Cairenes hold a grudge against people from Alexandria, one that they never like to admit. Not for their accents or that geographically they are closer to Europe, but more for the fact that the idea of aesthetics is not foreign to their cityscape.
Alexandria is the gem of the Mediterranean, a cultural hub and an international port with a history that dates back thousands of years. The coastal city’s distinguished architecture is born from a blend of influences – the Romans, the Greeks and the French – and remains an emblem of its infrastructure.
That said, it comes as no surprise that the winner of the Hassan Fathy prize for architecture is the Alexandrian based firm Awad & Partners, honoring their work in Al Alayli villa in King Mariout, Alexandria.
The award, which honors Egypt’s most eminent and internationally renowned architect Hassan Fathy, is an annual recognition of outstanding architecture in Egypt. It was established this year in a joint venture between the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Architecture Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture.
Daily News Egypt sat with Mohamed Awad, third generation architect and winner of this year’s prize, as he discussed the winning project, the limitations of Hassan Fathy’s approach and the glum state of Egyptian architecture today.
“The prize took his [Hassan Fathy’s] name but it is not necessarily linked to his ideas. Every year there is going to be a theme that is being explored, Awad said about the prize he was awarded on Oct. 28.
The prize is established to encourage creativity in Egyptian architects and honor good architects in Egypt, Awad added.
Out of 33 entries and 18 competing architects, Awad received the award for work based on the theme “Identity in contemporary Egyptian architecture.
“I feel great; this honors 25 years of work… It crowns our effort and it gives us a satisfaction that there has been some recognition, Awad told Daily News Egypt.
In exploring Egyptian identity in contemporary architecture, Awad used an important traditional element of the house, the inner court, and refashioned it in line with modern architecture and environmentally-conscious approaches.
Such an approach is coined “Critical Regionalism, which is manifested in “architecture that draws on local identity and influences…but aspires towards modernity and integrates modern technology, material and ways of building…to produce an architecture that has a character and value system of regionalism but uses aspects of modernity, Awad explained.
And that is exactly what they did with the Alyali House.
Awad regenerated the court as the central point of the house in which most activities take place, and from which a transition to the exterior of the house is established.
“The idea of the court traditionally is that of a closed space, totally isolated from the exterior, Awad said. In reinterpreting its function, Awad created it as a connecting point between the interior and the exterior of the villa.
Around the inner court, multiple activities take place in the reception, dining and living spaces.
In addition, the court leads to three different outdoor settings: a cactus garden, a pool garden and a rose garden. The pool, part of which is indoors and another is left outdoors, also acts as a thread that binds the house together as one entity.
The concept also involved reusing materials that have been forgotten.
Awad excavated stones from the site and used them to pave walkways and the terraces. In addition, thick walls bearing cavities adorned the inside of the house to ensure insulation.
Although much of Awad’s approach to the Al-Alyli House mirrors Hassan Fathy’s philosophies, he remains skeptical of the latter’s approach to modernity.
“The problem with Hassan Fathy is that his ideas were perhaps more applicable to vernacular architecture, like that of the Nubian villages, but, “the idea of not using locally manufactured modern material was absurd in a contemporary world, Awad said.
Fathy’s ideas came as a reaction to a period when traditional elements were sacrificed for more modern techniques, a time when modernism was synonymous with westernization.
“His reaction was justifiable at the time… [however] I believe that we should find ways to integrate both [techniques], Awad said.
Despite not reaching the top prize, Awad & Partners two other projects submitted for the award, presented different approaches to dealing with identity in contemporary architecture.
While Diwani House dealt with integrating decoration in the building process, seeing the craftsmen and the architects work closely together, the Fahmy House explored a cross-cultural approach to architecture, where hegemony is replaced by a harmonious and fair unison of elements from more than one culture.
Looking at architecture in Egypt in the form it exists today, from the eyes of Awad, the picture is glum.
Awad cites a countrywide “identity crisis that spills onto architecture, among other life aspects.
“There is a lot of superficial return to the past; the hijab is a return to the past, Awad said. In architecture, this is “manifested in classical elements that attempt to recreate the glorious past, but only its decorative forms.
The world has become more interconnected than ever leaving people torn between the old and the new, said Awad. Instead of adopting the best of both, an approach generally regarded as moderate, many look for the essence in the new but hold on to the crust of the old.
“They [Egyptians] don’t live in the classical world; they live in a contemporary world but at the same time they want to identify themselves with their past…This is not a way to go forward.
