Designed by: Architect Gamal Amer
Date of begining: 1996
Written by: Architect Gamal Amer Arabic version
Translated by: Architect Nagla Mahmoud
| This Center is aimed to build a culture and artistic nuclei, tends to develop the whole area from the culture and
art side, to create a center meeting to the artists and the potters, to make the culture exhibitions and festivals.
They consider in its design the culture and historical environment of the old Egypt to be proportion with the architectural and the historical style of the region from the harmony with the sky line which it full of a lot of mosques domes, churches towers and the all the historical buildings that have aesthetics and artistic value, that we must protect it and asserting its identity. They taking in consideration the nearest of the center to the porcelain group which is in "Batn el baqar and koum ghourab", that full of the artists, potters and technicians, which make it the center of the culture and artistic radiation, and being the most important reference to protect the ceramic heritage in the zone and in whole Egypt. The ceramic center begins with two little rooms for the ovens and open area and other has roof with wooden slates in two hundred square meters. In 1995 the culture minister decided to develop the Ceramic center in Foustat, by rebuilding it and providing it with the whole tools, machines, and new ovens. In 1996 they started to rebuild it with area 2400 square meters and ambitious program, which is consist of: 1- 800 m2 [groups of operators - workshops - places to break and crunch the initial materials - production and empirical ovens (wooden - Kerosene - electric ovens)], all these ovens are environmental and never cause any harmful to the environment. 2- 400 m2 of Galleries and Show rooms, he use a natural light at the morning, which came from the holes in the double wall, using the Sun direction to come direct to the Artistic products, and he use the artificial learnt lights at night. 3- 300 m2 in the ground floor [offices, Computer, Library, Salon to the VIP, control rooms, Security]. 4- 200 m2 the main room of the Symposium and Festivals, it could use in different exhibitions, its roof is a dome with 15 m height, it opened to the court that may be used to extend the show from the interior to the exterior. 5- 700 m2 the court of the main building of the center, and other courts that may be use in the open show, exhibitions and festivals, adding to this the importance of it in the ventilation and lighting. 6- 200 m2 in the first floor [ateliers and the Artists livings] it consists of seven main rooms, each has all the main supplies they may need (bed, cupboard, refrigerator, television, drawing table, …), adding to this there is a bathroom in the first floor and others in the first floor. 7- Green areas and the museum garden around the building which contains different kind of rare old trees, and Palms, that was saved all, and there is an old Kaffour tree that Saieed al Sadr plant it and they saved it in the main court of the center. The Philosophy of the Design: To build a building that has high aesthetic value and successful function as an artistic, culture, and international production. This will come from a pure Egyptian architecture, which is proportional to the historical value of the place, by using architecture, that interacting with the environmental culture rounding the zone. Taking in consideration the artistic and creation atmosphere that helps the artists in the creation and generation. Using the local environmental materials [Rocks, Bricks, Wood], and far away from Concrete and the whole materials that is not environment as soon as they can to help in decreasing the Construction cost. Placing the Islamic components [Domes, Cross Vaults, arches and Mashrabaia] by using Hassan Fathi philosophy in developing the historical antique zones. Taking in consideration the future extensions through the common layout of the whole rounding zone of the project, that contains all accessories, services and the suggestions activities in the future stages. Future Vision: Adding many services and open spaces to digest the artistic movement and tourists movement that increased in this zone. These extensions are: - 1- Museum and show room of Sa'eed al Sadr, who is the origin founder of this place from forty years ago. This museum contains some of his projects, and the pioneer potters projects, artistic show room, and a market to sell the center productions, presents and artistic copies. 2- Theater and open amphitheater rounded by open rocks alcoves to be an architectural style that got along with the place, in the same time we can see the old Foustat from this alcoves. This will add an historical atmosphere with the presents. We can us it as an open theater in the artistic and culture festivals. 3- Huge open area in the middle of the Center that contains a fountain to make international festivals in it, like Garish festivals in Gordon, Cartage festivals in Tunis, Ivinion in France. 4- Cafeteria and rest house for the visitors, which placed in the top of the tower to see the whole Panorama of the historical region. |
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