Imagining a Whole New Architecture:

These surreal visions would soon be realized as a result of the farm project for the Royal Society of Agriculture in 1941. According to James Steel in An Architecture for People, "This sizable project proved to be a pivotal moment in the evolution of the architect's technique because it forced the issue of finding a method of building the vaults and domes shown in his watercolours."** Without a cost-effective solution to an architectural form that was normally costly, his vision of affordable housing would remain just a vision. That solution was found not in the advice of structural engineers but in the advice of his brother who encouraged him to travel south to study Nubian brick architecture. Because parts of Nubia were devoid of usable trees, the people had to develop a construction method for roofing that did not include timber framing and support. With this discovery, Fathy's imagined alternative to costly modern construction suddenly became feasible. His belief in creating a new architecture that better suited the people would actually involve an old architecture his people had once known-- simple mud-brick. His first project using this method was the Kalini Residence in 1945 but his most famous project was the New Gourna Village. Other projects in Egypt include the Hamdi Seif al-Nasr house, the Hamed Said house, the Ceramics Factory at Garagus, a school at Fares, and the plan for New Baris. He completed projects in other countries as well including Saudi Arabia and the US(the Dar al-Islam project in New Mexico).

Although his projects were not always successful and well received in his time, his writing on them and his ideas pushed the issues of vernacular architecture and appropriate technology into mainstream discussion. Part of the lasting strength of Fathy's vision was not just in his ability to manifest his theories into actual projects(numbering around 160 total), but in his ability to articulate his concepts in his many writings on them. In 1973 with the publication of Architecture for the Poor (University of Chicago Press), Fathy's work came to international attention and finally started to receive the attention it deserved. In addition to the impact his writing had, he had an exceptional ability to teach and inspire. He was for many years professor of Fine Arts and Head of the Architectural School, at the University of Cairo. He is also said to have often opened his home to strangers and

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