Copyright © 1973. University of Chicago Press. All rights reserved. 2 Chorale Man, Society, and Technology Architectural Character Every people that has produced architecture has evolved its own favorite forms, as peculiar to that people as its language, its dress, or its folklore. Until the collapse of cultural frontiers in the last cen- tury, there were all over the world distinctive local shapes and details in architecture, and the buildings of any locality were the beautiful children of a happy marriage between the imagination of the people and the demands of their countryside. I do not propose to speculate upon the real springs of national idiosyncrasy, nor could I with any authority. I like to suppose simply that certain shapes take a people's fancy, and that they make use of them in a great variety of contexts, perhaps rejecting the unsuitable applications, but evolving a colorful and emphatic visual language of their own that suits perfectly their character and their homeland. No one could mistake the curve of a Persian dome and arch for the curve of a Syrian one, or a Moorish one, or an Egyptian one. No one can fail to recognize the same curve, the same signature, in dome and jar and turban from the same dis- trict. It follows, too, that no one can look with complacency upon buildings transplanted to an alien environment. Yet in modern Egypt there is no indigenous style. The signature is missing; the houses of rich and poor alike are without character, without an Egyptian accent. The tradition is lost, and we have been cut off from our past ever since Mohammed Ali cut the throat of the last Mameluke. This gap in the continuity of Egyptian tradition has been felt by many people, and all sorts of remedies have been pro- posed. There was, in fact, a kind of jealousy between those who re- garded the Copts as the true lineal descendants of the Ancient Egyp- tians, and those who believed that the Arab style should provide the pattern for a new Egyptian architecture. Indeed, there was one statesmanlike attempt to reconcile these two factions, when Osman Moharam Pasha, the Minister of Public Works, suggested that Egypt be divided into two, rather as Solomon suggested dividing the baby, and that Upper Egypt be delivered to the Copts, where a traditional Pharaonic style could be developed, while Lower Egypt should go to the Moslems, who would make its architecture truly Arab! Fathy, Hassan. 19730 <i>Architecture for the Poor : An Experiment in Rural Egypt</i>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Accessed March 15, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central. Created from ucb on 2024-03-15 22:48:04. Copyright © 1973. University of Chicago Press. All rights reserved. 20 Chorale: Man, Society, and Technology This story goes to show two things. One is the encouraging fact that people do recognize and wish to remedy the cultural confusion in our architecture. The other—not so encouraging—is that this confusion is seen as a problem of style, and style is looked upon as some sort of surface finish that can be applied to any building and even scraped off and changed if necessary. The modern Egyptian architect believes that Ancient Egyptian architecture is represented by the temple with its pylons and cavetto cornice, and Arab by clustered stalactites, whereas Ancient Egyptian domestic architec- ture was quite unlike temple architecture, and Arab domestic archi- tecture quite different from mosque architecture. Ancient Egyptian secular buildings like houses were light constructions, simple, with the clean lines of the best modern houses. But in the architectural schools they make no study of the history of domestic buildings, and learn architectural periods by the accidents of style, the obvious features like the pylon and the stalactite. Thus the graduate architect believes this to be all there is in "style," and imagines a building can change its style as a man changes clothes. It was thinking like this that led some architect to ruin the entrance to the classrooms at Gourna school by transforming the original archway into an Ancient Egyptian-style temple doorway complete with cavetto cornice. It is not yet understood that real architecture cannot exist except in a liv- ing tradition, and that architectural tradition is all but dead in Egypt today. As a direct result of this lack of tradition our cities and villages are becoming more and more ugly. Every single new building man- ages to increase this ugliness, and every attempt to remedy the situa-- tion only underlines the ugliness more heavily. Particularly on the outskirts of provincial towns where the most recent building has been taking place the ugly design of the houses is emphasized by the shoddy execution of the work, and cramped square boxes of assorted sizes, in a style copied from the poorer quarters in the metropolis, half finished yet already decaying, set at all angles to one another, are stuck up all over a shabby wilderness of unmade roads, wire and lines of washing hanging dustily over chicken runs. In these nightmarish neighborhoods a craving for show and modernity causes the house owner to lavish his money on the tawdry fittings and decorations of urban houses, while being miserly with living space and denying himself absolutely the bene- fits of real craftsmanship. This attitude makes the houses compact and outward-facing, so that the family has to air bedding over the public street, and air itself exposed to the neighborhood upon its barren balconies; whereas if the owners were less cheap-minded they could take advantage of the only house type that can make life tolerable in these places, the courtyard house, and enjoy both space Fathy, Hassan. 1973. <i>Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt</i>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Accessed March 15, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central. Created from ucb on 2024-03-15 22:48:04. Copyright 1973. University of Chicago Press. All rights reserved. 21 The Process of Decision Making and privacy. Unfortunately this suburban architecture is the type that is taken by the peasants as a model of modernity and is gaining ground in our villages; on the outskirts of Cairo or Benha we can read the approaching fate of Gharb Aswan. To flatter his clients and persuade them that they are sophisticated and urban, the village mason starts to experiment with styles that he has seen only at second or third hand, and with materials that he cannot really handle with understanding. He abandons the safe guide of tradition, and without the science and experience of an architect tries to produce “architects' architecture.” The result is a building with all the defects and none of the advantages of the archi- tect's work. Thus the work of an architect who designs, say, an apartment house in the poor quarters of Cairo for some stingy speculator, in which he incorporates various features of modern design copied from fashionable European work, will filter down, over a period of years, through the cheap suburbs and into the village, where it will slowly poison the genuine tradition. So serious is this situation that a thorough and scientific investiga- tion of it becomes quite imperative if ever we are to reverse the trend toward bad, ugly, vulgar, and inefficient housing in our villages. Sometimes I have despaired at the size of the problem, and given it up as insoluble, the malign and irreversible operation of fate. I have succumbed to a feeling of helplessness, sadness, and pain for what was becoming of my people and my land. But when I found myself having to deal with the actual case of Gourna, I pulled myself together and began to think more practically about the problem. The Process of Decision Making Culture springs from the roots And seeping through to all the shoots To leaf and flower and bud From cell to cell, like green blood, Is released by rain showers As fragrance from the wet flowers To fill the air. But culture that is poured on men From up above, congeals then Like damp sugar, so they become Like sugar-dolls, and when some Life-giving shower wets them through They disappear and melt into A sticky mess. Fathy, Hassan. 1973. <i>Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt</i>. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Accessed March 15, 2024. ProQuest Ebook Central. Created from ucb on 2024-03-15 22:48:04./n 8:59 Back Discussion Details 5G 15 ARCH 3214-001: Hist & Thry of Architecture 2 Prompt #1: In his book Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt, Hassan Fathy conveys an attentiveness to cultural identity in architecture and laments the loss of an indigenous style in modern Egypt. Fathy writes: "Every people that has produced architecture has evolved its own favorite forms, as peculiar to that people as its language, its dress, or its folklore. Until the collapse of cultural frontiers in the last century, there were all over the world distinctive local shapes and details in architecture, and the buildings of any locality were the beautiful children of a happy marriage between the imagination of the people and the demands of their countryside" (Fathy 1973, 19). Through he work, he seeks to remedy the cultural confusion present in architecture for both the rich and poor. - How does Fathy aim to remedy the loss of identity of Egyptian architecture? Refer to and cite specific passages as you engage in a discussion. - What role does Fathy believe that 1) style and 2) tradition play in the pursuit of authentic identity? -Should architects and clients have a rightful capacity to "incorporate various features of modern design copied from fashionable European work... though cheap suburbs and into a village, where it will slowly poison genuine tradition" (Fathy 1973, 21)? 2 4 000 000 Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 8:59 Back Discussion Details 5G 15 ARCH 3214-001: Hist & Thry of Architecture 2 Prompt #2: Fathy sought to create a contemporary vernacular architecture for post-colonial Egypt. In his pursuit to integrate a range of vernacular techniques that belonged to cultures with multiple different languages and traditions, he created his own vernacular style. Through the process, he found that his interpretation of vernacular techniques did not align with the people who were meant to live in New Gourna. Hassan Fathy's work raises questions about what an authentic vernacular architecture is. What does Fathy do at New Gourna that supports the notion of vernacular architecture? What does he do that could possibly compromise or support it? Refer to and cite specific passages from Architecture for the Poor: An Experiment in Rural Egypt as you engage in a discussion. - Does vernacular architecture belong to a particular culture? If there are benefits to the planet or a community using sustainable methods that originate from a vernacular architecture, are there errors in utilizing such methods? - Is it possible to create an authentic, environmentally sensitive vernacular architecture today? Prompt #3: 2 4 000 000 Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 8:59 < Back Discussion Details 5G 15 ARCH 3214-001: Hist & Thry of Architecture 2 Prompt #3: Fathy's vision included the use vernacular construction methods such as Nubian mud vaulting in the Village of New Gourna. Fathy recounts: "The next day our party went to see the Fatimid Cemetery at Aswan. This is a group of elaborate shrines, dating from the tenth century, built entirely in mud brick, where vaults and domes are employed with splendid assurance and style. Here too mud brick domes and vaults are employed, but the simplicity and humility of the monastic ideal is revealed in the architecture, which thus proves able to accommodate equally well the contrasting inspirations of the Moslem and Christian religion" (Fathy 1973, 7). He was enthusiastic about bring back old traditions and cooperative building methods. However, for many of the potential inhabitants, the inclusion of domes in the house designs meant for mosques and tombs, not homes. -The Village of New Gourna in Egypt raises questions about cultural appropriation. Refer to and cite specific passages as you engage in a discussion. - Can culture be misappropriated in architecture? If so, how? If not, why not? Use specific examples and depth of analysis to clearly demonstrate your perspective. -Make an argument in support of or challenging Fathy's use of culture in the Village of New Gourna. Is it appropriately utilized, misappropriated, or neither. Use references from the readings and possible the village to support your position. 2 4 000 Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 8:59 Back Discussion Details ARCH 3214-001: Hist & Thry of Architecture 2 5G 15 Discussion Framework: Part 1 (your initial post): Your initial post must meet the following: 1. Respond to one of the prompt options for the week. (That is not a free-write or write whatever you want). 2. Title the post to correspond to the chosen prompt. 3. Compose a response that consists of at least 200 words, of your own writing, which critically examine the reading(s) and engage the prompt. (Please omit any unnecessary fluff to reach a particular word count.) 4. Express your thoughts in clear and careful writing. Make sure to type, review, and edit before posting. (Please do not write like you are Snapchatting or texting a friend.) Use complete sentences and appropriate terminology. Provide evidence from the text to support your position. Where relevant, refer to direct passages using the Chicago Manual of Style Author Date parenthetical citation. These quotations are not included in your reflection word count. 5. Thoughtfully engage with peers' work. Some responses may include concluding questions to further discussion. For Part 2 (your engagement post): 1. You then reply to at least one person with a substantive post, which is around at least 150 words. (No fluff). 2. Your reply must do the following: 1. The engagement response utilizes one technique of Bailey's guide to participating.. 2. Your reply begins by identifying which technique that you are doing (e.g. #5 Offer an Objection) 3. Express your thoughts in clear and careful writing. Make sure to type, review, and edit before posting. 2 4 000 Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 8:59 Back Discussion Details 5G 15 ARCH 3214-001: Hist & Thry of Architecture 2 (Please do not write like you are Snapchatting or texting a friend.) Use complete sentences and appropriate terminology. Provide evidence from the text to support your position. Where relevant, refer to direct passages using the Chicago Manual of Style Author Date parenthetical citation. These quotations are not included in your reflection word count. 5. Thoughtfully engage with peers' work. Some responses may include concluding questions to further discussion. For Part 2 (your engagement post): 1. You then reply to at least one person with a substantive post, which is around at least 150 words. (No fluff). 2. Your reply must do the following: 1. The engagement response utilizes one technique of Bailey's guide to participating.. 2. Your reply begins by identifying which technique that you are doing (e.g. #5 Offer an Objection) 3. Express your thoughts in clear and careful writing. Make sure to type, review, and edit before posting. (Please do not write like you are Snapchatting or texting a friend.) Use complete sentences and appropriate terminology. Provide evidence from the text to support your position. Where relevant, refer to direct passages using the Chicago Manual of Style Author Date parenthetical citation. These quotations are not included in your reflection word count. 4. Your response is respectful, charitable, kind, and displays a concerted effort to avoid defensive or aggressive reactions. 5. Your reply adheres to all the expectations of the classroom behavior outlined in the syllabus. Reply 2 4 000 000 Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox