Hassan Fathy studied architecture at the King Fuad University (Cairo University) and graduated in 1926 to become one of Egypt’s most well-known and revered architects, who gained his fame through simple, cost-effective designs for the people. He is the first Egyptian Architect in the 20th century who did not import western building designs. He left behind a legacy of 160 buildingprojects ranging from small projects to large-scale communities.
Background
Hassan Fathy was a cosmopolitan trilingual professor-engineer-architect, amateur musician, dramatist, and inventor.
His family was quite wealthy and as a child he liked painting and drawing, but didn't have any specific ambitions. However, his childhood love for drawing followed him into young adulthood
In 1908, his family moved to Cairo.
Fathy first wanted to be an agriculture engineer.
Fathy was most interested in improving the standard of living of the less fortunate. He even trained local inhabitants to make their own materials and build their own buildings.
His rejection of internationalist modernism went beyond a rejection of Westernization of a cultural heritage that he considered an important part of his identity. His rejection was of internationalism itself as an homogenizing concept that stripped human beings of their individuality.
He married his loving spouse Aziza Hassanein. Though the couple did not have any children of their own, his nephews and nieces were sure to preserve the legacy of their uncle.
Fathy’s most significant contribution to architecture was his concerns with the problems of the poor in contrast to modern architects. Modern architecture called for mass housing and the use of expensive material compared to his love for the more traditional and economical mud. His ideas may not have coincided with the times, but today they are greatly respected.
This great humanitarian passed away at 89 years old on November 30, 1989. He died peacefully in his home.
Education
Hassan Fathy studied architecture in ‘King Fuad University’ now known as the ‘Cairo University’ and in 1926 he graduated with a focus on engineering and architecture.
Career
1926-1930 : Hassan Fathy worked at the Department of Municipal Affairs, Cairo.
1930-1946 : He taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo.
1937 : Designed and exhibited first mud brick projects - country houses for Lower Egypt.
1941 : Constructed first mud brick structures incorporating the inclined vault-experimental housing in Bahtim, Egypt, commissioned by the Royal Society of Agriculture.
1946-1953 : Fathy was delegated to the Antiquities Department to design and supervise the project of New Gourna Village at Luxor, to displace the inhabitants of the Old Gourna from the Antiquities Zone.
1949-1952 : He was appointed Director of the School Building Department, Ministry of Education.
1950 : He was delegated Consultant to the United Nations Refugee World Assistance.
1953-1957 : Returned to teaching at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Cairo and in 1954 became the Head of the Architectural Section.
1957-1962 : Joined Doxiades Associates in Athens as consultant. Lecturer on Climate and Architecture at the Athens Technical Institute. Member of the Research Project for the City of the Future.
1963-1965 : Director of Pilot Projects for Housing, Ministry of Scientific Research, Cairo. Designed High Institute of Social Anthropology and Folk Art for the Ministry of Culture, Cairo. Worked as Consultant to the Minister of Tourism, Cairo. Delegated by the United Nations Organization for Rural Development Project in Saudi Arabia.
1966 : Lectured on philosophy and aesthetics in Town Planning and Architecture Department at al-Azhar University.
1975-1977 : Lectured on rural housing at the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo.
In 1980, the ‘International Balzan Prize’ foundation awarded him with the ‘Balzan Prize’ for his outstanding achievements in the field of architecture. This prize is generally awarded for innovative ideas which promote humanities, the natural sciences, and peace endeavors.
In 1980, the honor of the ‘Right Livelihood Award’, commonly known as an alternative Nobel Prize, was bestowed upon Fathy. This international award is given to support those who appear to have answers to the challenges of the time. He was the first to receive this award, which continues to honor today’s bright minds.
Views
Quotations:
"Beauty comes out when the form considers the force acting on it Architectural form should consider the forces in nature of wind, rain, even how an earthquake shaking it would make it fall in a pattern that follows the geological formation of a mountain."
"International architecture, is it not international ill-respect of art and international loss of culture? Because to my mind the best definition of architecture is one that is the outcome of the interaction between the intelligence of man and his environment in satisfying his needs, both spiritual and physical."
"It is said that if you put anything into the landscape that doesn't respect the natural environment, you can be punished, either by nature or by man."
Personality
Hassan Fathy was a man of charm, grace and wit.
For many Hassan Fathy was an enigma. The purity with which he pursued his vision of the truth, his unwillingness to compromise his standards, and his devotion to his art and his craft have always been a great inspiration to all those who knew him and to many who simply heard of him.
In Hassan Fathy's life and character there was a striking noblesse oblige of the aristocrat, a member of the intellectual and social elite of his country.