ProgramsDESIGN THINKING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONSYear: 2021 Location: Cairo, Egypt and Islamabad, Pakistan Scope: Program Design Thinking for Environmental Solutions aims to research, design and prototype solutions to environmental challenges in cities in the Global South through digital workshops, in collaboration between CLUSTER, Cairo and IEI, Islamabad. The fellowship was open to 1st and 2nd year…
DesignCENTRAL BANK OF EGYPTYear: 2021 Location: Downtown Cairo Client: Central Bank of Egypt – Concept Proposal Scope: Renovation, Development and Implementation Built in 1903, the original structure was designed in a rusticated Neo-Baroque style by Dimitri Fabriculus. Its stone exterior is ornamented by a pediment above the main portal, cornices, balustrades, columns and an intricate…
Digital PlatformsGROUNDED URBAN PRACTICESYear: 2021 CLUSTER is glad to announce the launch of “Grounded Urban Practices (GUPs) by CLUSTER and Non-Fiction. This study contains an in-depth investigation of the work of GUPs in several countries, based on an extensive research and several meet-ups with a selected number of GUPs in many cities. The research focused…
ProgramsWatch Video CREATVITY IN ACTION: ENHANCING VISUAL IDENTITYYear: 2020 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops As part of the Creativity in Action project supported by Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) to promote creative and social enterprises, and in partnership with DUCO, CLUSTER’s ALFABRIKA carried out its first Urban Shutters workshop on December 25th- 27th 2020.…
ProgramsDESIGN COMPETITION: TOWARDS SAFER COMMUTINGYear: 2020 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Program CLUSTER’s ALFABRIKA launched its first design competition in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and the consequent changes and restrictions impacting our social practice and perception of public space. This was a call for creative design solutions to address health and safety concerns in the…
ProgramsWatch Video DESIGN, CRAFT, BRAND: SOCIAL FURNITURE WORKSHOPYear: 2019 Location: Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops This workshop, the fourth under the ‘CLUSTER MAKES’ initiative (a series organized by CLUSTER-ALFABRIKA) has a two-fold goal. It aims to map out small crafts and furniture manufacturing workshops to understand the broader landscape of creative industries in Ard al-Liwa and…
ProgramsWatch Video SCAVENGING JUNK, MAKING FURNITURE: UPCYCLING WORKSHOPYear: 2019 Location: Alfabrkia, Ard al-Liwa Scope: Workshops The objective of the first up-cycling workshop, “Scavenging Junk, Making Furniture,” was to engage artisans, introduce new applications of production, and experiment with functional designs while using waste materials in practical pieces of furniture. This second workshop in “cluster makes”…
ResearchLOCALIZING SDGs IN AFRICAN CITIESYear: 2019 Location: Cairo, Egypt and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Scope: Research This action-research project attempts to critique and propose alternative and more grounded approach to localizing SDGs in African cities, focusing on Cairo and Dar es Salaam. In 2015, a series of international standards and guidelines was formulated by national…
DesignMUGAMMA REVISITEDYear: 2019 Location: Downtown, Cairo Client: Mada Masr Scope: Design The government administrations housed in the infamous Mugamma building at Tahrir Square are most likely set to be replaced by a luxurious hotel, while the square itself is being renovated. Amid the digitizing of many government services and the relocation of core government functions…
ResearchGROUNDED URBAN PRACTICES: CAIRO AND AMSTERDAM/ROTTERDAMYear: 2019 Location: Cairo, Amsterdam/Rotterdam Client: Creative Industries Fund NL Scope: Research Grounded Urban Practices (GUPs) refer to alternative initiatives engaging cities and public space that have emerged over the past decade in response to economic and political shifts. They engage space as an agent for change, an approach known…