In pics: Architecture masterpiece in New Valley comes back to life after 55 yrs of hiatus

CAIRO - 16 January 2023: On a high hill north of Paris Oasis in Egypt's New Valley, stands the Hassan Fathi Village project established by the international architect Hassan Fathi, and extends over an area of 18 acres. 

 

Built in 1963, in response to an invitation by the late President Gamal Abdel el-Nasser, to reflect the development of a national architecture style specific to Egypt at that time, in accordance with the principles of the "July Revolution".

 

 

After 55 years of hiatus, the village was transformed into a global enviornmentally-friendly forum and meeting place for environmental art. It is one of the most prominent aesthetic manifestations, as it is about 85 km away from the city of Kharga, and includes many constructions and buildings that were built in the environmental style with mud bricks.

 

Over the past ten years, the Ministry of Culture has implemented a plan to transform Hassan Fathi Village in Paris into an art school that includes a number of plastic art ceremonies, in addition to a large commercial market with a number of cafes on its sides, to become a unique architectural masterpiece, as work began in Paris Village in 1963.

 

 

 

Used in its construction is the "Tafleh", which is a special type of desert bricks manufactured in the areas of oases and desert valleys, and Architect Fathi succeeded in achieving the maximum degrees of temperature control and reducing it by a large amount of up to 15 degrees Celsius by using natural ventilation methods, as the temperatures in the Paris region reach to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer.

 

 

Fathi put climate and environmental factors in the design, including a great deal of temperature control by determining the direction of the houses and their location in relation to the sun and the movement of the wind, in addition to determining the locations of the openings and their heights, inspired by methods that date back to the ancient Pharaonic architecture, and thus was able to provide a natural air conditioning system that saves large sums of money.

 

In this project, the implementation of building methods inspired by the Nubian and Saidian architecture, which adopts clay material in construction.

 

 

 

The team of the National Organization for Urban Harmony had recently completed an inspection of the village of "Hassan Fathy" in the governorate, in order to develop a comprehensive proposal for the development of the village, the exploitation of the architectural facilities in it, and its rehabilitation as a tourist and cultural destination in light of its unique architectural character, according to the cooperation protocol to be signed during the period. 

 

 

And Hisham Atwa, head of the General Authority for Culture Palaces, confirmed during his recent visit to the New Valley Governorate, at the beginning of last January, the preparation of a photo report to study the development of mechanisms to restore and revive Hassan Fathi’s ceremonies in Paris again, towards achieving the desired goal, spreading culture and arts, and achieving the principle of cultural justice.