Nostalgia in Contemporary Egyptian Architecture “A Case Study of Residential Architecture Expression”

Abstract:
Architecture is the accurate mirror that reflects the society culture. Recently, it is noticeable that the architectural expression in Egypt is moving towards the Historicism or Nostalgic architecture, through using historical elements belonging to previous civilizations. This attitude exists clearly in residential architecture. Therefore, there is a close relationship between Nostalgia and architectural reality. The research problem studies the current relationship between Nostalgia and the local architectural expression of residential architecture, which is directly expresses the community's morals, culture and desires. The research puts forward three questions: (A) What is the shape of Nostalgic architecture which prevalent in the expression of residential architecture? and to what style does this expression follow? (B) What are the reasons that led to the rise of nostalgia expression in the local residential architecture? (C) What is the responsibility of the architect towards this phenomenon?
The research importance is to determine the Egyptian architectural identity, which began to change, especially with the current steady architectural movement in Egypt. The methodology relied on the descriptive method based on the incomplete induction, by selecting a deliberate quota sample that meet the selection criteria, Also, the research followed the case study method based on the criticism to discuss results. The research discussed the concept and aspects of nostalgia, the concept of nostalgic architecture, the societal transformations accompanying the emergence of nostalgia architecture in Egypt. The research results were that all the studied examples belong to the classical style, which are based on Greek and Roman elements. The formation of the facades depended on a discordant mixture of classical elements, without considering the styles and proportions of these elements.