Archinos

ARCHINOS Surveys Psychedelic Versailles

agnieszka — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 10:42:11 +0000

The Sakakini Palace, built in 1897, is probably one of the most bizarre building in Cairo. Its plentiful statues, niches, columns, and consoles in purely French Baroque style are piled in a wedding-cake manner on a four-fronted building where the novelty of an electric elevator made it possible to put luxury rooms on all floors. Between October 2009 and May 2010, an ARCHINOS team led by Yasmine Sabry produced full documentation of the palace comprising architectural drawings, photographic record, and a documentary film by Mattia Fiumani, as well as a conservation study and conservation recommendations. In the next step, ARCHINOS is going to design the adaptive reuse of the interiors for the Museum of Medicine for the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities’ Museums Department.

Preserving the ‘Paris on the Nile’

agnieszka — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 10:47:29 +0000

Monuments of Egypt’s distant past are so glorious and so numerous that only recently has the rich 19th-century architectural heritage of the country began to receive the attention it deserves. ARCHINOS has been actively participating in this process of preservation of the “Paris on the Nile”. June 2010 sees the beginning of two projects in which we will carry out architectural conservation as part of the Supreme Council of Antiquities’ renovation of important 19th-century buildings in Cairo, both recently listed as national historic monuments. One is the Za`farana Palace within the campus of `Ain Shams University, originally built by Khedive Isma`il for his mother Khushyar. The other is the Ministry of Health building downtown, once the palace of khedival minister Khader Pasha.

King Farouq’s Rest House in Giza

agnieszka — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:25:35 +0000

Design of the adaptation of the disused former rest house of King Farouq I next to the Great Pyramid in Giza for a reception center for high-ranking visitors to the Pyramids.

Commissioned to ARCHINOS Architecture by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Concept design approved in April 2010, project scheduled for completion by the end of 2010.

Agnieszka Dobrowolska, (Chief Designer) with Fatma Farouq, Manon Fantini, and Mattia Fiumani

In the Shadow of the Great Pyramid

agnieszka — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 06:21:13 +0000

The concept design by ARCHINOS Architecture for the adaptation of the rest house built for Farouq I, the last king of Egypt, next to the Great Pyramid of King Khufu (Cheops) has been approved at the meeting on 15 April 2010 with the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass. The building will be used to receive high-ranking official guests visiting the Pyramids.
Matching the royal splendour of the original Pharaonic Revival decoration with 21st-century design while respecting the World Heritage Site that the building stands on is just the kind of challenge that we at ARCHINOS Architecture are happy to face. The Supreme Council intends to open the rest house by the end of this year.

The Liquid Continent: Afloat!

agnieszka — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:02:36 +0000

The proposal by ARCHINOS to the Delegation of the European Union in Egypt for “The Liquid Continent” project has been formally approved. The award ceremony was held on 4 March 2010 at the residence of the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Egypt, Ambassador Mark Franco.
The project will result in a multimedia exhibition in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina that will present the links between three great Mediterranean cities: Alexandria, Istanbul, and Venice, as well as in related cultural events. Manon Fantini and Mattia Fiumani are moving full speed ahead on the Liquid Continent, and will soon be joined by other ARCHINOS staff.
Come back to our website to see updates and news about this exciting project.

AUC Newsletter

agnieszka — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:39:31 +0000

Go to http://www.aucpress.com/t-eNewsletter-ArchitectureBookstore.aspx?template=template_enewsletter
to see the review of an ARCHINOS creation: the new bookstore of the American University in Cairo Press in downtown Cairo. If you are in Egypt, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the store in Tahrir Square!
A Newsletter at http://www.aucpress.com/UserFiles/NewsletterDecember2009.pdf
includes news about the opening of the bookstore, and of the Margo Veillon gallery, which was also designed by ARCHINOS, although this is not credited in the Newsletter

Improvement of ARCHINOS Website

agnieszka — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:18:55 +0000

You are now looking at the new and improved website of ARCHINOS after the practice first appeared on the internet in October 2008, its site generated considerable interest and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback.

We’ve then decieded to make a good thing better, and included many more photographs in easy to browse-through galleries, plenty of new information, a refined design, and an enhanced interactive interface.

Enjoy, and keep returning to look for news and updates !

Biennale Opening

agnieszka — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:00:45 +0000

The Egyptian Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni opened the 25^th Alexandria Biennale for Mediterranean Countries in the presence of the Governor of Alexandria Adel Aly Labib and the Director of the Ministry’s Fine Arts Sector, Mr. Mohsen Shaalan.

This important event celebrating art of the Mediterranean countries is held at the Alexandria Fine Arts Museum which is being redesigned and upgraded by ARCHINOS. The new landscaping was already in place for the opening, while the redesigned Fine Art Museum and the Museum of Arabic Calligraphy are under implementation.

AUC Press Bookstore Opening

agnieszka — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:27:28 +0000

On November 19, 2009 the new and unique AUC Press Bookstore was launched through a Book and Author Reception celebrating Islamic art, architecture and culture. This was the first public viewing of the new bookstore designed by Agnieszka Dobrowolska and her team. The contemporary design features simple forms and modern materials to allow visitors and clients to enjoy the books.

Shaikh Ebrahim Bin Mohammed Al-Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, Bahrain

agnieszka — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:04:33 +0000