Pedagogy and Sustainable Architecture

Course Description:

Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (1900 - 1989) is internationally renowned, although not without his critics, as a pioneer in sustainable architecture. His rise to fame came mainly as a result of the publication of a book, wherein Fathy recounted his experience of designing the model village of New Gourna in Luxor following a commission by the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. The first edition of the book “Gourna: A Tale of Two Villages ” was published in Cairo, in 1969. It was translated a year later to French under the title “Construire avec le peuple” (“To build with the people”) . In 1973, a second edition was issued by University of Chicago Press and entitled “Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt” . An arabic translation finally appeared in 1993, taking on the title ‘Umaret Al-Fuqara’ (ءاﺮﻘﻔﻟا ةرﺎﻤﻋ).

“As my proposals chiefly concern the peasant, my book is dedicated to him. I wish that it could have been addressed exclusively to him, and hope the time will soon come when he will be able to read and judge it [...]”, writes Fathy in the preface.

This course aims to materialise Fathy’s dream by reading and discussing the problematics of “Gourna: A Tale of Two Villages” with local inhabitants and builders currently working on the preservation of the model village. We will begin the course in Cairo, over the first nine weeks, to critique key issues in Fathy’s vision in its historical context, and plan our weeklong module to be implemented in Gourna, Luxor. Once there, we will meet local participants daily, host collective readings of key passages, and activate the village with film screenings and other activities.

The course proposes a twofold vision, firstly to foster a discussion-based learning environment, to historicize and shed light on the crises of pedagogy and sustainable architecture in rural Egypt, and secondly to encourage creative strategies of documentation, using audiovisual means. Students can apply to the pedagogical track (Group A) or to the documentation track (Group B).

Group A will read and discuss key concepts pertaining to Fathy’s proposal for a sustainable architectural solution in rural Egypt. Discussions and readings will be mainly in Arabic.

Group B will prepare strategies for audiovisual documentation, in preparation to shoot and record the Luxor module. Discussions and readings will be mainly in English.

The class is open to those interested in sustainable design, audiovisual documentation, and their relation to alternative pedagogical models. We encourage architects, artists, social workers, academics, and amateurs, from Egypt and abroad, to apply.