imPORT inSAID

PORT SAID UNIVERSITY: Heba Fared | Rasha Adel | Mostafe Elzeny | Ghada Shalaby
MSA UNIVERSITY : Mohamed El Etriby | Dina Mahmoud | Aya Deif
THESSALY UNIVERSITY : Efstathios Stylidis | Anna Paraskeva | Georgios Papagkikas

Slide 2
Port Said is a city that gained a world fame during the 1860’s when the construction of the Suez
Canal began, linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and changed the world history. Since the
opening of the Canal in 1869, Port Said is one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean
region.

Slide 3
The area we were given to study and redesign consists of the waterfront of the city and expands 2
blocks in the inner side of it. It is maybe the most strategic site of Port Said since it is not only the
Gate to the Canal but in whole Africa Continent. It is the most well know commercial pass way and
includes building known for their ornamental wealth and art.

Slide 4
Searching through history about Port Said, we meet a cosmopolitan city than has nothing to be
jealous of the most cultivated and artistic cities of the western world. Big walkways next to the sea
provided visitors with the chance to enjoy the achievement of engineering, trading and culture.

Slide 5
Today the city seems to neglect the treasure of history and art it hides inside its streets and
buildings. In an attempt to combine new structures with old techniques, and find solutions for
difficult problems, the architectural style and space has been putted aside.

Slide 6
After visiting the area and drawing the footprint map we could have a better idea about the solid
volumes and the void spaces the structures create.
The high structure of the buildings joint to the narrow length of the streets, prevent the area from
being lighted and ventilated properly. Also the arrangement of the volumes creates small areas in
between or underneath them.

Slide 7
Categorizing and classifying the problems we spotted on the studying area, we can speak about two
major sectors:
the lack of public space and the existence of some discontinuities between the buildings.
Some of these problems are the car traffic and circulation system, the linear division of the Palestine
Str., the lack of the sea view, the buildings’ skyline and of course the need of restoration .

Slide 8
The confrontation of these issues is the fundamental purpose of our project.

The lack of active public space is confronted with a sequence of actions:

1) by encountering the circulation issues with:
 Demolishing the shop line and the transformation of the whole Palestine street (and the vertical to
her roads above until Memphis street) to an open pedestrian way with plants and shading
structures.
 Unifying Palestine street with the fishing boats’ harbor by removing the fence, and intensifying
the connection of the De Lisseps pathway.
 Widening of the ferry entrance.
 Adding new public transportation ways (a water taxi and new bus routes and stations).
 Constructing two main parking buildings at the edges of the area and one in the middle.
 Limitation of boat harboring at a specific length at the waterfront.
Our stragedy is this project to be realized in 2 faces:
As a first step, we pave the road with a slowing speed material and allow vehicle circulation for a
period of time during the day, giving the chance to the city to absorb the change.
Then after a season of time we completely exclude vehicles from entering the area.

Slide 9
2) By making some use interventions and changes such as:
 Adding commercial uses at the ground floor of all buildings and also café bars and amusement
places at the in between spaces. Moving the demolished shops of the Palestine Street at the
vertical and parallel roads.
 Applying residence use at the upper floors, with the exception of the Forbour building, the
lighthouse installations, the police station, the former American and Italian embassies along with
the Simon Artz building.
 Letting venders use the Palestine pedestrian road and its shading structures for selling their
merchandise.

Slide 10
 Defining new cultural uses for a sequence of buildings:
 Transforming Simon Artz to a concert hall.
 Transforming the lighthouse’s base and the former American embassy to a city
museum.
 Using the lighthouse as an attraction by letting people ascend and have city view from
a high point.
 Transforming the former Italian embassy to a centre of Port Said architecture
(permanent and periodical exhibition, conference, working and archive spaces).
 Transforming the Suez Canal Company complex to a public museum of the canal and
demolishing the installations without architectural interest.
 Using the harbor next to the Suez Canal Company complex as an open maritime
museum.
 Opening the existing park at 23 July Street by removing the surrounding walls.
 Adding a new park at the former museum building site which will be unified with the existing one.
In the Suez Canal Company building again we propose a two faces stragedy. At the beging the
building can host the offices of the Company and be partially opened to public for visiting and
later on time we remove the company.

Slide 11
In this way we are proposing a new geometry of a more harmonious skyline and more public areas.
The previous built seafront now functions as an open walk path for citizens and visitors. The area can
be ventilated properly due to the opening towards the sea and the view can be unlimited enjoyed.

Slide 12
In order to confront the discontinuities between the buildings we are making some unifying
interventions which are:
 Using of similar colors for facades.
 Adding some elements which refer to the local architectural image.
 Applying a unifying pattern of night lighting at the whole façade of Palestine street.

Slide 13
The paved walkway combined with the streets around creates a pedestrian zone, ready to welcome
the Friday walk and festivals of the City. A discriminated route cooperates with the structures guiding
the visitor through shade to the landmarks of the area.
The structures are covered with membranes that provide shade during the day and at night
illuminate the walk path. A gathering point that offers protection.

Slide 14
Some sketches about our proposal

Slide 15
Our proposal for the water taxi. A transferring boat only for pedestrians can move easily people
along the sea front of the city giving them to admire the landmarks of the region. The water ferry
stations are marked places along the walk path inviting people to use it.

Slide 15
Some shots of our proposal about the area.

Slide 16
The proposal for the new car ferry can serve more cars, since the pedestrian usage will be limited
due to the water taxi.

Slide 17
The 3d shouts for our area showing the Suez Canal administrating building evolving into an open
public space hosting local exhibitions and festivals.