Analysis Of Hassan Fathy's New Gourna

Hassan Fathy’s work in New Gourna, described in his book ‘Architecture for the Poor’ proposes an inventive approach to tradition that is, in theory, also very sustainable, economical and cheap. However this architecture is not used in Egypt today, although the locals insist on building new houses, especially in the outskirts of Cairo. The number of these houses grows everyday, which has led to a chaotic situation of the city, in terms of infrastructure and overall living condition. Why are Fathy’s principles not used today to create manageable neighborhoods that are pleasant to live in? This paper aims to answer this question by looking at the context of Fathy’s work, the socio-economical situation of Egypt, and the problems that may come across when trying to link his approach to the present.
Hassan Fathy was one of the pioneers of post-modern architecture, and an
Built during the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, this village was a sort of reallocation project to move the former community somewhere else. The former Gourna village was built on an important archeological site of ancient monuments and tombs which the locals would continuously rob in order to maintain themselves (Lane,2000). The assigned architect, Fathy’s made extensive research to develop a sustainable village in which the lives of the locals would not be drastically changed from their former environment. Everything was thought out, even the new crafts that the villagers would take on and how they would learn them. Fathy had formerly explored the possibilities brought by mud bricks and decided to incorporate it in this village as well. It was easy and to procure mud for the bricks in Egypt, and in a matter of weeks a house could be completed with a modest number of craftsman working. But ultimately the project failed to meet its expectations. Today only a few buildings remain of the original