Mediterranean Architecture

Abstract

Organized by the Faculty of Engineering on February 15-18, 2004 at MisrInternational University, one of Egypt’s leading private universities, theDepartment of Architecture and Dean Salah Zaky Said targeted a diverseaudience of architects and professionals. The varied responses and interpretationsof the conference’s title proved that this provocative subjectallowed for multilayered discussions. The dialogue between academics,students, and professionals from different backgrounds identified meaningswith respect to the Mediterranean basin’s architecture. The followingthemes were discussed: the social impact on Mediterranean architecture,technology and crafts, urbanism and development, landscape and environment,trends in current architecture, and heritage conservation.The conference started with the keynote speech delivered by SuhaOzkan (secretary of the Aga Khan Award), who traced the landmark worksof contemporary architecture in the Mediterranean basin. The solutionspresented addressed issues not only of regional aesthetics, but also of climaticand cultural relevance. The second keynote speaker was Italian academicand architect Attilio Petruccioli (dean, School of Architecture,University of Bari, Italy), who brought up themes of typology and specificityin architecture. A rich discussion followed, with one of the sessionchairmen, Aga Khan Award recepient Abdel Halim Ibrahim (architect andprofessional, University of Cairo, Egypt), questioning and provoking theaudience with respect to the meaning of the built form and material in thisregion.The presentation of papers started with the theme of “Social Impact onMediterranean Architecture.” Papers explored ideas of cultural identity in ...