The practice of home in old Cairo towards socio-spatial models of sustainable living

Abdelmonem, M.G. ORCID: 0000-0002-8271-0924, 2012. The practice of home in old Cairo towards socio-spatial models of sustainable living. Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review, 23 (2), pp. 35-50. ISSN 1050-2092

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Abstract

The article investigates the practice of home as an everyday system for sustainable living in Old Cairo. The idea of home in this historic urban space has long involved fluid socio-spatial associations and made efficient use of
space-activity-time dynamics. As in the past, a individual's sense of home may here extend beyond or shrink within the physical boundaries of a particular house, as spatial settings are produced and consumed according to time of day, gender association, or special events. The article argues that architects working in this context must understand the dynamics of this complex traditional system if they are to develop locally informed, genuine designs that build on everyday spatial practices. Work by the architect Salah Zaki Said and by the Historic Cities Program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture is described to illustrate the potential of such engagement, especially as it contrasts to more abstract architectural proposals.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review
Creators:	Abdelmonem, M.G.
Publisher:	International Association for the Study of Traditional Environments
Date:	2012
Volume:	23
Number:	2
ISSN:	1050-2092
Divisions:	Schools > School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	17 Jan 2018 15:02
Last Modified:	17 Jan 2018 15:02
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32466

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