Disorder potentials

Abstract

The Coptic cemetery in Manshiyet Nasser, is the final result of a process that includes mapping, "transcription" of these diagrams and design according to certain principles defined during the process. The site for the mapping was Manshiyet Nasser /Garbage city, where the garbage collectors of Cairo are settled. The reason behind the choice, is that this place offers an opportunity to study how the garbage occupies public space in different configurations and what kind of space is created between the elements that are part of. The final product of mapping is a series of diagrams that depict a deformed grid. The degree of deformation varies, according to the voids created between the elements on the picture /the front view of stacks. The quality on which the interest is focused, are the dense and sparse areas that are created by deformation. The sucession of dense and sparse areas is becoming the main principle of the design. Other key words of the design are :altered landscape and bridging of different levels. The last ones were influential so as the cliff to be the site of intervention. The program is related to the notions of : layered structure, repetition of units, connections-disconnections. At the same time, the cemetery as proposal, might be a solution for the current problematic situation; the Coptics that live in the Garbage City have to travel even for 55km for visiting the cemeteries. The final design concerns a structure that creates a new border between the cliff and the public space. It may be described as a building-landscape (or landscape building?) for the reason that there is no interior or exterior in the common sense -which is the case for a building, however is formed by elements that are common in buildings such as slabs and walls. The structure consists of precast concrete elements. The graves are developed verticaly, in combination with plants on top of each volume. The solid parts of the structure -that are the graves, are filled with soil, which is also a necessary condition according to the Coptics' tradition, but also plays a role in the decomposition process. Thus, this design proposal preserves the positive qualities of the traditional cemetery setting-which is outside the city and at the same time has a closer relation to urban life.