Boldan, Earthen Architecture & Vernacular Heritage

(arabic for locales), an initiative to explore and document earthen architectural heritage through participatory hands-on building with people, natural materials and local techniques.

FACEBOOK PAGE

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Since 2014, BOLDAN has conducted workshops, talks and exhibitions on earthen materials and building as a social process rooted in local and sustainable building knowledge, gathering a community of fellow builders from across disciplines in Egypt and around the Mediterranean.

EMAIL: INFO.BOLDAN@GMAIL.COM

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CO-FOUNDER BIOS

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A ROOM IN SIWA, 2014 MODELED AS A HANDS-ON PARTICIPATORY BUILDING WORKSHOP, SIWA WAS THE FIRST TRIP WE ORGANIZED IN A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS EXPLORING EARTHEN VERNACULAR HERITAGE IN REMOTE AREAS ACROSS EGYPT IN WHICH WE BUILT STRUCTURES WITH THE LOCAL PEOPLE, MATERIAL AND TECHNIQUES OF THE PLACE. WE BUILT AN UNFINISHED ROOM STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OASIS PALMGROVE, COMMISSIONED BY A PAINTER.

2014/ A KARSHIF ROOM IN SIWA

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AN OVEN IN ASWAN, 2015 BUILDING IN SUHAIL ISLAND SAW THE WORKSHOP DEVELOP INTO A SERIES OF INTERWOVEN PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL MODULES REVOLVING AROUND VERNACULAR OVENS BUILDING USING MUD BRICKS AND OSREMEL (FIRE ASH).

2015/ A MUDBRICK OVEN IN ASWAN [ARTICLE]

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A PLASTIC VAULT IN CAIRO, 2016 WE ARE PREOCCUPIED WITH THE WIDESPREAD WASTE OF PLASTIC BOTTLES. WE ALSO THINK THAT THIS WASTE, IF UP-CYCLED, CAN TURN INTO USEFUL MATERIAL FOR THE PURPOSE OF DESIGNING LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES.

"WE WILL UP-CYCLE EMPTY PLASTIC BOTTLES, WITHOUT ADDING ANY NEW MATERIALS, AND USE OUR DESIGN SKILLS TO TURN THIS WASTE INTO A SHED TO BE INSTALLED IN A VITAL PUBLIC SPACE," WE THOUGHT TO OURSELVES. IT WAS EXHIBITED THROUGH MASHRABEYA GALLERY’S FROM RAGS TO RICHES IN GARDEN CITY, IN JANUARY 2017

2016/ A PLASTIC VAULT IN CAIRO [LINK]

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A DOME IN FAIYUM, 2017 IN A WEEKLONG WORKSHOP, A TEAM OF 15 PARTICIPANTS AND 5 CRAFTSMEN FROM 3 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES COLLABORATED ON BUILDING AN EARTHEN DOME IN THE ART CENTER IN FAIYUM., DOING EVERYTHING. FROM MOULDING THE MUD BRICKS, TO COLLABORATING ON BUILDING AND PLASTERING.

2017/ A DOME IN FAIYUM [VIDEO]

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EARTH PLASTERING IN CAIRO, 2017 12 PARTICIPANTS AND 2 CRAFTSMEN IN 3 DAYS COLLABORATED ON REINTRODUCING EARTH PLASTER TO MAAMAL AL-BAROUD, A CREATIVE RESEARCH PRACTICE IN CAIRO. EACH WALL WAS MADE WITH A DIFFERENT MIXTURE OF EARTH, STRAW, LIME, COLOR OXIDES, AND REEDS. THE TEAM EXPERIMENTED WITH EARTH AS BOTH A PAINT AND AN INSULATION APPLIED IN A CONTEMPORARY URBAN CONTEXT.

2017/ EARTH PLATERING IN CAIRO

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4 WOODEN STATIONS IN DHERMI, ALBANIA, 2017 LAAB SHEISH WAS A COLLABORATION WITH THE URBAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE (URI) THRU TANDEM SHAML, SUPPORTED BY MITOST/AL-MAWRED AL-THAQAFY. 4 SOCIAL STATIONS BUILT COLLABORATIVELY OUT OF RECYCLED WOOD AND PLASTIC IN A 3 DAY HANDS-ON BUILDING WORKSHOP WITH 30 PARTICIPANTS.

1. INFO POINT

2017/ 4 WOODEN STATIONS IN DHERMI, ALBANIA [LINK/VIDEO] In collaboration with URI, Supported by Mit.Ost & Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy

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3. 49 DEGREES

4. SEATING ZONE

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PAINTING WITH EARTH IN ODESSA, UKRAINE, 2018

2018/ EARTH PAINTING IN ODESSA, UKRAINE [VIDEO] Supported by Mit.Ost & Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy

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2020/ ARD, THE PROJECT TO INTRODUCE EARTH PLASTER AS A LOCALLY-PRODUCED READY-MIX [under development]

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TALKS & MEDIA DISSEMINATION [ON-TV Feature]

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BY THE COFOUNDERS/ AL-MADAQ, CAIRO’S HISTORICAL CARTOGRAPHY 1809-1920, with Shehab Fakhry, supported by AFAQ [WEBSITE]

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Map of Cairo, 1915-1921 44 sheets, 1:5000

Cairo Insurance Maps, 1912 13 sheets, 1:600 ROLE: MAPPING

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Nashwa Ibrahim. Appropriate Building Patterns for Saint Catherine, Egypt. Egyptian Earth Construction Association, 2010. [LINK]

Madd Platform. Maspero Parallel Participatory Project. Ministry of Urban Renewal and Informal Settlements, 2015. [LINK]

ROLE: ASSISTANT AUTHOR ROLE: ARABIC-ENGLISH TRANSLATOR

BY THE COFOUNDERS/ PUBLICATIONS, ON CAIRO AND SOUTH SINAI

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ABDULRAHMAN EL-TALIAWI CONTACT

CAIRO, EGYPT +201005078908

ELTALIAWI@GMAIL.COM WWW.EL-TALIAWI.COM 2016, RELIEF SKETCH/ MUDURNU, VERNADOC EARTHEN HERITAGE DOCUMENTATION

CONTACT

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