New Gourna Village, Egypt(1948) -by Hassan Fathy

New Gourna Village, an experimental earthen village on the West Bank of the Nile was partially built between 1945 and 1948, is possibly the most well known of all of Hassan Fathy's projects. The idea for the village a potentially cost-effective solution to the problem of relocating an entire entrenched community of entrepreneurial excavators that had established itself over the royal necropolis in Luxor Fathys goal was to build affordable housing for local Egyptian people. He thought houses should be built from local materials, according to local designs, and with traditional methods. By building this way, he lowered the cost of his houses and respected the culture of the area as well. In addition, traditional methods and materials tended to suit the local climate best. The design depended on natural ventilation, orientation and local materials, traditional construction methods and energy- conservation techniques.

Mosque, New Gourna Village

Pictogram depicting plan and elevation of the village houses