Dahshur Workshops is collaborating with the French University in Egypt through the Architecture Department’s “Material and Ideas” program. This partnership supports heritage preservation and promotes ecological thinking in design education. By engaging students in hands-on, context-driven learning, the program aligns closely with Dahshur’s mission to connect creativity with sustainable and culturally rooted practices. The UFE hosts research laboratories in areas of common interest between France and Egypt. The Laboratory Pierre-Terre, affiliated to the Department of Architecture, is the fruit of close collaboration between researchers and institutions in both countries. It aims to promote scientific and technical research into the design of ecological and sustainable buildings, focusing on two materials historically present in Egypt: stone and earth. “Stone”, the theme of the April 2025 lecture series, marks the first phase of a project we hope to continue. The aim of this event is to combine historical memory with contemporary issues, by promoting exchanges on the theoretical and technical knowledge of construction.
Faced with hypermodern urban planning favoring mega-buildings disconnected from the local context, extending to a territorial rather than a human scale, it is essential to reaffirm the importance of buildings and materiality. As Françoise Choay emphasizes, architecture shapes social interactions and the perception of spaces. Stone, a natural, energy-efficient and reusable material, constitutes a sustainable alternative to industrial materials. In Egypt, the wealth of local resources and centuries-old construction techniques, from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, embodies a precious heritage to be reinterpreted and revitalized. Reinvesting in this material and this expertise will pave the way for an architecture that combines tradition and modernity while addressing contemporary challenges.
Theme 1 : The material and the idea: stone, between tradition and modernity.
Theme 2 : Ecological viability of stone structures: the role of innovative techniques and research in the reappropriation of stone as a material.
Theme 3 : Modeling stone structures: between memory, conservation, and contemporary innovation.
Theme 4 : Sustainability, economic viability, quality of life, and craftsmanship.
Laurent Sermet – Research vice president – UFE
Abbés Zouache – Director of Studies of IFAO
Giuseppe Cecere – Director of IICC
Philippe Bastide – Architecture department instructor – UFE
Reem El-Sawaf
Mahy Hamed
Gehane Nader
Nadine Tarek
Nour Abbas
