In history>> Hassan Fathy

Hassan Fathy is considered one of Egypt’s most prominent architects of modern times, known for his aspirations of returning to a vernacular style of building with the revival of indigenous materials and methods, primarily adobe construction techniques. He is most widely recognized for his project of a relocated village, New Gourna, near the Luxor Valley in Egypt. He featured the project in his most famous publication Architecture for the Poor.

New Gourna is an odd case study for one to claim as his most noted and highly acclaimed work, considering that it was abandoned and never really inhabited by its intended dwellers, a relocated community composed of a large portion of graverobbers. It is noted that perhaps the scale of the project combined with its then radical aspirations is its reason for the attention and praise it received from the international architectural community. Less than one-quarter of the entire village plan was ever realized.

Nevertheless, Fathy has inspired many of today’s designers and builders who share his vision of creating an appropriate and sustainable architecture for underprivileged peoples while at the same time fitting with their cultural identity.

Sources:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_Fathy
archnet.org/library/

[Image provided by weekly.ahram.org.eg]