Living Symposium

Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering Architecture Department.

Project idea

Aswan, located in the southernmost part of Egypt, experiences some of the highest temperatures in the country, often exceeding 45°C during peak summer months. This extreme heat presents significant challenges for daily life, public health, energy consumption, and sustainable development. The intense solar radiation, prolonged heatwaves, and lack of natural shading increase the demand for innovative solutions that not only provide effective passive cooling but also draw from the region’s rich cultural heritage. Aswan holds a distinguished place in Egypt’s artistic and cultural history, known for its enduring legacy in stone carving and granite sculpting. For thousands of years, its quarries have provided the raw material for some of Egypt’s most iconic monuments, from ancient obelisks to colossal statues. This tradition of craftsmanship continues today through the Aswan International Sculpture Symposium (AISS) — an annual event established in 1996 that brings together sculptors from around the world to engage with Aswan’s granite and celebrate the art of stone carving. Set against the backdrop of the Nile and desert landscapes, the symposium serves as a platform for cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and the preservation of a craft deeply rooted in Aswan’s identity. However, despite its significance, the sculpting heritage faces challenges such as declining local participation, reduced public engagement, and limited infrastructure to support year-round artistic activity. The Living Symposium is a re-imagined sculpting symposium not merely as an artistic event, but as an architectural and cultural intervention. This revitalized symposium seeks to create a micro-climate regulating landmark, while celebrating Aswan’s sculpting legacy.

Project description

The Living Symposium, embedded in the heart of West Suhail—a local Nubian village—is a community-oriented sculpting symposium that serves a dual purpose: it functions both as a sculpting symposium with indoor and outdoor exhibition spaces and hands-on sculpting workshops, and as a public gathering space that fosters community engagement. The project also includes market areas that support and uplift the local Nubian community by improving their standard of living.
At the core of the design is a passive cooling system utilizing dual thermal exchange cylinders, which not only serve as sculptural displays but also function as microclimate-regulating elements. One cylinder acts as a hot air exhaust, while the other operates as a cooling cylinder, both employing the principles of stack effect and negative pressure to regulate indoor temperatures. Beyond the cylinders, the system integrates with contextual path walls that extend from the surrounding village, guiding visitors through the project while channeling airflow and expelling warm underground and ambient air.
Courtyards also play a crucial role in this passive strategy, creating zones of negative pressure that draw in air through the cooling cylinders—contributing significantly to the overall thermal comfort of the space.
The Living Symposium isn’t just an event space — it’s a vibrant urban catalyst that supports the Nubian neighborhood. At its heart lies the main plateau, where sculpting workshops breathe new life into Aswan’s renowned stone-carving heritage. Community alleys, accessed through sub-paths from the surrounding local neighborhoods, embody the project’s spirit of giving back to the local nubian community. Along these paths are dedicated sculpting workshops for local artisans, as well as markets where they can buy, sell, and rent tools and artworks.

Technical information

The symposium site spans approximately 28,000 square meters and includes three underground storeys that house indoor exhibitions, galleries, workshops, library, and learning spaces. The structural system utilizes a flat slab reinforced concrete system with retaining walls to support the underground loads and ensure structural stability.
The dual thermal exchange cylinders are constructed from reinforced rammed earth, each designed with different treatments and dimensions to suit their distinct functions—one acting as a hot air exhaust, and the other as a cooling cylinder.
The main walls throughout the project consist of double-layered rammed earth walls with an air cavity in between. This cavity contains terracotta vents that help expel warm air while promoting passive airflow. Additionally, the walls feature three types of inner surface treatments, each contributing different cooling properties to slightly reduce the temperature of the expelled air—especially effective since the surrounding underground air remains cooler.

Documentation

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