Ain Shams Play Area

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Ain Shams Play Area, Ain Shams (Egypt) 2016

Misr International University

Developing a children play area in the marginalized informal area of Ain Shams neighborhood, Cairo, Egypt, where 7%-21% between the ages of 6-14 are working children. the aim was to give the children a glimpse of their missing childhood through prioritizing their demands and desire to those of adults. The objective was to give them the freedom to play and explore and develop several skills during playing outdoors.

The proposed project started from previously gathered data about the context, the users, and the psychological effect of play on the personal growth. Observation and investigation then took place, with several discussions and analysis phases with focus groups. Later, after the community and the stake holders participated in the public hearings, the students have studied their budget and initiated methods for fundraising to implement the project. Having collected the money, students were totally involved in the implementation. Children were there along too. The entire process was a part of a “Human Factors in Design Course”; an elective course offered to fourth year students of architecture, intended as a discourse about and hands on national development approaches on students’ learning diaries.

Client: Egypt Society for Culture and Development (NGO)

Tutor: Heba Safey Eldeen

Students: 14 Students of Fourth Year Architecture, Human Factors Elective Course

Research Question: Can the design profession meet the enormous ethical and intellectual responsibilities required to achieve sustainable design work? What would be the objectives, content, and methodology of design education to allow future architecture to meet their expected roles?


Egypt, Architecture, Days, Permanent, Initiated by institution, Undergraduate, Self-funded, 11-50, +, Curricular, Students with tutor, MSR Univ.