Dataland Publications
In February 2021, Dataland was conceptualized as a print publication and digital platform to challenge the status quo of architectural practice in Cairo. Inspired by yet dissatisfied with the state of the built environment and the plethora of underutilized buildings amidst ongoing rapid exurb expansion and inner-city redevelopment, Dataland emerged with the threefold aim to: serve as an outlet and pedagogic reference for nonhegemonic voices around architectural and urban practice, catalog and showcase underutilized buildings as a preemptive challenge to accepted notions about heritage and reuse, and engage with the legacy of architectural publishing in Egypt.
One of Dataland’s long-term goals is to develop a database of Cairo’s built-environment as a basic framework for plugging into conversations on how architectural practice can evolve beyond the narrow imaginary of the current market which remains predominantly focused on new gated developments and upscale commercial reuse. By doing so, Dataland hopes to contribute to not only cementing and normalizing reuse as a legitimate and intrinsic component of architectural practice, but also to expand the conversation about reuse itself. This is particularly critical in a climate dominated by rising numbers of obsolete buildings, often either earmarked for private or state-led redevelopment or left to succumb to complex ownership statuses.
For each publishing round, we focus on a non-exhaustive list of buildings that share the same functional typology within Cairo's inner perimeter. The data collected and commissioned is then shared on two channels: Dataland’s print publication and its digital platform.
On the one hand, Dataland’s digital platform is conceived as a cumulative index of the data collected, as well as a tool to underline the efforts of our predecessors in the Egyptian architectural publishing industry. On the other hand, Dataland’s print publication is concerned with a select number of buildings, and is thus intended for slower reading. The publication features textual pieces as well as newly-produced visual material, together putting forward engaging architectural representation and discussion on relevant topics in the architetcural, urban, and heritage preservation discourses. The publication thus allows us to plug into the past while exploring the present.
In February 2021, Dataland was conceptualized as a print publication and digital platform to challenge the status quo of architectural practice in Cairo. Inspired by yet dissatisfied with the state of the built environment and the plethora of underutilized buildings amidst ongoing rapid exurb expansion and inner-city redevelopment, Dataland emerged with the threefold aim to: serve as an outlet and pedagogic reference for nonhegemonic voices around architectural and urban practice, catalog and showcase underutilized buildings as a preemptive challenge to accepted notions about heritage and reuse, and engage with the legacy of architectural publishing in Egypt.
One of Dataland’s long-term goals is to develop a database of Cairo’s built-environment as a basic framework for plugging into conversations on how architectural practice can evolve beyond the narrow imaginary of the current market which remains predominantly focused on new gated developments and upscale commercial reuse. By doing so, Dataland hopes to contribute to not only cementing and normalizing reuse as a legitimate and intrinsic component of architectural practice, but also to expand the conversation about reuse itself. This is particularly critical in a climate dominated by rising numbers of obsolete buildings, often either earmarked for private or state-led redevelopment or left to succumb to complex ownership statuses.
For each publishing round, we focus on a non-exhaustive list of buildings that share the same functional typology within Cairo's inner perimeter. The data collected and commissioned is then shared on two channels: Dataland’s print publication and its digital platform.
On the one hand, Dataland’s digital platform is conceived as a cumulative index of the data collected, as well as a tool to underline the efforts of our predecessors in the Egyptian architectural publishing industry. On the other hand, Dataland’s print publication is concerned with a select number of buildings, and is thus intended for slower reading. The publication features textual pieces as well as newly-produced visual material, together putting forward engaging architectural representation and discussion on relevant topics in the architetcural, urban, and heritage preservation discourses. The publication thus allows us to plug into the past while exploring the present.
3D model: Mohamed Fawzy