Architecture for the Poor: Experiment in Rural Egypt - Hardcover

Fathy, Hassan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226239152 ISBN 13: 9780226239156

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1973

Synopsis

Chronicles the Arab architect's struggle to construct a progressive Egyptian peasant village and illuminates his innovative approaches to mass housing

About this title

About the Author

Hassan Fathy, an Egyptian architect, has taught on the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo and served as head of its architectural section. He has received numerous awards including the 1970 French Literary Prize for this book, which originally appeared in a French edition.

From the Inside Flap

Architecture for the Poor describes Hassan Fathy's plan for building the village of New Gourna, near Luxor, Egypt, without the use of more modern and expensive materials such as steel and concrete. Using mud bricks, the native technique that Fathy learned in Nubia, and such traditional Egyptian architectural designs as enclosed courtyards and vaulted roofing, Fathy worked with the villagers to tailor his designs to their needs. He taught them how to work with the bricks, supervised the erection of the buildings, and encouraged the revival of such ancient crafts as claustra (lattice designs in the mudwork) to adorn the buildings.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1973
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226239152
• ISBN 13: 9780226239156
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 252