Cluster Talks
CLUSTER TalksMapping Third Spaces in Samarkand Through a Cairo LensYear: 2026Hana Sayed Hana Sayed, an architect at CLUSTER, obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering from the German University in Cairo, with international academic experience in Berlin and Stuttgart. Her design approach is grounded in sustainability, cultural and contextual continuity, and user-centered spatial practices, seeking…
CLUSTER TalksMaadi, Garden Utopia: Desires of Exclusion in a Cairo SuburbYear: 2026Abigail Toomey Abigail Toomey, is a recent Master’s graduate from the NYU Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies and the editor of Almusafir magazine. She is interested in interdisciplinary approaches to questions of space, land sovereignty, and urban geography. Her work examines spatial politics…
CLUSTER TalksMaking Away from Home: Work, Curiosity, and Craft in a New CountryYear: 2026Asem Kamal This talk reflects on the experience of working and making in a country that is not one’s own. During his residency in Philadelphia, he navigated unfamiliar systems, spaces, and rhythms—learning how place reshapes process. Making by hand became a way…
CLUSTER TalksCairo Design Week: Inside the Design BubbleYear: 2026Hana Sayed Hana Sayed, an architect at CLUSTER, obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering from the German University in Cairo, with international academic experience in Berlin and Stuttgart. Her design approach is grounded in sustainability, cultural and contextual continuity, and user-centered spatial practices, seeking to merge…
CLUSTER TalksParadoxical Union: the Meeting of the “Less” and the “More” in Nasr CityYear: 27 February 2025Omar Khaled Omar Khaled Mohamed, a visual artist and multidisciplinary architect at CLUSTER, obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering from the American University in Cairo in 2023. Believing in the intersection of duty towards the city and its…
CLUSTER TalksCairo’s 15-Minute Cities: Framing the Concept’s Manifestation in Diverse Urban SettingsYear: 14 October 2024Reem Cherif Reem Cherif is an architect, urban researcher, and currently a PhD candidate at Trinity College Dublin. She was awarded the 2023 Arab Council for Social Sciences’ writing fellowship and has contributed to both academic and non-academic publications, as well…
CLUSTER TalksCan Spaces Be Neutral? A Territorial Approach for Studying the Neutralisation of Space in Housing ProjectsYear: 14 October 2024Mohamed Abotera Mohamed Abotera is an urban researcher and an architect with professional experience in cultural and urban development. He studied architectural design in Egypt then obtained a MA degree in architecture, cultural identity and globalisation…
CLUSTER TalksTowards an Integrated Mobility System: Navigating the Future of Greater Cairo’s Mobility SystemsYear: 20 August 2024Hassan Hussin a multidisciplinary Mobility Consultant, Urban researcher, Planner, Lecturer, and Architect. Currently, he is a PhD researcher at the Technical University of Berlin (TUB) and working as a part time mobility consultant at Rupprecht Consult in Germany. In…
CLUSTER TalksSmooth CityYear: 18 September 2023Rene BoerAmsterdam-based critic, curator, and organizer In cities around the world, a new urban condition is spreading rapidly, characterized by ever-increasing levels of ‘perfection’, efficiency, control, and the active eradication of any aberration or alternative. In the smooth city, urban space is sanitized and urban life is compressed into a…
CLUSTER TalksAncient Egyptian WoodworkingYear: 31 August 2023Amr OrensaA botanist by education, a passionate photographer and traveler, and a businessman, Amr Orensa is the design manager at Pinocchio, one of the foremost furniture manufacturers in Egypt. In 2016, Amr started Designdustry as an initiative that aims at bringing furniture designers and manufacturers together to exchange knowledge…