Department of Architecture
Faculty of Engineering - Cairo University
3rd International Conference
ARCHCAIRO
2006
Grand Hyatt-Cairo Egypt
February 21-23, 2006
APPROPRIATING ARCHITECTURE TAMING URBANISM IN THE DECADES OF
TRANSFORMATION
Under the Auspices of
Prof. Dr.
Aly Abdel Rahman Youssef
President, Cairo University
The use of the terms/conceptions of
“Appropriate” and the underlying action “appropriating” in
the realms of architecture planning and development in the
sixties and seventies of the twentieth century was closely
related to technology transfer. The critics questioned the
validity of the notion and pointed out the shortcomings of
exporting technology, tools and products to developing
communities without regard to its settings, natural and
manmade; its ability to assimilate or benefit from. The
criticism was accompanied by a positive drive calling for
“Appropriate Technology”, hence advocating a conscious
appropriating action directed to technology: tools, process
and products to suit the targeted settings/context and
communities.
The controversy
regarding technology transfer relatively subsided since, but
the essence of the emerging conception of seeking the
appropriate and appropriating the tools, processes and
products continued with the evolving new directions and
movements of: Post Modernism, Contextuality, Conservation
and, Adaptive Reuse, Sustainability and the rest. All
acknowledging, respecting, and adhering to design, planning,
and development contexts; identity and features.
Appropriating
design and development endeavours, its intellectual/mental
framework, tools and products is becoming a challenge and an
urgent need/requirement during the last two decades
characterized by open doors & skies, and the free flow of
information, thoughts, technology and products.
In other words
“Appropriating” or addressing and manipulating of
conceptions, tools and products is becoming synonymous to
the ability to interact, to evaluate, read, analyze,
criticize, experiment and develop; this applies to all
civilizations’ products including: schools, directions, and
theories of architecture, planning processes and building
technology, effective development control & practice and
conservation of resources (natural and manmade). From this
perspective “Appropriating” architecture and urbanism is a
responsibility, both the Developed and Developing
communities have to undertake, as it reflects on the various
aspects of its development and interaction including:
building/architecture technology, identity and character,
management and planning, development and conservation of
resources. It also means setting and definition of
references and values, evaluation criteria; all are crucial
factors and challenging tasks deeply rooted in architectural
and community design processes both in the academic and
professional areans.
This conference invites scholars, researchers, and
professionals in the realms of: Architecture, Building
Science and Technology, Environmental Design and
Conservation, Community and Urban Design, Housing and Urban
Planning and Management and related areas to address the
said issues of Appropriating Architecture and Urbanism in
the past and current decades and to participate and
contribute to the forthcoming discourse in one or more of
the
following themes:
Conference Themes:
§ Appropriate
and Appropriating architecture for existing and new
settings/communities.
§ Architectural
criticism: appropriating current and emerging architectural
and planning streams of thoughts and theory.
§
Environmental systems: appropriating buildings, components
and settings.
§
Building technology tools and techniques, appropriate and
appropriating.
§ Community
and Urban Design, contextuality and appropriate approaches,
references, criteria and determinants.
§ Appropriating
planning management and development of urban settings and
resources.
Additional Events:
§
Architecture and products of the younger architects:
1988-2004
§
The 3rd
student competition.
§
Architectural and art book fair.
§
The
construction industry
§
Architectural and Engineering design support center,
selected work
Conference Mailing Address:
Department of
Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University. Giza,
Egypt
Tel:
002 02 774 0748, Fax: 002 02 572 8967
email:
info@archcairo.org,
website:
www.archcairo.org
