Descendants

Hassan Fathy's (1900-1989) ideas and philosophy opened opportunities and became a source of inspiration for architects to recognize and appreciate their traditional architecture. The response to Fathy’s approach from architects in the Developing World differed from that of Western architects. When Fathy’s architecture began to be widely known from the 1970s onward, these architects were influenced by his works, not only because of their links to the vernacular, but also because of their associations with Islamic architecture. The common response of these architects to Fathy’s architecture was that they regarded his buildings as prototypes for the contemporary Islamic architecture of the Middle East as his traditional forms and techniques epitomize their national and regional features. On the other hand, the response of Western architects to Fathy’s architecture and ideas varied. While some architects admired the new possibilities of building domes and vaults with a primitive material such as mud, others were inspired by Fathy’s philosophy and his humanistic approach.