Copyright © 2025 Motivate Media Group. All rights reserved.
Get lost in the pages of a good book—it’s the soul of any room.
Hassan Fathy, Earth & Utopia
by Salma Samar Damluji & Viola Bertini
Laurence King
“We are not concerned with the people with millions. We are concerned with those who earn millimes,” said the late Hassan Fathy (1900-1989), Egypt’s best-known 20th-century architect. Known for his commitment to designing for the rural poor, his legacy as a humanitarian and architect is brought to life in this critical new volume – the very first on Fathy.
Organised in two parts, ‘The Culture and Philosophy’ and ‘Design, Planning and Earth Construction’, the book’s 368 pages and 450 illustrations present a man far ahead of his time and yet acutely aware of his present.
The excellent interviews conducted by the author, together with the photographs and drawings from the Hassan Fathy archives and Fathy’s own writings are all compelling, but it’s Salma Samar Damluji’s ‘Personal Encounter’ essay that steals the show with its reflections. Another fine essay is Viola Bertini’s ‘Watercolours: The Logic and Poetics of Representation’, which explains Fathy’s research on the techniques, materials and forms that might define an architectural language to investigate Egypt’s ‘identity’.
This book is an absolute must-have for the library of anyone interested in architecture, design and sustainability, and the importance of social and political justice via these fields.
Elevate your spaces with a pop of colour through these unique pieces
We interview Andrea Savage from A Life By Design – Living & Branding on creating aesthetically beautiful and deeply functional spaces
EMKAY delivers a bold and intricate fit-out by transforming a 1,800 sqm space into SUSHISAMBA Abu Dhabi, a vibrant multi-level dining experience
The Synua Wall System by Oikos offers modularity and style
Perennials unveils the Sun Kissed collection for 2025
Architect Rabih Geha’s collaboration with Iwan Maktabi
For Ayesha Erkin, architecture was never just about buildings, but about how people live, eat, gather and remember
Cycladic heritage, heartfelt hospitality and contemporary design converge on Deos Mykonos, designed by GM Architects
Curved shapes and colourful artworks bring vibrancy to this contemporary home with mesmerising nature views
Perched among the treetops, this serene home’s permanent connection to nature invites dwellers to unplug and unwind
A.R.M. Holding and BIG unveil visionary masterplan around Jebel Ali Racecourse