our entry for the catalyst for change competition organized by the american university in cairo first place award team: Mohammad Nabeel Abdelhafez Mostafa Fathy El Sayed Mohammad Abdelkhalek

1. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
1800 1855 1868
1902 1914 1927
Solid/Voidmapshowingpossiblevacantspaces
forintervention
Availabilityoflanduseserviceswithinthesiteandits
contextlackingculturalandhealthcarefacilities.
Mapshowingtherelationbetweenthestudiedareaandthecoastallineofalexandria
SiteDescription:
KafrAshryareaislocatedatthewestofthecityofAlexandria,partofMinetEl-Bassaldis-
trict, overlooking El Mahmoudeya canal. Boarded with Minet El-Bassal harbor from the
north, Labban district from the east, Kabbary district from the west and Karmouz district
fromthesouth.
Othman Abaza street connecting the district to El Mansheya -the business district in the
city- Sherif street connecting it to Misr Station -the main railway station in the city- and El
Mahmoudeyacanalconsidertobeanarterialconnectiontoeasternpartofthecity.
Kafr Ashry area mainly consists of warehouses -almost vacant- overlooking the canal
andshelteringresidentialbuildings.
MinetEl-Bassalharborconsideredthemainbusinesshubwithinthedistrict.
MapshowingPreservationbuildingsand
areasnearandinkafrashryarea...
HistoricalBackgroun
MinetEl-BassaldistrictwasonceafamousAlexandrianindustrialdistrict.
Itwasbuiltaround1810overlookingtheonlyseaportinEgyptatthattime.
Itconsistedoftheheadquartersofinternationaltradingcompanies,large
warehouses,workershousingand“theboursedecotton”aninternational
marketingcenterforEgyptiancotton.Brokerscamefromallovertheworld
tothisarea;cottonwasamajoragriculturecroup,totallyforexportunderthe
BritishoccupationinEgypt.
Bytheearly90s,theEgyptiangovernmentfollowedanewpolicyofliberaliza-
tion.Cottonindustry,whichhadsustainedlargecommunitiesofpeople,was
vilified.Manyofthecottonfactorybuildingsinthedistrictareontheirwayto
bedemolishedandtransformedintohigh-risebuildings.[1]
Preservation
ItisessentialtocreateawarenessofMinetEl-Bassaldistrictasanindustrialcoastalregionandtheheritagevalueofits
industrialbuildings-particularlyofitscottonfactories-anddiscusstheendlessoptionstorevitalizetheindustrialprop-
ertiesintheurbanareaofthemetropolitancityofAlexandria.[1]
[1]AbstractfromDr.MohamedAdelDesoki-founderofSaveAlexinitiative- paperaboutthecaseofMinatEl-Bassaland
itshistoricalsignificance.
Banks
Schools
PoliceStation
Hospital

2. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
EcologyLandscape:
KafrAshryisaresidential,surroundedbytheMahmoudeyaCanalfrom3sides,andtotallysurroundedbyold
warehouses.KafrAshryisveryclosetotheWestHarbourarea,averyimportantnodefortransportofgoods.
Theareahasatrainstation andalotofrailroadsthatarecurrentlynotworking.
Theareasstrongesvisualelementsarethenonoperatingrailroads,thecanal,shippingcontainers,cranes,
bridgesandcontemporaryresidentialhousingunits.
Railroads ElTareikhBridge Canal/Trailers Canal/Warehouses SomeOpenSpaces
PanoramicViewShowstheresidentialarea
edgedbythecanalandoldwarehouses...
ConceptualApproach:
Kafr Ashry as an underdeveloped context, seeking many landuse implementations, cultural landuse
in particular and lacking urban development. In addition, Minet El-Bassal district as a historical industrial
coastalregion,lackingpreservationandadaptivereuse,especiallyoldwarehouses.
NGO is a newly developed concept introduced to our society, facing many challenges, as underdevelop-
mentcommunitiesarenotwelcoming/appreciatingsuchanactivitytobelocated.
Inordertointroduce/implementNGOconceptwithinunderdevelopedcommunity,weshouldaddressthe
following:
• Adoptingproactivestrategy
• Followingparticipatorydesignapproach
• Planningincentivesratherthanforcingideas
Inaddition,toimprovethecommunitydevelopmentandtoenhancethesocialinteractionbetweenpeople
andthenewlyintroducedconcept,weshouldintroduceatemporary,configurableconceptthatcancope
with the rapidly changing political, social and economical landscape of the area rather than introducing a
fixedstructure.
Mission:
CommunitydevelopmentofKafrAshry.
Goals:
ImprovingtheinteractionbetweentheresidentsandtheintroducedNGO.
Strategies:
Providingatemporary,configurableNGOdesign.
AlexandriaPort(2)
[2&3]http://www.apa.gov.eg/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&id=19&Itemid=27&lang=en.
Coordinate:
Long:29°52’E
Lat:31°11’N
NaturalCharacteristics:
Weather:PrevailingwindsareNorthWest
WaterDensity:1.030g/cm^3
RainingSeason:winter
Tidalrangeandflow:0.46m
WaterArea:6.8sq.kmapproximately
LandArea:0.2sq.km1.6kmapproximately
CustomsZone:0.9sq.km
MaximumPortLength:4.8km
MaximumPortwidth:2km
TotalArea:8.4sq.kmapproximately
MaximumCapacity36.8millionton/year
detailsasfollows:
GeneralCargo:17.8millionton.
DryBulk:10.8millionton.
LiquefiedBulk:4.3millionton.
ContainerizedCargo:3.9millionton.
TEUCapacity:500000
Thebiggestvesselthatcanbereceived:
Max.ShipSize:150000tons.
Max.ShipLength:292.91m
Max.ShipWidth:36.58m
Max.Depth:12.8m
WorkingHours:24hrs
Generalinformation:[3]
NarrativemapiIlustratingtheshippingcontainerstoryline

3. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
PossibleVariations(UnitScale):
PossibleVariations(ComponentScale):
TimberFlooring
Framing
Fittings
Doors
CorrugatedSteelSheets
WindowsCanbeopened
throughthesheets
Containerdoorcanbereused
asadoorfornewdesign
Sheetscabbepaintedwith
acrylictoendureExpansion
andcontraction
Openingscanbeecuttotheroof
tomakestairs(stairscanbemade
outofwood)
3x3tubestosupportopenings
Modificationcanbemadeinsideaware-
house
Deliveringthecontainers Finalproduct
Containerscanbeeasilydeliveredtothe
site
Paintingthecontainerstokeeptheaesthetic
Theinteriorofthewallswouldbefurred
outwitheitherwoodorsteelframing,
insulatedandsheathed.
Paintinginteriorwallswithinsulation
ConstructionProcess(4) MaterialAnalysisandModification
StandardContainerdimensions[5]
AdaptiveReuseApproach:
CharacteristicsOfContainers:[7]
Advantages:
Strengthanddurability-Modular-Labor-Transportation-Availability-Expense
Disadvantages:
Temperature-Humidity-Rust-Treatmentoftimberfloors-Cargospillages-Solvents-Damage
[5]http://shipsbusiness.com/container-sizes.html
[4]http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/behind-the-scenes-of-shipping-107633 [6]http://www.archdaily.com/160892/the-pros-and-cons-of-cargo-container-architecture/
[7]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shipping_container_architecture
Therearecountlessnumbersofempty,unusedshippingcontainersaroundtheworld
justsittingonshippingdockstakingupspace.Thereasonforthisisthatitistooexpen-
siveforacountrytoshipemptycontainersbacktotheirorigin.Inmostcases,itisjust
cheapertobuynewcontainersfromAsia.Theresultisanextremelyhighsurplusof
emptyshippingcontainers.
Therearecopiousbenefitstotheso-calledshippingcontainerarchitecturemodel.Afew
oftheseadvantagesincludestrength,durability,availability,andcost.[6]
Tackingadvantageoftheavailabilityofsucharecycledmaterialwithinourcontext,we
decidedtotakebenefitfollowingadaptivereuseapproach.Inaddition,thismaterialwould
helpustointroducetheNGOconcepttothecommunityinafamiliarway.
Followingtheparticipatorydesignapproach,wedecidedtoplanatemporary,configura-
bledesign,toincitepeopletointeractwiththeproposeddesignnotonlyvisuallybutalso
inaphysicalway.

4. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
Railfortheslidingpanels
Wheelforslidingthepanels
Loading/Unloading point
UVProofcoating
2’’ Polyfoam
Steelscrew
Metalplate
Metalsupport
Railfortheslidingpanels
Wheelforslidingthepanels
Loading/Unloading point
Foldinganddeliveringanalysis

5. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
Groundfloorplan scale1:50
LayoutScale 1:100 BuildingincontextProposedsite
Otherposibilities
Firstfloorplan scale1:50
B B
B B
AA AA

6. WWMT4Catalyst for Change:NGOBuildingforKafrAshryNeigborhood
SectionA-A scale1:50
SectionB-B scale1:50
Elevation1 scale1:50
Elevation2scale1:50