Yellow Workshop – Changing paradigms: Materials for a world not yet built

Yellow mobile workshop – Archeological heritage

Egypt’s rich cultural heritage spans over 8000 years. The mobile workshop participants experienced glimpses of the creation of the Downtown area and current efforts for its urban regeneration, viewed the monumental building of the Egyptian Museum, read through the Pyramids’ construction, the rehabilitation project of the Giza Plateau, the restoration of the Sphinx, and the mega project of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

The day mixed talk with site visits. The talks offered presentations and lectures concerning safeguarding Egypt’s heritage; included background information, objectives, involved stakeholders, tools and progress, and comprehensive sustainable measures.

Excursion leader profiles

Dalila ElKerdany is a professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University; an adjunct Professor of Architecture at the American University in Cairo; a practicing architect; and a Chairman of MIMAR Engineering Consultancy. She obtained her B.Sc. in Architecture Engineering, M.Sc. in Architecture, as well as Ph.D. in Architecture from Cairo University.

Riham Arram is the General Manager and founder of the Cairo Heritage Preservation Department in the Cairo Governorate’s office. She is an archaeologist with a Ph.D. in Ancient Egyptian civilization and has a wealth of experience in the tourism field. She has worked in the Cairo Governorate for seven years and has been a part of many projects focusing on the old city - inscribed on the World Heritage List.

To create a novel, visionary world system, we also need to develop materials for a world that has yet to be built. This approach would ultimately demand that humankind make the decisive transition to cultivating, breeding, raising, farming, or growing resources instead of merely extracting them from the natural environment. The workshop “Changing paradigms: Materials for a world not yet built” will look at various new models for creating a sustainably built human environment that is both fully recyclable and constructed from materials that are grown or naturally transformed so as not to damage the non-human environments of the world. In particular, new ideas and approaches will be explored concerning materials, water and energy supply, waste management, and alternative construction methods that, while aiming to thoroughly rethink our relation to resources, also respect the human values of dignity, health, and happiness. Taking into consideration what must still be achieved to these ends, the workshop will deliberate on how to build a different world.