Egypt

Original

Algeria

This public housing project comprises six hundred units in Ouled Jellal town, located in the south-western part of the Biskra region in east-central Algeria. It is set in a mountainous desert area, characterized by scattered settlements and small villages, and serves a wide variety of middle-class families. The project as it was finally realized is the result of collaborative efforts between the architects and the local authority. With the clear aim of being responsive to the culture and environment of the region, the design and construction were developed over a period of more than ten years, based on social studies and surveys and a strong awareness of regional identity. During the course of the project, similar housing developments were built in the region by the same architects, employing the same technology, and adopting the same design features. The technology incorporates local construction techniques into standardized modern modes of construction. Through sensitivity to the climate and to the cultural traditions of the inhabitants, the reinterpretation of socio-spatial needs into a built form for public housing has resulted in a residential environment that is both functional and efficient. The Ouled Jellal Housing Project comprises 600 units that vary in surface area. All of the units are two or three storeys above ground level. The complex is a staggered massing of cubic volumes with minimal articulation other than screened openings. Public spaces and walkways spatially separate the clusters of units. The clustered massing of cubic volumes is simple and is emphasized by the use of unfinished limestone. Façades are mostly solid with minimal voids that are articulated by wooden screens. A local device called claustra, composed of densely overlapping gypsum screens of traditional shapes, is used in the upper section of handrails on the patios and stairs. The exterior patios serve as public spaces between the volumes and are intended for general social interaction. Different levels of privacy were incorporated into the design of the individual units to sensitively take account of the local traditions of this Muslim community. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

200 Housing Units

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Maader was the first shepherd's village to be constructed in southern Algeria as part of the government's programme of reform. The village consists of 120 courtyard houses grouped in a central area, shops, baths, craft stalls, a mosque, and public squares. The three goals of the project were: use and exploitation of local materials; use of local construction technology, and to create an architecture that would be instrumental in the social development of the nomadic society as it begins sedentarisation. The aims of the project were realised in the following manner:By adopting a successful system of stabilised mud brick construction;The use of bearing walls and vaults provided the opportunity to train 10 masons in this inexpensive building technique;The basic unit of the village was 4 houses grouped around a collective space. The kitchen of each house opens onto the common space, thus permitting the wives of each household to communicate with each other. In addition each individual house is organised around a private courtyard thus maintaining the closed character of traditional family life; andThe composition of the 4-house units permitted the creation of urban spaces that could be used for commerce, meeting places, etc. The houses are constructed from load-bearing, stabilised mud-brick and rendered in gypsum plaster. All of the houses are barrel vaulted structures. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Maader Experimental Village

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The public housing project comprises units in the city of El Oued, located in east-central Algeria, 350 kilometres from the Tunisian border. It is set in a mountainous desert area, characterized by scattered settlements and small villages, and serves a wide variety of middle-class families. The project as it was finally realized is the result of collaborative efforts between the architects and the local authority. With the clear aim of being responsive to the culture and environment of the region, the design and construction were developed over a period of more than ten years, based on social studies and surveys and a strong awareness of regional identity. The technology adopted for the project is simply a reinforced concrete construction system. Through sensitivity to the climate and to the cultural traditions of the inhabitants, the reinterpretation of socio-spatial needs into built form for public housing has resulted in a residential environment that is both functional and efficient. The incorporation of traditional climate-control techniques into the construction system paves the way for developing aesthetic standards for public-housing schemes and results in a visually appealing residential environment. The El Oued Housing Project comprises 402 units that vary in surface area. All the units are raised - most are three storeys above ground level - the ground floor being used as a covered space for children to play, with some commercial activities. The complex is a staggered massing of cubic volumes with minimal articulation other than narrow openings for windows. Public spaces and walkways spatially separate the clusters of units. The total site area is 40,000 square metres, the ground footprint being 24,000 square metres, and the total combined floor area is 60,000 square metres. The project includes four apartment type of various sizes. In the context of developing design concepts for the El Oued Housing Project the architects attempted to develop a desert urban fabric in two directions: the first is the social fabric of public spaces, including patios, pedestrian pathways, covered and open play areas for children, and spaces for women's activities; the second is a climatically appropriate fabric with densely shaded areas and direct ventilation to help combat the summer heat. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

400 Housing Units

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The project is a primary school comprising the building for 800 children from the community of Guémar at El Oued. 300 of the children reside at the school. Classrooms were grouped around semi-open hallways, thus avoiding the traditional long hallways of the typical schools. As a distinctive architectural element the dome was used to roof the circulation areas and the transitional areas. The construction system is the reinforced concrete frame and intermediate floor slabs, with concrete block partition walls. The dome and the vaults are made of reinforced concrete as well. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

El-Oued Primary School

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A museum and cultural centre containing exhibition halls, open-air theatre, symposium halls, and workshops. It is a concrete frame structure with clay brick infill. The museum commemorates a historic incident involving the locals and the British authorities in 1906. Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Denshwai Museum

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Hany El-Miniawy
Egypt

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Hany El-Miniawy

Associated Sites

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