At the kind invitation of the Supreme Council of Culture and the National Organization for Urban Harmony, Tarek Waly Center Architecture and Heritage participated on Monday, March 13, 2023, in a symposium and exhibition on "Traditional architecture in Egypt: the present and the future," where Dr. Tarek Waly delivered his talk about "Vernacular Architecture.. The Architect’s Reference between Tradition and Innovation," during which he discussed the role of the architect in developing the earth and the succession of the Creator on earth, and understanding vernacular architecture by clarifying different concepts, as it is the result of the accumulation of developed societal experiences with the variables of its time, not linked to a specific creator, but rather experiences inherited by generations within the framework of a local culture, and social beliefs prevailing in a specific environment, not rigid but frequent and developed.
Dr. Waly added that the pioneers of modern Egyptian architecture in the twentieth century discovered these patterns in the conscience of society, realized the law, and from the societal and cultural heritage of popular architecture... they acquired, when they created their architecture in their time, the energy and driving force towards creative horizons, in which man respects his place and time from a rational and balanced position with his conscience... So these people created their contemporary architecture without losing its authenticity, and at the forefront of these innovative pioneers are Ramses Wissa Wassef, Hassan Fathy, Tawfiq Abdel Gawad and others. Everyone created and worked hard, each with his own abilities and standards, and they sparked this awakening and modern architectural movement that is contemporary and authentic at the same time, and architects followed with them and after them on the approach, some of them understood the law as the essence of architecture and some imitated the appearance of the formation.
The event took place over three sessions, where Dr. Tarek Waly participated in the first session entitled “Environmental Traditional Architecture in the Egyptian Regions: Interaction of Place, Time and Value.” The second session was entitled “Current Trends in Contemporary Traditional Architecture in Egypt,” followed by the opening of an exhibition entitled “Architecture Without Architects.” The event concluded with the third session entitled “Current Trends in Contemporary Traditional Architecture in Egypt.” The exhibition continued for three days until March 15, 2023.