Creative Economic Building Components For Low-Income Housing

Abstract

When observing Egypts method of expansion, one can identify a clear language and distinctive pattern of urban development. The years following 1952, marked by the privatization of agricultural land and the population boom, gave rise to a soon to be urban catastrophe. In order to fulfil the needs of the growing population, buildings were sprouting out everywhere, causing agricultural lands to disappear under a jungle of red bricks, erasing the lines between urban and rural. This phenomenon of informal expansion has spread across the country composing what is commonly known as Ashwa'eeyat or informal settlements. In Egypt, these can be identified by a unified method of construction using concrete skeleton structures of concrete slabs and beams along with plain red brick walls; an appearance that does not reflect nor shed light on the Egyptian culture or environmental requirements. The use of bricks and concrete is due to the fact that this construction method is the most commonly used and feasible type of construction; the material is available, the workmanship, even though it is not the most economic method. Egypt is a developing country that possesses numerous resources, being both tangible and intangible ones. The aim of this paper is to research and determine the possibility of creating different elements of construction utilizing available resources and recycling waste material. These elements would be economic and reflective of the Egyptian culture while maintaining the necessary environmental and physical safety requirements sought in residential buildings.