TA’ET NOUR

TA’ET NOUR is a mixed use urban project on the outskirts of Assiut City, the capital of the Assiut governorate, located in Upper Egypt. The project is designed as a humanitarian response to the needs of the residents of an informal settlement near the village of Al Izziya, where the recently built high voltage power lines are causing the residents serious health hazards. As a result this proposal was presented in order to move the residents to a nearby plot of land far away from the power lines.

The scheme begins by identifying the residents’ requirements in a series of site visits, and using this brief to create a simple division on the new site between the public and private uses using a new green pedestrian friendly main road. From this simple starting point began the process of design that was built on studying the vernacular in its traditional form and in its informal form. Thus, by not discrediting the value of the architecture found in informal settlements and trying to marry this ‘style’, its construction techniques, and materials to the Egyptian vernacular architecture we were able to create a new design language that provides for sustainability, ease of construction, and aesthetic fulfillment for residents and passersby alike.

On the macro scale the design tries to maximize the functionality of the site through the use of the roofs, street corners and other ‘wasted space’ to create opportunities for both private and public gathering in a ‘garden’ setting. As for the main aspect of the project, the residential units, these are treated as stacked ‘houses’ complete with their own outdoor courtyard, as opposed to simple blocks of flats. This is done to fulfill the intricate needs and requirements of the residents both cultural and functional.

Street level perspective view of the scheme