Hassan fathy is the middle easts father of sustainable architecture posted on february 26, 2010 by tafline laylin in architecture with 65 comments hassan fathy, an egyptian architect saw the value of natural building long before it became a fad in the west. In this article originally published by the cairo observer as hassan fathy. Thats not because he viewed architecture as socially responsible building construction, but above all, because he believed that good architecture helps to improve human living conditions. Born in alexandria in 1899 to an egyptian father and a turkish mother, he was an outstanding and innovative architect who demonstrated how elements from vernacular arab urban architecture, such as the malkaf wind catch, shukshaykha lantern dome and mashrabiya wooden lattice screen, could be combined with the mudbrick construction traditionally. This collection on archnet of over 1,200 images and drawings, each associated with a. Shikha patidat, aiia brishbhanlali raghuwanshi, march. The first book on egyptian modernist hassan fathy wallpaper. May 21, 20 hassan fathy died in 1989 but left behind a legacy of 160 buildingprojects ranging from small projects to largescale communitiescomplete with mosques and schools.
See more ideas about vernacular architecture, architecture and building design. Hassan fathy and continuity in islamic arts and architecture. An indispensable architect in the history of modern islamic architecture is the egyptian hassan fathy 1900 89. Hassan fathy and continuity in islamic arts and architecture book description.
Using mud bricks, the native technique that fathy learned in nubia, and such traditional egyptian architectural designs as enclosed courtyards and. In a beautiful house, the soul has a chance to grow and to fly. We know you wrote in your book, architecture for the poor, that the peasants needed decent houses, but houses are. Fathy was recognized with the aga khan chairmans award for architecture in. 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. New gourna was a housing project masterminded by hassan fathy with the objective of rehousing the seven thousand people of gourna, a village built on the site of the tomb of the nobles, part of the ancient cemetery of thebes now luxor, egypt. The countryside if you were given a million pounds, what would you do with them. Undoubtedly, the similarity in methods of design of both fathy and the founders of the modern movement, were not acknowledged because they had worked in different contexts. It is the informal functional architecture of structures.
Hassan fathy 19001989 was among the most important architects of africa and the middle east. Hassan fathy egyptian architect 1900 1989 the master builder, hassan. In this, fathys disagreement with modernism was not a matter of using modern or traditional forms and building techniques, but his belief that architectural styles. Hassan fathy is the middle easts father of sustainable. Directly or indirectly, his work inspired many young architects in the muslim world and led to a host of fascinating. Still in use, and well cared for, are a series of modest private residences shaped by his profound understanding of vernacular design.
Architecture for the poor hasan f athy 1 prelude dream and reality paradise lost. In the middle east all the traditional architecture is made of adobe or pise or cob. Architecture for the poor describes hassan fathy s plan for building the village of new gourna, near luxor, egypt, without the use of more. World heritage centre safeguarding project of hassan fathy. Hassan fathy revisited pyla 2007 journal of architectural. Sep 14, 2011 although traditional architecture was evolved intuitively over long periods, it was based primarily on scientifically valid concepts.
Vernacular architecture is characterised by its reliance on needs, construction materials and traditions specific to its particular locality. Environment and architecture hassan fathy equipo bonsai. Professor at school of planning and architecture, bhopal, m. 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. He came from a wealthy background and had a westernstyle training. His major contributions were to socalled vernacular architecture which, inspired by traditional nubian and islamic materials and styles, urged an approach to the built environment that was economically and ecologically sustainable and responded to contextual. Principles and examples with reference to hot arid climates. Jan 01, 2011 he believed that architecture must be shaped by factors like the wind, sun, nature and the individuality and culture of the people involved. Hassan fathy 19001989 is a household name to architects for one book he wrote about one project. Just like the great master of western architecture, frank lloyd wright, hassan fathys genius was initially appreciated mostly by an intellectual. Postwar discourses on science, development, and vernacular architecture.
It is a type of architecture which is indigenous to a specific time and place and not replicated from elsewhere. Principles and examples with reference to hot arid climates by fathy hassan 19860815 hardcover will be shipped from us. The paper queries the rationale behind expecting there to be an african architecture as there are no other continental parallels. However, when one looks at the photographs of his works, they do not look like modern architecture but traditional, moreover vernacular, buildings. The example chosen to illustrate this by the unu energy subprogramme covers the vernacular architecture of the hot, arid zones of the arab world and neighboring regions. As an intellectual, writer, humanist, architect and scientist, he. Of necessity, such meanings are also undergoing transformation, and are culturallydetermined. Architecture for the rich hassan fathy s new gourna from oliver wilkins on vimeo. Egypts visionary architect 9 it is somewhat ironic that hassan fathy, whose name is so closely associated with architecture for the poor, built much for wealthy patrons. Pdf this study aims at identifying the unique characteristics of house plans designed by the renowned egyptian architect hassan fathy.
Vernacular settlements in india often take on the shape and form that is dictated by the climate they are in, or the sociocultural norms that they are designed to preserve and protect. Hassan fathy biography childhood, life achievements. Fathy was recognized with the aga khan award for architecture chairmans award in 1980. He embraced traditional, vernacular forms, techniques and materials and throughout his career promoted their use as part of a campaign to improve the conditions of egypts rural poor. Born in alexandria in 1899 to an egyptian father and a turkish mother, he was an outstanding and innovative architect who demonstrated how elements from vernacular arab urban architecture, such as the malkaf wind catch, shukshaykha lantern dome and mashrabiya wooden lattice screen, could be combined with the mudbrick construction traditionally practiced in nubia in upper. Hassan fathy egyptian vernacular architecture youtube. This book will be essential reading for students, academics and general readers interested in fathy, and the development of arab and vernacular architecture, earth construction, architecture for the poor and sustainability. Collections architects archives hassan fathy hassan. He designed and built superb villas of adobe and stone, but mainly hegrappled headon with housing the poor. Vernacular architecture is architecture characterised by the use of local materials and knowledge, usually without the supervision of professional architects. Doc hassan fathy and traditionalvernacular architecture. Throughout his life, hassan fathy was a tenacious and patient advocate of the poor. He rejected architecture that was not indigenous rooted in the location and the culture of the area, which in his mind found its truest expression in the vernacular architecture of a society. Cities for tomorrow 2015 social infrastructure with bjarke ingels duration.
Hassan fathy, the egyptian architect known for his recognition of the potential of vernacular forms as a vital force in contemporary architectural design, sought to integrate the traditions of islamic art with his modern visions for living. Hassan fathy and traditionalvernacular architecture. Pdf on jan 1, 2014, ismail serageldin and others published hassan fathy. In fact, these repetitive elements in fathy s work represent a vernacular version of standardisation. Mar 18, 2020 vernacular architecture designing buildings wiki share your construction industry knowledge.
Changes in culture and architecture from vernacular to modern. Fathy utilized ancient design methods and materials. Collections architects archives hassan fathy archnet. We can find throughout europe rural buildings built using different techniques. Early nineteenthcentury romanticism fed into victorian thinking on architecture, the arts, design and material culture. Natural energy and vernacular architecture internet archive. Principles and examples with reference to hot arid climates fathy, hassan, shearer, walter, sultan, abdelrahman ahmed on.
Hassan fathy believed in the social responsibility of the architect and acted accordingly throughout his life. This thesis examines the career of the egyptian architect, hassan fathy 19001989. The first was after the british built the original dam, known as the khazan aswan in 1898. Hassan fathy free download as powerpoint presentation. Vernacular architecture is a wise thought of generation molded by. Hassan fathy 19001989 is arguably the most widely known and influential egyptian architect of the 20th century. Press published his book architecture for the poor.
Nov 17, 2015 works of hassan fathy, egyptian vernacular architect. The substantial volume combines previously unpublished drawings, personal anecdotes, interviews and. Nubian vernacular architecture continued to be ignored by the rest of the world until 1963, when the region was to be flooded for the third time. Feb 15, 2010 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. See more ideas about vernacular architecture, architecture and egypt. Vernacular architecture represents the majority of buildings and settlements created in preindustrial societies and includes a very wide range of buildings, building traditions, and methods of construction. The article tries to delve into the idea of why hassan fathy perhaps emerged as a.
The use of earth in the architecture of hassan fathy and fabrizio. In 1985, hassan fathy donated an extensive collection of drawings and writings to the aga khan award for architecture. An exclusive volume presents ideas championed by one of the mos. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Just like the great master of western architecture, frank lloyd wright, hassan fathy s genius was initially appreciated mostly by an intellectual. Principles and examples with reference to hot arid climates by fathy hassan 19860815 hardcover natural energy and vernacular architecture. A question they were always asking us when we were young, one that would start our imagination roaming and set us daydreaming. The new york times live events recommended for you.
Hassan fathy devoted himself to housing the poor in developing nations and deserves study by anyone involved in rural improvement. Nubian vernacular architecture scholarlink research. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Mar 28, 2016 in this article originally published by the cairo observer as hassan fathy. Fathy worked to create an indigenous environment at a minimal cost, and in so doing to improve the economy and the standard of living in rural areas. Last january the gezira art center hosted an exhibition and a series of events about architect hassan. Vernacular architecture hassan fathy, an egyptian architect, has taught on the faculty of fine arts in cairo and served as head of its architectural section.
Author a is a practising architect and a visiting faculty at school of planning and architecture bhopal, m. He designed houses to meet the needs of the families living in them. Hassan fathy is egypts most wellknown architect since the famous imhotep, the worlds earliest known designer. To most near eastern architects, hassan fathy was the dominant figure in the architecture of. The book discusses the influences of both the egyptian vernacular and islamic architecture on shaping fathys.
Hassan fathy is egypts bestknown 20thcentury architect. This first dedicated and cohesive book on egyptian architect hassan fathy 190089 compiles an exhaustive amount of diverse material on the modernist architect known for his work developing traditional arab architecture alongside principles of modernism. Architect hassan fathy writer of architecture of the poor his work, his books, his philosophy. Hassan fathy died in 1989 but left behind a legacy of 160 buildingprojects ranging from small projects to largescale communitiescomplete with mosques and schools. The village of new gourna, which was partially built between 1945 and 1948, is possibly the most well known of all of fathy s projects because of the international popularity of his book, architecture for the poor, published nearly twenty years after the experience and concentrating primarily on the ultimately tragic history of this single village. Architecture for the rich, there is a critical relook and rework of the principles and philosophies of hassan fathy s work in new gourna and his deliberates vis a vis. The modern academic world of architecture does not emphasize the value of investigating and applying concepts scientifically and, therefore, has no respect for vernacular architecture. Hassan fathy, natural energy and vernacular architecture. The second time the dam was elevated in 1933, and the third time was the construction of the.
Hassan fathy march 23, 1900 november 30, 1989, egyptian arabic. To the internet archive community, time is running out. He has received the union of international architects gold medal, the egyptian governments national prize for arts and letters, and the aga kahn award for architecture. This first dedicated and cohesive book on egyptian architect hassan fathy 190089. 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. Hassan fathy egyptian architect 1900 1989 the master builder, hassan fathy 19001989 was one of the first architects to break with modern architecture and to found a new approach based on a conception of interpreting forms and masses from the past. His major contributions were to socalled vernacular architecture which, inspired by traditional nubian and islamic materials and styles, urged an approach to the built environment that was economically and ecologically sustainable and responded to contextual needs of the. The field of vernacular architecture offers an abundance of concepts that can be of use today in solving the critical housing situation now facing millions in the third world.
291 996 416 86 1365 95 522 915 1038 1556 1387 1335 148 1498 257 345 512 407 1525 28 1033 1053 1162 305 263 286 1335 1415 674 1219 1216 101 1284 712 443 1196 1280 629 921 1054 1169 391