Rehabilitation of Bayt Al-Razzaz at Bab Al-Wazir, Historic Cairo
Work scope : Proposal & Preliminary Action Plan
Year : 2022
Year : 2022
Cairo, Egypt
Bayt Al-Razzaz is located between Bab al-Wazir Street and Souk al-Silah Street in the Bab al-Wazir area. The house is notable for its location among other notable Arab antiquities such as the Khayer Bey, Ibrahim Agha, and Um al-Sultan Shaaban. It is also notable for its architecture, which dates from the end of the fourteenth century to the end of the nineteenth century, a span of five centuries during which the house underwent a variety of modifications, renovations, expansions, and restorations. Throughout the house's long journey, each stage of construction left a distinct mark bearing the characteristics of the stage to which it belongs, even though the sum of those stages represents a unique model of Arab housing architecture and expresses its social and architectural characteristics in the Mamluk and Ottoman eras.
The axes of rehabilitating the Razzaz House can be summarized, which respond to proposed conservation issues and outline the building's possible role within constants that ensure the rehabilitation process's harmony with the project philosophy in the following:
Invoking the house's historical and architectural value and working to connect its past with its present in a way that ensures physical and cultural continuity, without having to choose between preserving heritage for future generations and gaining knowledge for current generations.
By drawing a new old image that has its developmental role within the urban space and the social framework interacting with it, the house can contribute to society's awareness of the value of its unique architecture, as well as shed light on this architecture's ability to affirm a sense of belonging and identity.
Clarifying the significance of heritage for the surrounding society and the importance of its participation in its preservation, as well as introducing the economic return from re-employment within the context of the Bab al-Wazir axis's civilizational development project.
As a result, this vision requires us to approach the house with a conscious methodology that respects both its cultural message and its physical existence. As a result, rehabilitation is carried out along several axes, which include:
Extrapolating the history and architecture of the site to evoke its cultural message and update it.
Studies of the current situation - problems, possibilities, and obstacles.
Study the concept of adaptive reuse and determine the emerging activities and uses.
Planning interventions to physically restore the structure and bring it back to life.
Our vision for sustaining the cultural message conveyed by the house and its distinctive architecture is based on treating the project as a model for how heritage architecture in general can renew its contribution. As a result, rehabilitation is based on respecting the original architect's philosophy in implementing all interventions related to preserving the house and addressing its deterioration, as well as those required to meet emerging needs and those related to reuse.
To know more about the project, you can read the complete project study in Arabic
The Complete Project Study