Elegant Solutions
Written by Simone Swan – Volume 50, Number 4 July/August 1999
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199904/elegant.solutions.htm
In 1985 Fathy was awarded the first Chairman’s Award of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. He was 85, and it was only then that he began to receive the international recognition, the speaking engagements, and the other awards that his work and his principles had so long deserved.
Archnet
http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.jsp?party_id=1
In 1985, Hassan Fathy donated his entire collection of drawings and writings to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. To preserve this collection, the Award organised a photographic mission to Cairo in the summer of 1988 to document the voluminous collection of original drawings. The Hassan Fathy archives are now housed at the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the American University of Cairo. The collection of over 1,200 images and drawings in the ArchNet Digital Library represents the first time that the work of this important and ground-breaking architect is made available to a wide audience.
http://archnet.org/library/parties/one-party.jsp?party_id=1
Biography: Fathy devoted himself to housing the poor in developing nations and deserves study by anyone involved in rural improvement. Fathy worked to create an indigenous environment at a minimal cost, and in so doing to improve the economy and the standard of living in rural areas. Fathy utilized ancient design methods and materials. He integrated a knowledge of the rural Egyptian economic situation with a wide knowledge of ancient architectural and town design techniques. He trained local inhabitants to make their own materials and build their own buildings. Climatic conditions, public health considerations, and ancient craft skills also affected his design decisions. Based on the structural massing of ancient buildings, Fathy incorporated dense brick walls and traditional courtyard forms to provide passive cooling.
AKAA
Chairman’s Award
The Chairman’s Award was established to honour special achievements.
More at the source.
http://www.akdn.org/akaa_award1_chairman.asp
Ismailimail 