Qurateyin Island

Informal Settlements are a challenge faced by all developing nations worldwide, where many such areas lack the necessities to provide the inhabitants with the essential requirements needed. One such settlement is Qurateyin Island, located in Giza, Egypt. Most of the Island’s inhabitants work in farming the fields on the Island, making up 98% of the total land area. It is, therefore, void of any amenities or commercial units to provide even the most basic of life’s needs. Inhabitants, therefore, travel to the mainland to make purchases, buy supplies, or receive any schooling or health care. 

Site visits were made to the Island to map out the inhabited areas. Settlements can be divided into two categories; Low density (site 3), where there are few buildings to the size of the land; and High density (site1,2), where more facilities are erected on the land area. Samples of the population were taken from each category to be interviewed to conduct the project’s research. During the site visits and in-depth ethnographic qualitative research, I was invited into the people’s homes and questioned their needs and how and where they are met. The data gathered included house sketches, questionnaires, and observations on their lifestyle, to determine the best approach to provide a solution that was needed.   

The interventions suggested to provide their needs can be classified into two categories; Economic and Social. Notably, most social interventions proposed in this project may also serve an economic purpose and improve the community on both the needed levels. 

In the high-density areas, the main principle followed in this project is to utilise the existing elements from the urban fabric while adding function to benefit both criteria of improvements; maintaining visual integrity and higher income with better living standards.

Whereas in the low-density area of the Island, the philosophy of Architect Bernard Tschumi and Alejandro Aravena inspired the architectural approach applied. They were utilising the empty lands with 50% hollow structures to allow for future creativity and convenience of the population while preventing further informality by boundaries. The other 50% is built function-based as per their needs.

The optimum approach for Site 3 (low density) was tailoring the interventions to solve the different needs of the sample population. Such as:

School: Provide a learning space for the Island’s younger inhabitants and increase job opportunities for the trained individuals on the Island.

Celebration hall: a place to gather on special occasions such as weddings and birth celebrations which strengthens the social bond of the community and likely becomes a source of income as well as increases employment.

To conclude, this project aims to improve the quality of life for the population living in these informal settlements and provide them with means to make positive effects on a social and economic level using multi-function micro-interventions across sites. Moreover, also be able to use the same methodology to approach solutions for other areas with similar circumstances. For example, instead of removing people from their original place, we work with them to form a new identity while maintaining the integrity of the site and the beauty of the Nile banks for the whole population to enjoy.