The opening of Al-Kharroub Cultural Centre marks the completion of the second stage of the Al-Gammaliya development project, reports Sara Abou Bakr On Tuesday Cairo Governor Abdel-Azim Wazir inaugurated Al-Kharroub Cultural Centre, the second in a three-stage development project in the Al-Gammaliya district of Cairo. "It's a dream come true," said Adli Beshai, founder of the Friends of the Environment and Development Association (FEDA) which conceived and is overseeing the Al-Gammaliya regeneration project, financed by the Egyptian- Swiss Fund for Development. The first stage resulted in the Kahla Cultural Centre, housed in a building that once contained a soap factory. Al-Kharroub is the second phase of the ambitious scheme which began in 1993 following a thorough study of the district which focused as much on the inhabitants as on the built environment. "We could not force our ideas of development on the residents, they had to take part in the project," says Beshai. Yet it was the residents that posed a major obstacle to implementing plans. "There were 13 families who were basically living in the rubble and they had to be evacuated," says Bahaaeddin Bakri, professor of architecture at Cairo University and the designer of Al-Kharroub Centre. After coordinating with the Cairo Governorate and other governmental organisations the families were successfully relocated. Not that the problems ended. "Initially you could feel the resentment of the residents towards the project," says Magdi Ishaq, the architect in charge of implementing the designs. "They were afraid of the inevitable change to their lives, and their animosity was palpable." In order to allay any suspicions Ishaq recruited local residents as construction workers on the site, "to give them a sense of belonging". It is a method Beshai has long promoted as part and parcel of sustainable development. Integrating the local population in development projects is, he believes, a major catalyst of progress. "There was mistrust and fear of the government," said Sherif Mamoun, a prominent resident. "People would never have trusted the government to rehouse them if it hadn't been for FEDA." The centre adapts many Fatimid architectural elements. "Al-Gammaliya is home to some of the oldest streets in Cairo," Bakri says, "and we wanted the centre to fit in with its surroundings." The architectural vocabulary may well rely on historical precedents but Al-Kharroub centre is decidedly cutting-edge in its use of biogeometry and the principles of green architecture. It makes maximum use of natural energy, including wind and sun, in creating a comfortable atmosphere. If the initial suspicion of local residents formed one hurdle, government bureaucracy was another. "We had to obtain 12 different approvals for the project to be implemented," explains Beshai. And though some governmental organisations were supportive there was no cutting through the interminable red tape. Al-Kharroub plans to provide a range of activities, many targeting the young. "We wanted an integrated, up-to-date centre that everyone can use to bridge the gap between people and technology," says Bakri. The most obvious expression of this aim is the resource centre equipped with 65 computers. The centre will also run literacy classes. "FEDA centres are fun and help us learn different things," says 11-year-old Mohamed, a member of the FEDA choir. Without the centre, he adds, "we would have coped anyway but life would not be as interesting." The final phase of the scheme, a third centre, is scheduled to begin soon. "I am a dreamer," says Beshai, "and this project shows dreams do come true.
