Publications of the Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counsellor in Cairo 2018-2019. Current Research of the Hassan Fathy Survey Mission in Egypt

Dávid, Dóra and Vasáros, Zsolt (2020) Publications of the Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counsellor in Cairo 2018-2019. Current Research of the Hassan Fathy Survey Mission in Egypt. Project Report. Department of Industrial and Agricultural Building Design and Office of the Hungarian Cultural Counsellor in Cairo, Budapest and Cairo.

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Abstract

The Hassan Fathy Survey Mission has been researching Fathy’s oeuvre on the field nine times in five years. The 2018-2019 period has been crucial to the research endeavour. First, thanks to the Rare Books and Special Collections Library of the American University in Cairo we have had access to an unparalleled archive of important original plans and notes, as well as photos of the architect. We can use this material to search for details and connections which are virtually unknown, despite the large body of publications. In other words, based on the efforts we have undertaken to complete our fieldwork, questions arise which we can answer by using the material in the collection. The Mission’s scope in terms of time periods and the spaces studied has expanded. The research mission on Fathy’s oeuvre surpassed its original purpose. The concepts of design-based research and research-based design, as well as the character of the curriculum for designing architects are frequently discussed questions in scientific circles and forums. Therefore, fieldwork proves to be desirable and effective, as documentation always yields primary results which were previously unknown, not up to date, or not detailed enough. At the same time a fieldwork like ours allows us to observe many phenomena in Egypt which we might not notice otherwise. Today, Fathy’s original focus on understanding and preserving historical architecture in combination with vernacular architecture is still as relevant as in the 1940s. Now, the situation is exacerbated by demographics and the forecasted decline of the Nile, as well as by the unpredictable consequences of climate change. The review and publication of Fathy’s oeuvre may not answer these questions, but deeper knowledge of his work may help us understand the processes better. It can help with the analysis of historical and contemporary examples and with the understanding of their essential elements. Nowadays, understanding the issues of the Global South and supporting the region have become a global task. If the Hassan Fathy Survey Mission, with its field activities and its university-level dissemination and research potential can contribute to this at an international level, we will have achieved our primary goal. We will continue our work in 2020.

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