Hassan Fathy and the New Gourna Experiment
Perhaps now with a return to national/cultural pride and preservation of the past in the Middle East, partly due to thinkers like Fathy, some of his ideas can be taken much more seriously. His beliefs that what is modern and new is not necessarily what is best for a people and that certain traditions exist because they are well suited to a culture or region have certainly taken hold. Those in the field of sustainability have come to realize that vernacular architecture, often centuries old, is more earth-friendly and will sustain us longer than the much more recent building techniques we see in the Western world today. This is one positive lesson we can take from New Gourna. It may not have been what the people were seeking, but it was enough to suit their needs for a long time. Despite these lessons, in the aftermath of Industrialization Hassan Fathy's ideas could not be applied in pure form and the experiment at New Gourna can never be repeated. Sadly, New Gourna represents not just one man's unsuccessful experiment but an architectural tradition that will never exist again as it once had.
INTERNET LINKS:
A look at another project by Fathy A Tale of Two Houses
Article by Hassan Fathy Architecture and the Environment
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