BARZAKH – Earth construction and participatory Design with Mixed – Media

This article explores earthen materials in particular mudbricks (adobe), a traditional material in Egypt and the Middle East, as a contemporary building material by integrating local craftsmanship, engineering, and advanced digital technology. Although often perceived as a low-tech option in under-resourced communities, the project BARZAKH برزخ – aims to reposition earth bricks within a contemporary architectural, structural and social context. By incorporating mixed-media-tools such as Virtual and Augmented Reality the project fosters collaborative design and building experiences, enhancing shared awareness of sustainable practices. The project’s methodology reconnects people with the handmade craft of mudbrick construction through immersive digital tools.

In New Gourna (Luxor) – alongside Hassan Fathy’s pioneering sustainable architecture – students and locals co-designed and collaboratively built BARZAKH – a curvelinear mudbrick wall constructed using a digitally guided assembly strategy. The project’s digital workflow seamlessly linked the immersive architectural design process (VR) conducted in the design studio with structural design and on-site construction of this public seating element. ... mehrFollowing Hassan Fathy’s Principle “Construire avec le people” (1) BARZAKH fosters a participatory methodology embedding collaborative engagement throughout all project phases. By reimagining mudbrick as a viable and per se resilient alternative to CO$_2$-intensive materials, the project advocates for its relevance in contemporary architecture.