Foundation 23 - Re-materializing Construction

56 Mobile Workshop: New vernacular This mobile workshop was dedicated to traditional building ma- terials and methods that remain relevant in Egypt today. The leaders, Khaled Abdelhalim and Mohammad Abou Samra, took the participants to lesser-known parts of the city, to districts, and to rural areas near the city which have been informally developed. The excursion began with an overview presentation. Afterwards, the group visited an informal settlement in Cairo. About 60 percent of the population in Africa’s largest city live in so-called informal houses. Interestingly, these are not built using traditional materi- als and methods but rather with modern ones, as in the formally developed parts of the city. The houses are often multi-story con- crete and brick buildings. The group stopped several times along the way and analyzed the urban typology from the street. The next destination was al-Azhar Park, Cairo’s largest public gardens. Ancient city walls were found near the park, built by the Ayyubids in the 12th century. These