REHABIMED Rehabilitation of Traditional Mediterranean Architecture - - PDF document

REHABIMED

Rehabilitation of Traditional Mediterranean Architecture

Pilot Project in EGYPT CAIRO

The REHABIMED project extends all along the Mediterranean area. Due to efficiency and organisation reasons it has been chosen four implication levels which on one hand allow to study in depth certain actions at sub regional level and

• n the other hand grant a global incidence, increasing the

actions’ realistic and catalytic effect. The Project Global objective Basically, the preservation of the historical and cultural identity of traditional architecture shared by the different Mediterranean nations, and the contribution to a common strategy so as to create a solid space of coexistence and knowledge in which environmental, economical and social life conditions of a vast spectrum of the population will be improved in the mid term This objective implies the increase of traditional architecture rehabilitation as a strategic factor within the sustainable and respectful development

• f

the Mediterranean area. The definition of traditional architecture adopted in the Project The Project is interested with current and inhabited architecture, essentially civil and domestic one, which is the fruit of a pre-industrial tradition transmitted from one generation to another. An architecture, which was always built by artisans and masons, rarely by architects and specialists. Today, this architecture is a fundamental expression of the culture of every community and its relation with natural territory.

6 countries that constitute the REHABIMED Consortium Spain, France, Cyprus, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco 4 localities, distributed geographically in the less favoured sub regions of the Mediterranean area will be the experimentation poles, thanks to the participation of representants of all the Mediterranean countries in the pilot

• perations

Lefkara (Cyprus), Cairo (Egypt), Tunisia (Tunisia) and Marrakech (Morocco) Cairo has been chosen to execute a pilot Project which interested with current and inhabited architecture, essentially civil and domestic one, which is the fruit of a pre-industrial tradition transmitted from one generation to another, and for conservation traditional architecture throw a rehabilitation project aiming developing and upgrading traditional craft.

luigi mayer, principal square in ground cairo, with Murad Bey’s palace ( the qaramidan, 1801. color lithograph, 23.2 × 31.3 cm Rare books and special collections library the American . university in cairo

Cairo :

Ibn-Khaldun wrote:

(…. He who has never seen Cairo has not known the glory of Islam, for it is the capital city of the earth, the garden

• f the world, the assemblage of nations, the birthplace of

humanity, sanctuary of Islam, seat of monarchy looming with places and lawns, full of flourishing khanqahs and schools, shining with its scientists, and th nile banks are paradise-like (…..). Still, we speak of the country and how advanced it in civilization and riches.). 4

Egypt Northern Medieval District

Pilot Project in Cairo

Pilot project is located in historical Cairo as it keeps a lot of traditional urban tissues in spit of degradation, decay and neglecting for several decades. The exposed to losses in many

• f its traditional urban tissues and historical buildings. An
• rganize buildings and urban areas speeded all over historical

Cairo. And located in Northern Medieval District: called AI-

• Gamaliyyah. This area was enclosed within the royal Fatimid

city of al-Qahirah (Latin: Cairo), walled with mud brick in( 969AC) . The l.1km2 area was enlarged twice, and made available to the general populace by Salah al-Din in 1171, when many royal functions were transferred to the Citadel. A dense mix of religious and domestic monuments from Mamluk (1250- 1516 AC) and Ottoman (1517-1805 AC) periods is here. Shops and markets have always figured highly in this heavily populated and relatively poor section of Cairo, where urban redevelopment is slow and sometimes unsympathetic. The

• verriding impression is of a rapidly expanding ... population

within a restricted medieval infrastructure with limited modern services.

Azhar street Cairo Ghoria street

: Historical Cairo General Problems

Since the 90's of the last Century restoration and rehabilitation specialist determine the general problems which w affect the restoration and rehabilitation project and should b

• considered. Those problems could be summarized as follow
• The problem of the ground water which lead to humidity

in the buildings through capillary action and affecting the durability of structure elements, plastering and ATC. Also, the settlement of the soil which affects the stability of the structure causing the damage of the building.

• The problem of traffic causing vibrations and pollution

affecting deterioration of building materials.

• The neglecting of maintenance for long periods due to

social and political issues.

• Unsuitable usage of the historical and traditional

buildings due to social and economical issues.

• Many of the buildings including urban areas facing

deterioration and demolishing.

• The Spreading of unorganized residential buildings

within the urban fabric. The government only gives attention recently for only the monuments not for the urban traditional architecture.

Nineteenth- century rood construction in and around the historic city . dotted lines indicate une xecuted

• progects. Author’s drawing

after J. abu-lughod Wekalet Ahmed El- Khateep

Site chosen:-

The process of chosen the convenient site by limitations as; Represents traditional Caireen architecture, Includes workshops for traditional crafts, hasn't any connections with projects executed or prepared, Easy to deal with inhabitance and their true need for upgrading, Ability to deal with governmental administrative sectors. The site was chosen is called Wekalet Ahmed El- Khateep recently named El- Magraby and located in historical Cairo. The Wekaleh was constructed in the Eighteen Century where the Ottoman architecture features appears. It was built by Ahmad Elkhateeb as it appears on the maps of the French Military mission in

• Egypt. It is located in khan Abo Takiya Street, Gamalia district.

A visual study and condition of building around the Wekaleh

The building consists of two stories where the workshops on ground floor and residential flats on the first floor. Several uses found for the Wekaleh, commercial in the front shops opening on the Khan Abo Takiya Street. Traditional crafts and small industrial workshops are located around the

• pen court in the middle of

the building and part of the first floor with a separated entrance.

Description of the building:

Firest floor plan at Wekaleh ground floor plan at Wekaleh

The residential uses are at the first floor consists of two flats with a separate stair case leading to another entrance direct to the street. The façade in hewn lime stone for the ground floor while the first floor was constructed by fire break coated with lime plaster. The main entrance located

• n the eastern façade and

leading to a vaulted entrance (Dehllez) which

• pens on the court of the

Wekaleh surrounded with workshops. And a staircase leads to the first floor where some of the workshops are located. The second entrance located at the southern façade leading to staircase where two residential flats are located. The residential ceiling stair court workshops wall

The Wekaleh consists

• f two floors of 9.72m

height in total. The first floor height is 3.62 m, the second floor is 5.20m, and at the top comes a brick parapet with 0.9m. The Wekaleh has two elevations:

• The northern façade
• The eastern façades
• The northern façade

The eastern façades

CROSS SECTION ( 3 - 3 ) at Wekaleh court CROSS SECTION ( 2 - 2 ) at Wekaleh court CROSS SECTION ( 1 - 1 ) at Wekaleh court

Work shops and Crafts: The Wekaleh include four major small industrial and traditional crafts work shops. 1- Metal turnery workshop.

• This workshop industrialize spare parts of another

machines used for manufacturing golden, silver and brace jewelry.

• This workshop distribute its products all over the

zone for all shops which working in manufacturing

• jewelry. This kind of product is very important to

that kind of manufacturing.

• The developing of the lathe workshop is suitable

from the economical point of view for the existence

• f suitable market around its area with no
• transportation. Three workers with moderate level
• f profession are working in the metal lathe and

they live outside historical Cairo at Beaulaq and Shobra. 2- Metal wash and painting workshop:

• This work shop uses comical materials for washing

and painting (brass – aluminum) products.

• This kind of traditional crafts is very important for

Egyptian markets especially in the surrounding zone which deal with jewelry products.

• Three workers with moderate level of profession

are working in this craft and they live inside the Wekhala at the residential area in the first floor. 3- Work shop for manufacturing brushes:

• This work shop manufacturing tissues brushes from
• ld clothes for polishing metal products.
• This kind of traditional crafts is very important for

Egyptian markets especially in the studying zone which deal with jewelry products.

• Six workers with moderate level of profession are

working in this craft and they live outside the Wekhala at Gamalia and Manshiet Naser. 4- Hand made brass decorated lathe products work shop:

• This work shop manufacturing brass lathe

products, and located near the market for traditional products (khan elkhalily).

• Two workers live outside historic Cairo working in

this traditional craft.

Wekaleh

• Deterioration aspects of El

: Deterioration features of the northern and eastern facades Vertical and inclined cracks on the first floor façade's walls. Worn of the façade's stones and cantilevers. Lime paints on top of stones. Falling of portions of the first floor and roof plaster finishes. Usage of red bricks in some part of the facades. The separation of paints finishing from the walls. The vanishing of gypsum cornices from the facades. Accumulation of dirt and dust on top of the facades. Appearance of disjointing at the walls' corners. Unaesthetic finishing material choices.

Bad condition of opening(doors and windows):

• Loss of frames, wooden leaves, accessories and

glassing.

• Total loss of inner wooden panels
• Some opening is covered with wooden or metal

sheets.

• Appearance of cracks and worn in all woods.
• High percentage of humidity in the woods.
• Some wood are affected by insects.
• Bad condition of the painted surfaces.
• Wrong restoration of some doors and windows.

: Deterioration features of the courtyard and workshops Deviation and inclement in some walls. Unaesthetic finishing material choices. Plaster finishes on top of some craved stones. Appearance of vertical and inclined cracks with different lengths and widths in the first floor's wall. Semi-total deterioration of flooring and ceiling. Separation and fallen of plaster finishes from the walls. Bad condition of wooden ceiling, doors, and windows. Appearance of rust on top of metal doors and windows. The absence of paint finishes on the first floor courtyard facades. The worn and missing of some stone cornices and craved stones.

: Deterioration features of the residential floor Appearance of vertical and inclined cracks with different lengths and widths in some walls. Deviation and inclement in some walls. Separation and fallen of plaster finishes from the walls. Bad condition of lime painted surfaces. Total deterioration of the ceiling Bad condition of doors and windows, as describe in the façade deterioration. Bad condition of wooden paints.

Deterioration features of the residential staircase: Worn of the residential stoned staircase. Appearance of disjointing at the staircase walls' corners, and the appearance of vertical and inclined cracks with different lengths and widths. Deviation and inclement in some walls. The separation of plaster finishing from the walls. Bad condition of lime paints. Deterioration features of the roof: Accumulation of dirt and dust at the top of the roofs. Worn of the flooring's Maasarany tiles and the missing

• f some of it.

The unevenness of the parapet. General deterioration features in the El-Wekaleh: The building has a bad situation of conservation because of the lack of maintenance work for long time and for the absence its real owner, where the inhabitance didn’t pay any rental fees any body, although they pay legally for using services (electric water supply).generally the building needs consolidation for som

• f the construction elements (bearing walls – wooden ceilings

also rehabilitation and renewal of infra structure services All of this traditional crafts work shops need revitalization and rehabilitation for (machinery, tools and services) besid the restoration work for the Wekale