Urban
Desert
In THE Designopolis planning
project, Shahira Fahmy
Architects create a well designed
intermediary zone connecting
the natural and climatic context
of the desert with contemporary
large scale URBAN development.
E
gypt, similar to many developing countries, has
experienced a rapid urban growth, especially
in the last couple of decades, during which
new developments were established outside
the historic city centers. This semi-urban
development brought a design challenge especially for
the areas where agricultural land meets with large scale
construction projects. This area of intersection brings
a liminal, undefined zone between the contemporary
and the traditional, urban and agricultural, and
natural and artificial. Designopolis Commercial &
Retail Park located on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert
Road is an example for such recent development. It
was completed in 2010 and designed as a retail area
for interior design and decoration companies. The
developer Bonyan Development and Trade explains the
function of the project as “to fill the market demand
for retail space specialized in the field of design and
interiors. The timing of the opening of Designopolis
is ideal due to the real estate boom of the previous
years, when a great number of people acquired new
homes.” Designopolis is located in Sheikh Zayed City
KASIM - ARALIK 2013 / NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2013 • NATURA 67