulaq and Giza Museums resulting in huge damages and even losses of invaluable artefacts, the construction of a new Egyptian Museum building became urgent. Display space had to be enlarged to accommodate the constantly increasing number of antiquities varying from small, medium to massive sizes that were discovered almost daily by archaeological missions across Egypt. Object conservation and security issues, a constant problem in the Boulaq and Giza Museums, had to be solved. The lack of space for adequate storage, laboratories, a library and administrative offices imposed huge restrictions on establishing a well functioning

institution. Proper ventilation and lighting could not be provided in buildings that had not been designed as museums and also made the movement of the artefacts to a new home unavoidable. In March 1893, the supervisors of the Public Works Council met to discuss the issue of whether to establish a new museum of antiquities, or simply to keep the collections in the Giza Palace after undertaking some renovations to the building. It was Jacques de Morgan, at that time Director of the Antiquities Service, who urged for the construction of a new museum of antiquities. The approval came from the Board of Supervisors, headed by the Khedive and his entourage, on the 6th of May, 1894. After that meeting, the location 8 on which the new museum would be built was identified. An announcement for a competition for the best architectural design was made, granting a prize award of one thousand Egyptian pounds. It was the first time that a competition of this kind was held on this side of the Mediterranean Sea, and it received much commentary, as evidenced by the many press articles that were written on the competition and its outcome. The main source of information on the competition was the London newspaper The Times: its Cairo correspondents gave special attention to all phases of the competition from the outset. The jury of the competition envisaged a functional building that would meet modern standards for the professional preservation and appealing display of its contents, provide favourable work conditions for the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff and accommodate laboratories and a research area. Detailed specifications were provided by the Egyptian authorities as guidelines for the competition. With respect to the architectural style, however, the designers were free to choose whatever they considered would match well with the antiquities.

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to the public. In 1878, an unusually high Nile flood caused much damage in Boulaq; many artefacts were destroyed, as well as some of Marietteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s books, drawings and excavation documents. The Boulaq Museum was closed for renovation and repair until 1881, after which it was reopened. Mariette passed away that same year and was succeeded by Gaston Maspero as Director of the Boulaq Museum and Department of Antiquities.

Between 80 and 116 design proposals were submitted, only 73 of which were presented to the public. Several applicants submitted designs influenced by Ancient Egypt, featuring a temple or pyramid shape. Many proposals did not adhere to the competition guidelines or exceeded the available budget. In 1895, the winning prize went to the French architect Marcel Dourgnon for his Beaux Arts, neoclassical design. The Egyptian Museum, in Arabic “El Antikkhana”, was established in the newly designed Cairo Ismailiya quarter (or just Ismailiya for short), Cairo’s European district, named after Khedive Ismail, who launched an ambitious urban development plan for the modernization of Cairo between the 1860s and 1870s. According to an official document written by Nubar Pasha, Egypt’s Prime Minister at the time of the competition for the new Egyptian Museum, the land for the Egyptian Museum was located between the Nile and the British military barracks of Kasr El Nil. The document refers to a plot situated behind the military’s The Tahrır Museum The construction of a large museum to house the vast quantity of ancient artefacts resulting from the growing number of archaeological finds became crucial. The Ministry of Public Works consequently commissioned the French architect Marcel Dourgnon to design the museum, for which he won an award when it was erected in Tahrır Square in the center of Cairo, under the supervision of Dourgnon’s successor, the French scholar Gaston Maspero, whose various discoveries and key works enhanced the field of Egyptology. He was the first to keep a record of antiquities, doing so in a series of enormous registers. The ground floor of the Egyptian Museum has an exhibition area of 5,400m2 dedicated to the chronological display of Egyptian antiquities. The first floor is set aside for the display of ancient objects of Egyptian civilization, arranged by topic, and also holds

complete archaeological collections, all in an area covering 3,500m2. The second floor is devoted to collections of sarcophagi from different eras and is reserved for scholars, although a plan is under way to open it to the general public. The museum also houses a library containing everything hitherto published on Egyptian antiquities since the nineteenth century. The foundation stone of the museum was laid in April 1897 by the Khedive ‘Abbas Hilmı II’, and the Museum was officially opened on 17 November 1902. The challenge of the Egyptian Museum competition held in 1895 Over 80 architects mainly from Europe participated in the competition. More than half presented Ancient Egyptian character in their proposals, nevertheless, the jury, composed of Egyptians, English, French, Germans, Italians, and Russian, believed that non of them should win the first prize. The curator of the museum at the time, Gaston Maspero, explained that the character on the facades was enormously enhanced in terms of scale and solid mass. This in turn had its toll on galleries that became functionally and environmentally unacceptable as museum spaces. These failing entries must have considered the associated mood to this museum as “grandness” and “power” since the artifacts exhibited originated in a great civilization. By copying the proportions of Egyptian temples their proposals ironically became out of proportions and hence precluded their use as viable museums. The winning project was proposed by the French Marcel Dourgnon, a Beaux-Arts graduate who had a different understanding of character. After trimming down his proposal’s footprint and simplifying its facades to fit in the designated budget, the architect fulfilled the keyword “grandness” by creating a nave that cut longitudinally through the museum and took the full height of its volume. Upon stepping inside and walking down the nave visitors are greeted by flanking colonnades of double height until they reach the colossal

2|Egyptian Museum Architecture Fig. 36: Unbuilt proposal by Ferdinand Martin submitted to the 1895 competition for the new Egyptian Museum.

statue, 7 meters high, of Amenhotep III and his wife Tiy. The Pharaoh’s reign was considered the Golden Age of all Ancient Egypt stretching from Nubia to northern Syria. He was coined “the magnificent” who established prosperous diplomatic ties with most of the Mediterranean and Aegean worlds as well as Babylon, Assyria, Mittani and Hittites. His wife Tiy, known as the “Great Royal Bride”, played an important political role beside her Pharaoh to the extent that she was the first Egyptian queen to be consecrated in a temple. The distinguished biography of the twin statues inside the museum made them the favorable icon of Ancient Egypt. The royal couple were located towards the end of the central nave and coincided, along the same axis, with the main entrance portico. The portico, punctuated by a semi-circular arched portal, was derived from Roman architecture that signified “power” as a legitimate mood for a prosperous empire. To accentuate the walking experience to the royal couple while capturing a stronger essence of “power” the nave was covered by a double skin clear glass roof to lighten up the space more than any other corridor in the museum. The two most distinct components of the

Fig. 37: Marcel Dourgnon 1908.

museum, the portal and the statue, were sitting along the same axis and were echoing each other’s “power” so much so that the building was in continuous positive vibe with the local community. The final “effect” is as strong as that of a processional spine of an Egyptian temple that ends with a sanctuary. In the case of the museum the sanctuary was in the form of a special room located at the farthest end of the central nave. Similar to a temple’s sanctuary, the room is very important for it contains the most valuable artifacts of the museum one of which is the Accadian Tablet, 13cm x 8cm. Upon discovery at the end of the 19th century it pointed scholars to the finding of a major archeological site in the Ancient world, namely the city of Akhetaten, locally known as Tell alAmarna. Another valuable artifact is statue of the most controversial pharaoh in the history of Egypt and the most popular among modern

Egyptians: Akhenaten, son of Amenhotep III. He earned his position in the room for he was labelled “philosopher-king” who revolutionized the religious beliefs of Egypt to be monotheistic solar religion. This unprecedented move followed the dramatic shut down of temples and the erasure of all names of gods, except for Aten, from all monuments across Egypt. The same room upstairs is equally valuable for it contains the world famous solid gold funerary mask of Tutankhamen along with his solid gold sarcophagus and jewelry belongings. The room at the ground level is behind Amenhotep III and Tiy, visitors only discover its presence after passing by the twin statues. That way, the arrangement adds an air of “intrigue” beside “greatness” and “power” to the processional spine of the museum. Outside the museum, the facade further accentuates “power” by the flanking semi-circular arcades that add more solid mass to the facade than void .

Fig. 38: Minutes of the laying of the foundation stone of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, April 1, 1897.

2|Egyptian Museum Architecture Fig. 39: The very first publications for the Museum opening

Fig. 40: Cairo Museum 1904

1 https://www.ashmolean.org/ 2 www.en.museicapitolini.org/ The creation of the Capitoline Museums has been traced back to 1471, . 3 https://www.britishmuseum.org/ 4 S. Mahmoud, The Development Of Archaeological and Historical Museums in Egypt 5 The Revival of the Egyptian Museum. The Egyptian Museum, an Official Document, (Cairo, 2013), .

With this design Dourgnon succeeded, where no other architect could, evoking the right moods in the museum space, synchronized with its exhibits, without necessarily applying the formal language of Ancient Egyptian architecture. The glass roof of the nave no longer admits bright atmosphere inside the central promenade but is currently lit by insufficient artificial lighting, thus reducing the effect of “grandness”. The twin statues are barely visible from the entrance portal, as a consequence. The arcades of the facades have been blocked by glass and converted into mainly service rooms thus

reducing the solid mass and diminishing the effect of “power”. The museum today is no longer communicating the intended messages to the public, reducing its role to a large warehouse displaying some valuable artifacts. The need for “grandness” and “power” is essential to Egyptians for the museum could offer historic reference that can inspire and motivate a nation pride towards a better future. Yet in order for the museum to revive its luster in the psyche of Egyptians additional moods must be instilled besides polishing the existing ones.

Fig. 40: Interior view for the main gallery 1904 (Source: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/23134.aspx)

2|Egyptian Museum Architecture Fig. 41: nterior view for the main gallery 2018 (Source: Author)

2.2 Architectural description The museum was deliberately constructed in classical Roman style, its facades boasting magnificent curves and harmonious columns and cornices. In addition, they are decorated with statues, relief inscriptions, ornamentations and motifs intended to demonstrate the grandeur and power of the building and its importance to history, culture and civilization. Visitors climb up to the entrance in the center of the facade of the museum, via a number of steps after walking through the garden of the museum. In the middle of the garden lies a beautiful pool, in and around which are papyrus and lotus plants. The garden also contains groups of important monuments made of solid stone. The ground plan of the Egyptian Museum is T-shaped and the facade is approximately 115 meters long and 22 meters high. There

are identical openings on both sides of the entrance, as well as two other entrances on the far right and left, one for staff and the other leading to the library. Lying on either side of the main entrance are a reception room for important visitors, a public relations room and various stands selling models, gifts and academic books. The visitor then arrives at the distribution and guidance room, which is covered by a semi-spherical dome containing apertures to let in natural light which supplement the artificial lighting. This dome is supported by four pillars which extend to the highest part of the museum, thus making a vertical connection between the ground and first floors. Reaching the full height of the museum, the midsection of the ground floor is approximately 45 x 16m2 and sits low on a number of steps leading up from

Fig. 42: Exterior view for the museum main facade, 2018 (Source: Author)

and upper floors. The museum also has three large and secured side doors through which large heavy objects can be brought in and out. These doors remain closed and are only opened when necessary. Plans are afoot to build an extension on the western side of the museum in order to accommodate restoration workshops, information and service centers, a cafeteria and gift shops, as well as an education section and administrative offices. The Egyptian Museum is divided into seven sections: Relics of Tutankhamun; Antiquities from the Predynastic period, the Early Dynastic period and the Old Kingdom; Antiquities from the first intermediate period and Middle Kingdom; Antiquities from the New Kingdom; Antiquities from the Late and Graeco-Roman periods; Ancient coins and papyri; Sarcophagi and scarabs. Generally speaking, the antiquities in the museum are displayed in the chronological order of ancient Egyptian history. Any one section, however, may contain various collections of artefacts arranged by type rather than period. Such artefacts are displayed in glass cabinets labelled with descriptions of each object and details of its period, origin and the material used in its manufacture. Not displayed in glass cabinets are some of the large heavy objects, which are also labelled with explanations. In addition is the Centenary Room, which was fashioned out of part of the museum basement in order to stage a stunning exhibition entitled ‘Hidden Treasures’, commemorating, in 2002, the centenary anniversary of the construction of the Egyptian Museum. As the museum is now crammed with antiquities which need adequate space to allow for the display of each piece, it has become necessary to think of building a new museum in Giza, close to the hill of the Pyramids. This museum which is to be called the Grand Museum, is intended to alleviate the crowding in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. An exhibition plan for this Grand Museum has been elaborated, including several main topics,

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the floor. The display in this section has been made to resemble ancient Egyptian temples, and consists of huge portals and statues, such as those of Amenhotep III and his wife Tiy. This part of the museum has a gabled ceiling covered by glass panels, which let in some of the soft light needed to create the awe-inspiring atmosphere of Egypt’s ancient temples. This is the center of the museum, with galleries and rooms on all sides; beginning to the left of the entrance, continuing round until again reaching the entrance in a historical sequence that starts with the pre and early dynastic periods and continues on to the Old, Middle and Modern Kingdoms, and finally the late period. On the ground floor, the height of some of the galleries and rooms ranges between 7 and 8 meters. It reaches 15 meters in various other rooms and a maximum of 22 meters in the main hall mentioned above, which contains objects of immense size. The museum has 107 rooms in all. Unlike the ground floor with its massive statues, the first floor houses statuettes, a collection of relics from Tutankhamun, jewelry and the Mummy Room. Another new room is currently being prepared to accommodate the remaining royal mummies. Most of the upper floor rooms overlook those below to afford visitors a detailed view of the upper parts of the huge statues, thus dynamizing the display. Below the ground floor, the basement consists of a number of intersecting vaults supported by pillars and bearer walls designed to lessen the heavy load created by the huge objects above. The basement is the main storage room of the museum for major antiquities uncovered during archaeological digs, and contains tens of thousands of artefacts from various archaeological periods and areas. In constructing the museum, attention was paid to ensuring ease of movement and smooth access between the various sections. Stairways were built in the four corners in order to facilitate access between the ground

first of all the land, geography and fundamental characteristics of Egypt, such as the Nile, water resources and the desert. The second topic covers kingship and state through the ruling dynasties, the various classes and wars, as well as architecture and construction. The third topic is society and work and will include administration, arts, crafts, homes and daily life, as well as sports, games and music. The fourth topic is focused on religion and its various elements in terms of funerary rites and worship, the sanctification of animals, places of worship, priests and various objects of worship. The fifth subject is knowledge and scribes in ancient Egypt. A key part of this museum will be dedicated to exhibiting a collection of the relics of King Tutankhamen, all of which are in the Egyptian Museum.

The sections of the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

Fig. 43: The Amarna Room in the Egyptian Museum Cairo

Fig. 44: The collection of the relics of King Tutankhamun

(Source: Hans Ollermann.)

(Source: http://www.nileinternational.net.)

The Narmer Plate

The name of King Menes is inscribed on the two sides of the plate. King Menes is portrayed on one side of the plate wearing his long white crown and seems to be about to beat a war prisoner with his bare hands

Among the most important displays that the guests of the Egyptian Museum should view during their visit is the Narmer Plate, also known as the Plate of the King Menes. The Narmer Plate is a large plate made of stone and it is the only remaining evidence that King Narmer or Menes was able to unify the two regions of Egypt, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt in one unified kingdom, beginning the dynastic era of the Egyptian history. That is quite an amazing feat.

The Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities consists of two floors; the ground floor that hosts the bigger displays such as coffins, huge statues, and stone carvings. The displays of the ground floor were organized according to the historical periods which are the Old Kingdom, the Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom, the Late Period, the Greco Roman Period, and the antiquities of the Nubia. The upper floor of the Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities hosts the smaller displays that include gadgets and tools, funerary objects, smaller statues, papyrus papers, wooden coffins, jewelry, and most importantly, the

On the other side of the Narmer Plate, the king is portrayed wearing two crowns and walking with his followers to supervise the process of prosecuting the war prisoner.

2|Egyptian Museum Architecture Fig. 45: The Narmar Plate front

Fig. 46: The Narmar Plate back

The Displays of the Old Kingdom

are King Menes or Narmer, King Zoser, King Senefru, King Chespos, and King Khafre.

The displays of the Old Kingdom in the Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities are located on the lefthand side of the entrance door and they are among the most remarkable among the whole displays of the museum. The Old Kingdom, known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pyramids Builders Periodâ&#x20AC;?, is a section in the ancient Egyptian history area. The most important achievements of this period are the Pyramids of Giza, the Step Pyramid of Saqqara, the Pyramids of Dahshur, and the Pyramids of Abu Sir. The first capital of a unified Egypt was founded by King Menes in the 32nd century BC and it was called Memphis, presently located to the South of Giza. The most important Egyptian kings that ruled over the country from Memphis

There is a wonderful statue of King Khafre made out of alabaster and it is put on display in the second half of the ground floor of the museum. There are also four heads of some of the relatives of the king made out of limestone. Moving forward in the Museum Of Egyptian Antiquities, guests will find a collection of attractive smaller statues of servants carrying out their everyday duties and responsibilities. There is a statue of a woman grinding the grains and beside her, there is a statue of a man getting the dough ready to produce beer. On the other side there is a man grilling a goose and beside him, there is another man holding a large bag on his shoulder.

Fig. 47: The official architectural drawings of the Egyptian Museum (Source: http://archimaps.tumblr.com/post/172641338217/ elevation-and-floor-plans-of-the-egyptian-museum)

2|Egyptian Museum Architecture Fig48. : Dourgnon, New museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, longitudinal section on the grand gallery of honor (Source: Paris (France), BnF, dĂŠpartement des Estampes et de la photographie.)

Fig.49 : Dourgnon, New museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, section on the great central gallery (Source: Paris (France), BnF, dĂŠpartement des Estampes et de la photographie.)

Vision to design a museum in historical context

3.1 Introduction Some movements within modern architecture particularly emphasize the importance of matching buildings to their surroundings. However, practicing such ‘‘contextual architecture” is highly challenging and typically not something the future inhabitants of a building are well equipped for participating in. This chapter attempts to be a new vision to design an important building in such sensitive places, for example, designing a museum in a historical context. It sheds light on the concepts and definition of museums and contextualism, and answers the main question proposed in this paper: ‘‘How can we design a huge and important building such as a museum in historical context while respecting its importance and at the same time avoiding the deterioration of this historical place?” And based on answering the sub following questions too: What is the museum concept? What are the activities and functions of this prototype? What is the museum form and morphology? What are the types of contextual design? What are the strategies of contextual design? This chapter ends with electing some criteria that will be used as basis for the practical part. And thus it can be concluded the ideal strategy for designing a museum in historical context. Discussion of the findings is expected to enrich the talk in that domain. The problematic of designing a building among a group of historical buildings is a complex architectural design process. And this issue is getting complicated while designing a building with special specifications, huge size, and having a great importance for the community and country such as a museum within a historical context that must be respected and preserved.

The paradox in this case can be formulated in the following question, ‘How can we design a huge and important building such as a museum in historical context while respecting its importance and at the same time avoiding the deterioration of this historical place?” The complexity of the problem lies in designing the museum within this sensitive historical location, as it can result in suppressing the character of the context and negatively affecting the visual angles of the existing historical buildings, internally and externally. The act of constructing a new building to contain history provokes a range of architectural and historiography implications that are different in number and kind from those of art museums, or of history museums which occupy historic, or even simply extant, buildings. Recasting architecture as a deliberate and self-reflexive frame around the presentation of history means abandoning the fiction of the ‘white box’, the idea of architecture as a neutral ground, and represents the incursion of architecture into the realm of historiography1. Contextual architecture, also called ‘‘Contextualism”, the term suggests an architecture that responds to its surroundings by respecting what is already there, unlike Constructivism or Deconstructivism that deliberately work against established geometries and fabric2. It is accepted that the effect of context on architectural object and hence its role on design, has emerged with the postmodern trend. Contextualism, as it is well known, came from the desire to resolve the problems regarding harmony with the historical environment and the placement of new buildings within historical surroundings that were apparent throughout the postmodern period. Therefore it became significant in the relations between the architectural object within the urban fabric and its proximal surroundings 3.

3.2 Theoretical foundation: According to Mark Lilla (1985) the museum is an ‘‘empowering”institution, meant to incorporate all who would become part of our shared cultural experience. Any citizen can walk into a museum and appreciate the highest achievement of his culture. If he spends enough time, he may be transformed. This is precisely what the museum founders had in mind when they brought great collections to their own cities. For e ample, in Fig. 1, the British Museum is a museum in Lo don dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present 4. The museum is a cultural project in which, as John Urry said, ‘‘Spaces, histories and social activities are being materially and symbolically remade.” The museum is a building housing cultural material to

which the public had access. This public building addresses certain missions which gave birth for the several typologies. During the 20th century a number of social forces influenced the development of museums, especially of the national and regional museums. The years immediately following World War II were a period of remarkable achievement for museums. This was reflected both in international and national policy and in the individual museums as they responded to a rapidly changing, better educated society. Similarly over the previous decades, the museum concept had been elaborating toward new meanings as functionalities. The mentioned changes are due to several reasons. Among these reasons is the new view taken that the public museum is understood not just as a place of instruction, but as a reformatory of manners in which a wide range of regulated social routines and performances take place5.

1 N. Stead, The Ruins of History: Allegories of Destruction in Daniel Libeskind’s Jewish Museum Extension to the Berlin Museum, Open Museums Journal special edition: Unsavory Histories, ed. Anne Brake and Andrea Witcomb, 2000.2 www.en.museicapitolini.org/ The creation of the Capitoline Museums has been traced back to 1471, .

2 James Stevens Curl. A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, 2000. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-contextualarchitecture.html 3 G. Cizgen, Rethinking The Role of Context and Contextualism in Architecture and Design. Unpublished Master Research, Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Eastern Mediterranean University, Gazimag˘ usa, North Cyprus, 2012. 4 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. British Museum, 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Museum> 5 D. Lewis Geoffrey, Director of Museum Studies, University of Leicester, England, 1

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

Fig.50 : The British Museum in London is dedicated to human history and culture.

3.2.1 Museum definition Museums started as the ‘‘past guardians” of ancient objects or treasures and are now generally known to be the locations or buildings where art and science artefacts are preserved. Museums could be described as the organizations with the mission of investigating the production of humanity along the ages from the viewpoint of science and art to enlighten them about the history in addition to being spaces that present and conserve the treasures of science and art 1.

ment of the institutional structure and the 19th century created the mission of training citizens for museums. By the early 19th century, the granting of public access to formerly private collections had become more common. What followed for approximately the next 100 years was the founding, by regional and national authorities throughout the world, of museums expressly intended for the public good. As a result, museums stopped being the indicators of wealth for rulers and the bourgeois in the history and started to gain importance as educational institutions. Hence, modern muse-

Fig.51 : Acropolis of Athens and The colonnaded stoa at Vavrona

The International Council of Museums in their meeting in 1955 defined museums as ‘‘permanent organizations in the service of society and its development, open to public, which acquire conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education study and enjoyment”. For example, in Fig. 51, the open museums ‘‘The Acropolis of Athens and The colonnaded stoa at Vavrona” are examples for the locations where art and science artefacts are preserved 2.

3.2.2 Museum as a building type Before the end of the 18th century the phenomenon of the museum had spread to other parts of the world. European colonial influence was responsible for the appearance of museums elsewhere. The function of the object base information usage started to be dominant in the 18th century along with the establish-

ums are setting in which research toward the preservation of cultural heritage is undertaken on the one hand and training, publications, knowledge-based-documents centres, performance, meetings, discussions and workshops are provided on the other. With the growth of co collections and knowledge, museums have become increasingly specialized, growing from general art and science institutions to specialties such as science concept museums, children‘s museums, and commercially sponsored museum/showrooms. In addition to this a desire to preserve the local history has led to the establishment of small museums such as formerly railroad stations. National Museums and Monuments Commission assist in developing cultural identity and promoting national unity3. Through advancing new technology, perspective of museum institution and museum profession is changed. Museums in modern museology tend to take into consideration in their activities the different segments

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

of society. The activities include new functions such as the permanent exhibitions, the temporary exhibitions, guided tours, Media-film demonstrations, discussions, seminars and atelier training. New technologies have pushed traditional museums to take their exhibitions beyond the barrier of a museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s walls and enhance their functions: education and entertainment. Covering the various typologies in addition to the traditional typologies major new concepts had emerged with respect to museum functions4. Although the form of museum buildings was often focused on safeguarding collections, it evolved as new functions in museum work which were developed. So it was that after seeking solutions for better lighting of the exhibits, for distributing the collections better throughout the museum building, and for structuring the exhibition space better, at the beginning of the 20th century museum people realized that the permanent exhibitions must be reduced. To this end they created storage areas, either by sacrificing exhibition rooms or by creating space in the basement, or by building new structures. In addition, every effort was made to make the setting for the exhibits as neutral as possible even if this meant sacrificing all or part of the existing historical decor.

1 B. Gunay, Museum Concept from Past to Present and Importance of Museums as Centers of Education, International Conference on New Horizon in Education,

Elsevier Ltd., Turkey, 2012. 2 Tripline. Ancient Greece, 2014. <http://www.tripline.net/trip/Ancient_Greece> 3 P. Alexander, Museums In Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums, Altamira Press, United Kingdom, 2008 4 P. Greenaway, The European Future Technologies Conference and Exhibition 2011, Elsevier B.V, Milano, 2011.

3.2.3 Museum form and morphology The evolution and modifications that occurred with respect to the museums had not been restricted to the museum functions. The implications of the industrial and technological revolution had effected the construction, structural and architectural features of the museum building itself: Classical pediments, Roman pilasters, and Vaults and Cupolas inspired by 16th century architecture were prevalent. Thus it was not only the works within the museum but the structure itself exhibited and conserved the past. There are many examples of the 19th-century museum that had recalled the architectural expressions of the past. For instance, in Fig. 52, the Munich the Glyptothek was designed by Leo von Klenze as a classical temple to accommodate the intellectual framework of the Greeks in addition to its marble statuary.

Also in Berlin, Karl Friedrich Schinkel’s Altes Museum, isolated in its u ban setting and distinguished by an arcade and an unbroken series of galleries, expresses the cultural status of the city. It was not until 1959, however, that a new vision for the museum and its use of space appeared. This is the year that Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Guggenheim Museum in New York City was completed as shown in Fig. 53. Based on the principle of an ascending helix, as if aspiring for verticality and growth, the building breaks with conventional geometry. Wright produced a small building in the city‘s urban fabric, yet one that explodes on the inside. The spiral ramp of Wright‘s Guggenheim presents art history as an ineluctable progression: A typical bit of control-freaky allowing the visitor less self direction than the museum-as-palace suites of the 19th century. With the Guggenheim, Wright formulated a

Fig.52 : Glyptothek museum, Munich, Leo Von Klenze & Altes Museum, Berlin, Karl Friedrich Schinkel.

different approach to museum design, one in which the spatial setting has an effect on the exhibitions and changes the viewer‘s perception of the works on display. Rather than the compartmentalized space of the 19th century or the Modernist‘s neutral white cube, Wright structured space so that the void became a prominent feature. He changed the discourse: the space of the museum now had a meaning of its own 1. In 1988 at a time when the crisis in the property market was leading artists to question the meaning of design, the Deconstructivist Archi-

tecture exhibition was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and sparked new concerns about architectural composition. It was no longer the image of the historic city that was dictating the rules but, rather, the concept of new, interstitial spaces and the philosophy of the between or crossover became dominant. In Gehry’s design for the Guggenheim Museum as shown in Fig. 5, articulation became spectacular. Like some futuristic work, the museum traces the defining lines of the city like an urban sculpture and an icon in the landscape of public domain. There is a transition from the museum-city to the museum-implant. The is-

sues addressed in those years focused on the need for action in residual and marginal areas and a concern with replacement or infill. Attention is given to reclaiming industrial areas, preserving them and giving them a new identity 2. Through previous view, which dealt with the problematic of design museums and some of the important museums design fundamentals as well as the museum form and morphology, it can be said that the Museums are multi-functions buildings, from where they contain halls of different sizes and volumes, permanent and temporary exhibitions, stores with large volumes to store exhibits, and open spaces (internal or external) for open display, in addition to services (Administration, Bathrooms, Restaurants, etc.). Thus, we can consider that the museums are huge buildings. And the museum form and morphology, which had

been reviewed previously, also confirm that the museums are huge and important buildings. Then, designing a museum anywhere can have a huge impact on this place, giving it a special character, and have to be a complex problematic design and this problem increasingly complicated if we put the museum in a place with a special character such as a historical place. And then, we must ask an important question. How can we design a museum in historical places without any negative impact on them? To answer this important question, we must study the contextual design problem, what are the different types of design within the context? What are the ways and strategies that can be applied when designing in relation to the context? Then we can answer the first important question.

Fig.54 : Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 1999, Frank Gehry.

1 A. Moratta, Typology quarterly: museums, Arch. Rev. (2012)

2 K. Ray, Contextual Architecture: Responding to existing style, McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S, 20082 Tripline. Ancient Greece, 2014. <http://www.tripline.net/trip/ Ancient_Greece>

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

Fig.53 : Glyptothek museum, Munich, Leo Von Klenze & Altes Museum, Berlin, Karl Friedrich Schinkel

3.3 Theoretical foundation: contextual design problem In this section, basic literal knowledge and understanding of the subject have brought together the background information to support the arguments and provide the essential introductory pre-knowledge for the subject such as the Contextual Design Types as shown in Fig. 55 (Alteration, Addition, and Infill), and the specific Strategies of Infill Problematic Design, due to the ongoing community service. This must lead to some changes/modifications in the uses of historic buildings or new buildings built among these buildings, but the modification or development of new buildings to be homogeneous with the context, offers an unusual relationship between the design of the new building and the historical place. Designing in relation to the context or Contextualism is the way to resolve this problem and this entrance purpose supplies A architectural ideas/ principles to solve this problem.

3.3.1 Contextual design types There are three types of problematic Contextualism: Alteration, Addition, and Infill: 1. Alteration: According to Ray, destination of the word (Alteration) is a modification/change/re-adaptation of the original facade of the building in order to accommodate the historical use created behind this facade, and how modification of the facade depends on the size of the modification contained behind. The architectural problematic that how to simulate the facade of the original historical building and at the same time to feel that the elements developed at the facade is the tone prevailing, and these elements created could be a component of the pre-existing building, and these elements may be decorative or functional elements1. For example, in Fig. 58, the EEA ‘‘European Environment Agency” Living Fac¸ade wants to

Fig.55 : Restoration of Heritage Building Council Hall, Pune, India, Contextual Design Types.

2. Addition: According to Ray, destination of the word (Addition) is an addition developed at the old historical building as adding a new wing adjacent to the old building. This addition has to be homogeneous with the original building by using the same materials or completing the skyline of the original building, but the designer has to choose the concept that he will take in order to design the addition to make a compatibility with the old building. For example, in Fig. 57, this neglected church, once part of the Saint Francesc Convent, was renovated by Catalan architect David Closes, Town of Santpedor, Spain. The project turned the former church into an auditorium and mul-

Fig.56 : The first outdoor green facade in Denmark, architect Johanna Roßbach.

Fig.57 : Saint Francesc Convent Church, Town of Santpedor, Spain.

1 K. Ray, Contextual Architecture: Responding to existing style, McGraw-Hill, New York, U.S, 2008

2 EEA. Program. Europe in bloom: a living facade at the European Environment Agency. European Environment Agency, 2010. <http://www.eea.europa.eu/ themes/biodiversity/living-facade>

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

illustrate the significance of vertical gardens as urban green areas, and these areas represent a backbone for human health, biodiversity and ecosystem services in cities. For most urban dwellers, the perception of ‘‘greenery” in their cities is an integral part of what constitutes the ’quality of life’; indeed, urban green can improve air quality and noise conditions. This ambitious project is the first outdoor green facade in Denmark. It was made possible by intensive co-operation between architect Johanna Roßbach, Faculty of Life Sciences - University of Copenhagen, the municipality of Copenhagen, engineers from Ramboll Denmark and Green Fortune, a company specialized in the construction of green walls 2.

tifunctional space for cultural events. The exterior was left with its original rough facade, with moments of the modern renovation mixed in. Overall, closes managed to preserve the historical value of the building while also combining new elements for the update1. 3. Infill: According to Ray, destination of the word (Infill) is how to design a building placed among group of buildings with the same character. Therefore design of a single building is a problematic but designing a building among group of historic buildings is a deeper problematic design, as shown in Fig. 58, where the designer is dealing with these buildings and also dealing with blanks in between. To deal with this problematic design, the architect has to follow one of the multiple concepts that will be addressed in the next section. Infill means a new building in an established and valued historic context. Good infill is building that is sympathetic to the surrounding buildings and historic context and creates new structures that enhance and complement the existing urban and suburban 2.

Fig.58 : Infill problematic design.

3.3.2 Strategies for infill problematic design We cannot take a decision that there is a method or a design platform to address specific problems resulting from Infill Problematic Design. That because of our perception about the design is a vision or experience, and this denies the possibility of formulating any fixed rule for this problem. So to design a building placed among group of buildings with the same character, this building has to be compatible with them. This depends on the architect treatment, his degree of sensitivity and his knowledge of the context. And also being able to find a mediator link whether moral or physical in linking the new building with its context, but to achieve this compatibility, this can be done through several strategies, including the following: 1. Compatibility by Copy/Reproduction: Copy a building adjacent to the historical one, but the difficulty lies in the following: (I) the designer/architect must understand well the language used in the original historical context. (II) The designer/architect must get the same materials used in the original historical building which was common and was formerly cheap in the old but now they become very expensive, not available and difficult to obtain. (III) The details that increase the difficulty of this reproduction. But when you are already doing well these precautions and reproduction of the original historical building could be a really neat design, see Fig. 59. 2. Compatibility by Congruence/Harmony: The abstraction of the original historical context details and using it in the added building to achieve harmony between the added building and the original historical context by creating an essence of the original historical context without reproducing or copying the context is called compatibility by Congruence/Harmony. This can be achieved through the compatibility

of the building are composed, Approximate height, Facade proportions and directionality, Shape and silhouette, Window and door dispositions, window and door size and proportions, Material, color and scale. For example, in Fig. 60, you might not even notice, walking or driving by, the new apartment building at 691 Massachusetts Ave. in the South End. That’s because it fits so beautifully into its historic neighbourhood. But

take a second look, and you realize that this building isn’t just deferential to its surroundings. It’s also fre`sh, inventive, confident, and contemporary 3.

Fig.59 :Reproduction of the historical building.

Fig.60 :691 Massachusetts Ave. in the South End in Boston (Photo. Chang Zhang).

1 D. Closes, Cultural Featured Selected Works – Convent de Sant Francesc. Arch Daily, 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/251389/convent-de-sant-francescdavid-closes> 2 NSW Heritage Office and The Royal Australian Institute of Architecture. Design in Context: Guidelines for Infill Development in the Historic Environment. Australia: The State of New South Wales, Crown Copyright, 2005 3 D. Garber, Preservation Round-Up: Infill, Adaptation, and Discovery Edition. Preservation Nation Blog: Stories, news, and notes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2011.

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

of the historical context in terms of the way of construction, building materials and morphology of the buildings. There are many guidelines presented as to how Compatibility by Congruence/Harmony can be attained. Brolin predicts that the design will be able to be similar to or differentiate with the surrounding building only in accordance with these listed characteristics within the context. As can be seen, these are the points that have the aim of creating a new design that is in harmony with the surroundings, and thus it is imperative that they are given strong attention: Set back from the street, Spacing from adjoining buildings, Massing: how the main volumes

3. Compatibility by contrast: Adding contrast makes old buildings new again such as the Louvre pyramid in Fig.61 . At the first vision you doubt in the fact that the contrast can lead to homogeneity between the added building and the original historical one, but it is really a successful strategy under some conditions. The contrast between the walls of the historical original building and transparent glass reflector of the added one, perhaps reflecting in the glass the facades of the historical context, can be achieved through the violation of the historical context in terms of building materials and morphology of the buildings.

4. Compatibility by Disappearance: The disappearance of the added architectural work and its humility in front of the original historical context is a successful strategy to be compatible with it, as shown in Fig.62 , as well as with respect to the importance of the original historical context. Then the architect adapted a method of moral humility, which hide and erase personal architectural work in front of the original historical context. And thus the greater the nobility of the place, the size of the building is increased whenever you want to add inside context and whenever it was better to disappear inside it in order to show the historical place as it is.

Fig.61:The entrance glass pyramid, Louvre Museum, Paris.

Fig.62:The disappearance of the architectural work is a successful strategy to be compatible with the context.

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

Through previous view that dealt with contextual design types and strategies for infill problematic design, it can be concluded that the ideal strategy for designing a huge building in the historical context is disappearing inside this context to maintain, to conserve the character, to permit vision of historical buildings and to avoid any negative impact upon it. On the other hand, the contradictory question about the way museum personality, in relation to the historical context, would be preserved and clear is answered in the following practical part. The following is a comparison among the four Strategies for Infill Problematic Design:

3.4 Practical foundation: Case studies following the vision to design a museum in historical places

The following is a practical part that comparatively examines two case studies in lights of the theoretical outcomes. A review of two museums proposals that will be designed within the historical context, embraced the idea of the architectural disappearance within the historical context to maintain, to conserve, and to avoid any negative impact upon the historical buildings located in sections. 3.4.1 Case Study 1: ‘‘Smithsonian Campus for Washington DC, USA, Bjarke Ingles Group, 2014”: Smithsonian Campus Master Plan for Washington DC, USA, designed by Bjarke Ingles Group, 2014 Smithsonian Campus Master Plan for Washington DC by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) the largest museum and research complex has revealed plans for the renovation of the site’s south mall campus – the museums and gardens positioned along Independence Avenue in Washington DC. The vast redesign of Smithsonian campus master plan seeks to accomplish three primary objectives: to improve and expand visitor services and education, to create clear entrances and connections between the museums and gardens, and to replace aging building mechanical systems that have reached the end of their life span1. This architectural work offers many keywords and design ideas, including the following: 1. The disappearance of the added architectural work: To resolve the contradictions between old and new, and to find freedom within the boundaries of strict regulation and historical preservation, we have chosen to carefully reinterpre the elements that are already present in the campus,

to maintain and conserve the character and the vision of the historical context. This is so strongly clear by the presence of almost 90 percent of the building underground, as shown in Fig. 63, which preserved the independence of the personality of the historical buildings around without any interception of the museum building to the angles of vision for these buildings. But to overcome the problematic of loss personality of the museum in the historical context, the architect of the museum raises some parts of the building above the land and also makes the material with clear glass to contrast with the context and to allow seeing the historical context through this transparent glass. The comprehensive overhaul includes the revitalization of the castle, with expanded visitor services, new mall-facing entrances to the national museum of African art, and improved visibility and access from the freer gallery of art to the Hirsh horn museum and its adjacent sculpture garden. The master plan provides the first-ever integrative vision for the south mall, said Wayne, secretary of the Smithsonian institution. ‘‘Bjarke Ingels has given us a Smithsonian campus master plan that will offer open vistas, connected museums, galleries bathed in daylight, new performance venues, gardens that invite people into them, and it will visually attract visitors who will have an unparalleled experience”. 2. See and have to be seen with the concept of open museum: In Fig. 64. This clearly was done through the presence of open spaces in the museum so the visitors can see the historical context from the museum in the lower parts and in the same

same time the visitors to the historical context can see the exhibits too. And the architect also makes the roof of the building as an educational and cognitive path so the visitors can be aware of all of the historical context elements through walking on it.

Fig.63:The disappearance of the added architectural work and raising some parts to contrast with the context.

Fig.64: See and have to be seen with the concept of open museum.

1 Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Smithsonian Campus Master Plan for Washington DC. KADVA Corp., 2014. <http://kadvacorp.com/design/smithsonian-campus-master-plan/, http://www.big.dk/#projects-smi> 2 A. Furuto, Museuems and Libraries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Natural History Museum proposal by Kengo Kuma Associates, Erik Moller Arkitekter and Jaja Architect, Arch Daily, 2012. <http://www.archdaily. com/267564/natural-history-museum-proposal-kengo-kumaassociates- erik-moller-arkitekter-jaja-architect>

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

time the visitors to the historical context can see the exhibits too. The original roof of the quadrangle building under the Haupt garden will also be replaced, bringing daylight into the underground complex for the first time, and the architect raises some parts of the building above the land and makes the material of the building with transparent glass to allow seeing the historical context through it and in the

3.4.2 Case Study 2 : “The proposal for the Natural History Museum of Denmark, designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, Erik Møller Arkitekter, and JAJA Architects, 2012”: The proposal focuses on creating a coherent and inseparable experience which mixes the experiences of the conventional museum and the classical garden into a series of remarkable spaces. Its location within the historical setting of the city’s botanical garden creates a potential for a museum that is more authentic, engaging and open for everyone1. This architectural work offers many keywords and design ideas, including the following: 1. The disappearance of the added architectural work: In Fig. 65. To maintain and conserve the character and the vision of the historical context, this is so strongly clear by the presence of almost 90 percent of the building underground, which preserved the independence of the personality of the historical context without any negative impact on them. As well as you can see easily all the historical buildings around without any interception of the museum building to the angles of vision for these buildings. But to overcome the problematic of loss personality of the museum in the historical context, the architect of the museum raises some parts of the building such as the huge showing exhibition halls of the museum above the land

and also makes the material of the building with clear glass to contrast with the context and allow seeing the historical context through this transparent glass. 2. The museum in the garden and the garden in the museum: In Fig. 66. A new Natural History Museum in the heart of Copenhagen is a fantastic gift to the city; it should be both the museum in the garden and the garden in the museum. Unlike a conventional museum, where the experience begins inside, it should become a Garden of Natural History, a place where a stroll in the garden invites you into a natural historical journey and, vice versa, a visit inside gives you the experience of the garden. A visit to The Garden of Natural History is like a ‘‘walk in the park” that is neither tiring nor intrusive. We use the garden to create spatial variety within the museum, bringing daylight, vegetation, and views into interior spaces that are perfect for quiet contemplation. The Natural History Museum has one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive collections documenting the planet’s history. How can we both protect and display the collection? We propose a new museum model that is integrated respectfully within the landscape, opening up to allow glimpses into the museum through a series of cuts in the landscape – glimpses that inspire, invite, and invoke the curiosity of passers - by to venture inside for the full experience. In other words, we bring the collection into the experience of the garden.

Fig.65: The disappearance of the added architectural work and raising some parts to contrast with the context.

collection a part of the garden and the museum part of the city – which essentially makes our common Natural History accessible to all members of the public (see Fig. 69).

1 A. Furuto, Museuems and Libraries – Natural History Museum proposal by Kengo Kuma Associates, Erik Moller Arkitekter and Jaja Architect, Arch Daily, 2012. <http://www.archdaily. com/267564/natural-history-museum-proposal-kengo-kumaassociates- erik-moller-arkitekter-jaja-architect>

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

3. Realize the idea of the open museum: In Fig. 67. This was clearly done through the idea of shaped roof of the building like an amphitheatre so that the visitors can sit on it and watch the historic buildings within the context. And the architect also makes the roof of the building as an educational and cognitive path so the visitors can be aware of all of the historical context elements through walk on it. And also the architect has created internal spaces inside the museum for the purpose of ventilation underground rooms and halls of the museum, and in the same time linked and contacted with the educational and cognitive path with ramps so the visitors can see the historical context from inside the museum in the lower parts too. 4. See and have to be seen: In Fig. 68. This was clearly done through the presence of open spaces in the museum so the visitors can see the historical context from inside the museum in the lower parts and in the same time the visitors to the historical context can see the exhibits too. And the architect also raises some parts of the building such as the huge showing exhibition halls of the museum above the land and makes the material of the building with clear glass to allow seeing the historical context through this transparent glass and in the same time the visitors to the historical context can see the exhibits too, and through the idea of presence of internal museum halls with multiple heights with many internal levels to easily show and see exhibits, and at the same time visitors see each other and continuity be happen among them. Imagine the sight of the world’s only complete blue whale skeleton floating majestically in the garden, suddenly this magnificent collection of animals becomes more than just a part of the museum – it becomes a part of the city. It becomes a public gesture that truly makes the

Fig.66: Break space, a visit inside gives you the experience of the garden.

Fig.67: The idea of shaped roof of the building like an amphitheater.

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

Fig.66: See and have to be seen.

Fig.66: The disappearance of the added architectural work to maintain and conserve the character.

3.5 conclusion and recommendations :

Through previous view that dealt with the problematic of design museums and some of the important museums design fundamentals, as well as the museum form and morphology, it can be said the following: • The Museums are multi-functions buildings, from where they contain halls of different sizes and volumes, permanent and temporary exhibitions, stores with large volumes to store exhibits, and open spaces (internal or external) for open display, in addition to services (Administration, Bathrooms, etc.). Thus, we can be considered that the museums are huge buildings. • The museum form and morphology, also confirms that the museums are important and huge buildings. Through previous view too, which dealt with contextual problematic design. It can be concluded that there are three types of contextual design problem: • Alteration: Alteration is a modification/change/ re-adaptation of the original facade of the building in order to accommodate the historical use created behind this facade.

•Addition: Addition is an addition developed at the old historical building as adding a new wing adjacent to the old building. This addition has to be homogeneous with the original building.

•Infill: Infill is how to design a building placed among group of buildings with the same character.

To deal with the infill type to be compatible with the historical context, we can use one of the following strategies:

•Compatibility

by Copy/Reproduction: Copy a building adjacent to the historical one.

•Compatibility by Congruence/Harmony: The abstraction of the original historical context details and using it in the added building to achieve harmony between the added building and the original historical context.

•Compatibility by Contrast: Adding contrast makes old buildings new again.

•Compatibility by Disappearance: The disappearance of the added architectural work and its humility in front of the original historical context is a successful strategy to be compatible with it.

•Smithsonian Campus Master Plan for Washington DC, USA, designed by Bjarke Ingles Group, 2014.

• Joanneum Museum Extension and Refurbishment, 2011, Graz, Austria, (Designed by Spanish Architects Nieto Sobejano and local firm Eep Architekten).

•Culture and Leisure Centre in the mid-

•The proposal for the Natural History Museum of Denmark, designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates, Erik Møller Arkitekter, and JAJA Architects.

dle of a public square in Teruel, 2011, Spain, (Designed by Madrid studios Mi5 Arquitectos and PKMN Architectures).

We can answer the main question of this paper: ‘‘How can we design a huge and important building such as a museum in historical context while respecting its importance and at the same time avoiding the deterioration of this historical place?”. It may be said that, the ideal strategy for designing a huge building in the historical context is disappearing inside this context to maintain, conserve the character, vision directions of historical buildings and avoid any negative impact upon it. But the contradictory question: ‘‘How can not cancel the museum personality in relation to the historical context?”. The answer is by raising some parts of the museum with transparent glass material to contrast with the context, to be different with it, to be a different identified character, and allow seeing the historical context through this transparent glass. And about the academic and theoretical fields, Urban Design and Urban Conservation, the study discussed a multiple theoretical concepts about contextual design types and strategies that can help other researchers to explore another concepts and strategies in designing with the relation to the valuable context, or exploring other creative projects about contextual design such as the following:

• Danish National Maritime Museum, 2013, Helsingor, Denmark, (Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, BIG). All the previous projects are creative projects designed or built in valuable and historical contexts that can be explored in another futuristic researches.

3| Vision to design a museum in historical context

Through the case studies:

Project

4.1 Location and Site Analysis :

Egypt

Cairo

Area:1,010,408 km2 Population: 94,798,827 Inhabitants

Capital and largest city City Area: 606 km2 Metropolitan Area : 17,267.6 km2 City Population : 9,700,000 Inhabitants Metropolitan Pop.: 20,439,541 Inhabitants

Relation with the city Delta / Alexandria Direction

Ismailia

Suez

Sinai Direction

Cairo

6th of october

5 km

10 km

15 km

20 km

Giza El Ain El Sokhna Fayoum Main Roads Network Railway Network

Oasis/ Western Desert Direction

Urban Context Cairo Downtown Site Location

South Egypt Direction

Nile River

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Relation With the context

Central Railway Station

Cornice El Nile Axis

Ramsees Axis

AbdelMoniem Ryad Sq,

Nile River

SITE 500m Tahrir Sq.

1km

Cornice El Nile Axis

- In the center of Cairo Downtwon - Near to two mtero stations - Near to the central railway station - perfectly connected with Cairo main transportation netwrok

Downtown Current Situation

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Site Context : In 2011 and before the 25th of January revolution, the Egyptian museum was next to the National Democratic Party (NDP) building which located between the Nile river and Egyptian museum. The building was built on 1956 by the Egyptian architect Mahmoud Riyad during Gamal AbdelNasser period and it was Originally designed to house the Cairo Municipality, it was at completion quickly occupied by Nasser’s Arab Socialist Union (ASU), the only legal political party at the time. A few years after Nasser’s death in 1970, the role of the ASU was succeeded by the National Democratic Party (NDP), founded by Egypt’s second president Anwar Sadat. Despite Sadat’s aversion of the ASU, its politics and Tahrir premises, he moved the NDP into the building, where it would remain to the end of Hosni Mubarak’s thirty year reign.

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Friday, 28 January 2011 the National Democratic Party (NDP) building was set on fire. Until today, it is unclear whether the NDP-building was set on fire by protesters, or by someone who wanted to erase all evidence of decades of dictatorship. In May 2015 the government has decided to demolish the remaining of the NDP building + some of the small storages that were related to the Egyptian Museum and the fire has affected them. Nowadays the plot is an empty land with many potentials, on 2017 the government has decided to put this plot under the responsibility of ministry of culture to create a cultural project in extension with the Egyptian museum.

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Site Accessibility:

Site Visibility:

Since the majority of the project users flow is expected to arrive from the downtown area that hosts most of the transportation facilities and parking areas, the highlighted area between the Egyptian museum and the Nile Hilton is considered to be the most accessible point in the project area.

Due to the presence of the Egyptian Musuem and the Nile Hilton, the site visibilty is limited towards the downtown. The proposal is to focus on the most seen area that can be visible from all directions through creating the project focal point on this area.

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4.2 Design Strategy :

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4.2 Design strategy : 1. Compatibility by Congruence/ Harmony : After the observation of the immediate context that consists of two different buildings with different typologies and architectural styles, the challenge was to find an element of compatibility between the 2 buildings and my proposal. 1- Symmetry: The Egyptian museum is a French style symmetrical building not just in the facade but also in the building layout and spaces. The Nile Hilton is a modern 50â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s style building with a symmetrical facade. Since the new proposal will be placed in between the two buildings, then the proposed new museum aproach is a symtricall shape.

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2-The abstraction of the original context details and using it in the added building to achieve harmony between the added building and the original context by creating an essence of the original historical context without reproducing or copying the context. After pointing and deciding the most accessible point according to people flow capacity and visibility axis, the compatibility with context is proposed by extending the original museum entrance mass that includes the landmark dome with the Nile Hilton border to create a point of intersection in the point mentioned as the most accessible. On this point, the proposal is to create a new museum approach. Creation of a new mass to represent the new museum within the extended lines from the existing context represented in the Egyptian Museum and Nile Hilton intersecting at the point of accessibility.

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2. Compatibility by Disappearance: The disappearance of the added architectural work and its humility in front of the original context is a successful strategy to be compatible with it, as well as with respect to the importance of the original context. Then the strategy is to adopt a method of moral humility, which hides and erase personal architectural work in front of the original Musem. â&#x20AC;&#x153;See and have to be seenâ&#x20AC;? Thus the action is to propose a new approach for the new museum over the ground and to displace the main museum gallery halls underground.

The Egyptian Museum visitors will access the new Museum through the descending entrance to arrive to the grand gallery.

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2. Compatibility by contrast: As the new museum proposal is considered to be a new wing or an extension to an existing historical museum, the need of creating a contrast between the old and new building was esential. The new proposal is a symetrical shape with a curved twisted roof to create a new interpertation of modern museum.

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4.3 site plan :

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4.4 Master plan :

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4.5 architectural drawings

Ground Floor Plan

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Mezzanine Floor Plan

112

4| Project -6.50 Level Floor Plan

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-13.00 Level Floor Plan

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Section A-A

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Section B-B

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Section C-C

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4.6 Architectural Details :

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4.6 Rendered Views:

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Acknowledgement

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First and foremost gratitude goes to Allah on whom I rely for strength, guidance, determination and inspiration to do this research in an exceptional way. I am deeply grateful to my supervisor professor Alessandro Rocca. Without his continuous patience and optimism concerning this work, enthusiasm, encouragement and support this study would hardly have been completed. I must express my very profound gratitude to my parents, my mother, Salwa, words cannot express how grateful I am to you, literally, you are my source of power and success, without you, I couldn’t have been the person I am today. My Father Ramadan, the one who taught me how to face difficulties and to be fragile, i hope I am made you proud of the man that you ever dreamed to see, my beautiful amazing sister Shaimaa, and my great active brother Ahmed and to my beloved partner Beatrice, for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my years of study and through the process of researching and writing this thesis, Italy wouldn’t have been the same without you and your family for the past 2 years. This accomplishment would not have been possible without them. I hope I am making you all proud of me. Thank you. Thanks to “Akr3p” architectural studio team and Architect Luca Pieracci for their continuous support during the period of writing the thesis. Finally, thanks to all my friends who contributed in the production of this thesis especially Yasser Shaalan, as he was a main contributor in this work also i have to mention the effort of Ahmed Ibrahim, Amr El Hadary, Elisabetta Magenes and Karina Ruiz who helped me in gathering data or while finishing my presentation work, without any one of you my work would have been missing a part.

Author Mahmoud Mohamed Ramadan

5| acknowledgement

Al hamdulil Allah,