The Fabric Of Life Museum

Project idea

This project presents a comprehensive vision that bridges Egypt’s rich textile heritage with contemporary environmental challenges. The Fabric of Life Museum, located in the heart of Giza, aims to revive traditional Egyptian craftsmanship while addressing the urgent issue of rising CO₂ emissions caused by rapid urbanization. It proposes a transformative solution: converting harmful emissions into sustainable fabric that can be locally produced and utilized.

The museum serves as a meeting point between past and future, integrating time honored artisan techniques with modern carbon capture and fiber production technologies. It is not only a celebration of Egypt’s cultural legacy but also a beacon of innovation and resilience.

The project's primary goals are:

To promote sustainable material innovation through CO₂ to fiber conversion.

To preserve and showcase traditional Egyptian crafts in a modern context.

To provide educational and cultural experiences that inspire environmental awareness.

To create a replicable model that blends architecture, science, and heritage for sustainable development.

Through this initiative, the Fabric of Life Museum becomes a symbol of how creativity and mix between the science and traditions.

Project description

Once, Egypt stood at the heart of the global textile world, a land where threads were not just woven into fabric, but into identity, economy, and tradition. But over time, the hum of handlooms faded, and the country’s craftsmanship began to vanish under the weight of industrialization and global demand.

At the same time, Giza’s skies began to fill with CO₂ silent, invisible, but deeply felt. As pollution rose, the city struggled to breathe, and its rich heritage risked becoming a memory.

The Fabric of Life Museum was born from this very tension, between past and future, between pollution and possibility.

Set in the heart of Giza, the museum reclaims the air itself. Towers rise like modern minarets, not to call for prayer, but to capture carbon. This CO₂, once a threat, is transformed into something beautiful: fabric. Through a groundbreaking carbon-to-fiber process, what once polluted the air now becomes a material for creation.

But the museum is more than a machine , it’s a story. Inside, visitors walk through exhibitions that connect ancient weaving traditions with futuristic materials. Workshops teach both the wisdom of the past and the science of tomorrow. The air that flows through its ETFE domes carries the scent of dye, of thread, of purpose.

Scope of the Solution

The journey began with a question: How much CO₂ does this site generate?
Through data collection and site analysis, we discovered that the location emits over (5 tons of CO₂ annually) a figure that could no longer be ignored.

The first step was to imagine the land not just as a footprint, but as a living filter. We studied the potential of planting vegetation across the site to reduce emissions, but soon realized we needed a more powerful, technology-driven solution to make a lasting impact.

That’s when we introduced the concept of embedding 9 vertical towers advanced architectural systems designed to extract CO₂ directly from the air. These towers operate in three phases:

1. Air filtration: Each tower filters out PM2.5 and other harmful particles.
2. CO₂ extraction: The filtered air is passed through a liquid medium that isolates and captures CO₂.
3. CO₂ conversion: The captured CO₂ is transformed into a liquid state, which is then processed through a specialized machine that turns it into sustainable fabric fibers.

To make this possible, we used Grasshopper, a parametric design tool, to simulate various tower geometries and orientations. After analyzing wind direction and airflow patterns, we determined that towers with a height between 20 and 25 meters would offer optimal air capture performance on this site.

The entire conversion process takes place primarily in the basement level, hidden from public view but vital to the museum’s environmental mission. Above, the building celebrates the outcome, displaying the fabrics, telling the story, and honoring both innovation and nature.

Technical information

Technical Specifications
CO₂ Emissions Baseline:
The site emits approximately 5 tons of CO₂ annually due to nearby industrial activity and dense urban surroundings.

CO₂ Filtration & Fabric Conversion System:

Number of Towers: 9

Tower Height: 20–25 meters (optimized using Grasshopper airflow simulations)

Filtration & Conversion Stages:

Air Intake: PM2.5 and dust particles are filtered through an outer layer.

CO₂ Separation: Filtered air enters a liquid medium where CO₂ is captured.

Liquid Processing: Captured CO₂ is converted into a liquid chemical compound.

Fiber Creation: This liquid is transformed into usable textile fibers through a CO₂-to-fabric conversion machine.

Processing Zone: All technical conversion processes are housed in the basement level.

Each tower captures and converts over 1 ton of CO₂ per year, which is then transformed into approximately 300–350 kg of sustainable textile fibers, depending on conversion efficiency and process conditions.

Architectural Materials & Structure:

Envelope: ETFE membrane — ultra-lightweight, translucent, UV-resistant, and self-cleaning.

Structural Frame: Modular open steel skeleton for support and natural ventilation.

Ventilation System: Combines passive cross-ventilation and thermal chimney effect to enhance airflow and capture the most amount of the air and reduce the heat of machine in towers.

Design & Analysis Tools:

Grasshopper (Rhinoceros 3D): Used for parametric modeling and identifying the optimal shape and placement of towers to maximize airflow capture.

Sustainability Features:

Carbon Capture & Upcycling: Transforms CO₂ from air pollution into usable, market-ready fibers.

Passive Environmental Systems: Reduce energy use through natural ventilation and heat regulation.