The district of Heliopolis was created in the early 20th century by the Belgian industrialist Edouard Empain as a satellite city in the desert north-east of Cairo. The design of the new city and its buildings followed the most progressive town-planning, architectural and structural achievements of the day, dressing them in an attractive costume of architectural forms borrowed from mediaeval buildings of Cairo.
ARCHiNOS was commissioned to adapt an apartment on the ground floor of one of Heliopolis’ original buildings erected in 1910 into headquarter offices and storerooms of a local retail business. The work included restoration of a heavily altered and deteriorated facade to its original form, landscaping of the adjoining garden, and renovation of the interiors.
The building is located next to ARCHiNOS headquarters, in a building virtually identical with the one housing it.
Location: Heliopolis (Masr al-Gedida), Cairo
Facade, garden and terrace: May – June 2019; interiors: September – November 2019
Project Director: Agnieszka Dobrowolska
Site management: Mahmud Badawy
Head of conservation team: Hisham Hasan, Adham Ahmad
Commissioned by a private client.
