Architecture for the poor
Subtitle: An experiment in rural Egypt
By: Hassan Fathy.
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press; University of Chicago Press
Published: 1976
Place of publication: United States of America
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 345
Description: 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.