Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil ( ar, عبد الواحد الوكيل, born 7 August 1943) is an Egyptian
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
who designed over 15
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and is considered by many as the foremost contemporary authority in
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...
. For designing in
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
styles, he is also a representative of
New Classical Architecture
New Classical architecture, New Classicism or the New Classical movement is a contemporary movement in architecture that continues the practice of Classical architecture. It is sometimes considered the modern continuation of Neoclassical architec ...
.
Life
Education.
El-Wakil's early education in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
was at the British schools of
Victoria College and the English School. In 1960, he obtained his GCE and graduated with a distinction in Applied
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
,
Art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
,
Physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
, and
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
. In the same year, he joined the Faculty of Engineering at
Ain Shams University
Ain Shams University ( ar, جامعة عين شمس) is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels.
History
Ain Shams University was fou ...
and in 1965 acquired his
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in Architecture with Distinction and First Honours Degree. It was while studying for his degree that El-Wakil became acquainted with the writings of English critic
John Ruskin
John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...
. Ruskin's descriptions of what he termed an "arborescent" quality in architecture (a bold structure of decoration, legible at a distance, reveals ever-finer sub-structures as you approach it) had a lasting effect upon him.
From 1965 to 1970, he was appointed as an instructor and lecturer at the
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
Department of his Faculty.
In 1967, El-Wakil's whole approach to architecture was altered when he met with his mentor professor
Hassan Fathy. Having previously built three apartment buildings in the idioms of his former education in modern-style architecture, El-Wakil decided to become an apprentice to Hassan Fathy. As with
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...
, Hassan Fathy's mention was taboo at the Ain Shams Department of Architecture and that forced El-Wakil to end his teaching post at the Faculty and begin his new education with his mentor.
Career
Hassan Fathy’s quest for indigenous architecture had taken the momentum from the post-war crisis of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The war caused an economic shortage in industrial construction materials. It then occurred to Hassan Fathy that the
Nubia
Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), or ...
ns of
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient ...
managed to build the most beautiful houses with
mud
A MUD (; originally multi-user dungeon, with later variants multi-user dimension and multi-user domain) is a Multiplayer video game, multiplayer Time-keeping systems in games#Real-time, real-time virtual world, usually Text-based game, text-bas ...
- the humble material below their feet.
After five years of working with Hassan Fathy, El-Wakil had the opportunity to
design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
and build a house by the beach of
Agamy near
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
. The
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
of 1967 had brought Egypt into an economic disaster and again modern building materials became scarce and expensive. It was a unique opportunity for El-Wakil to interpret Hassan Fathy's design philosophy of
architecture for the poor
Hassan Fathy ( arz, حسن فتحي; March 23, 1900 – November 30, 1989) was a noted Egyptian architect who pioneered appropriate technology for building in Egypt, especially by working to reestablish the use of adobe and traditional mud con ...
. The
Halawa house The Halawa House or Agamy Beach House is a house located in Agami, Egypt that incorporates traditional Islamic and Egyptian prototypes. The project was completed in 1975 by Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil and was among the first recipients of the Aga Khan Aw ...
at Agamy made use of the abundant limestone within the area introducing the first indigenous Egyptian architecture in a resort that began with a pseudo
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
style and finished with pseudo-Modern.
El-Wakil built two more houses in Egypt. The Hamdy House, and the Chourbagy house, both by the
Pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
s Road on the outskirts of Cairo.
The Hamdy house was conceived as a small weekend house with a sleeping loft. The design encapsulated in an embryonic form the main elements in traditional
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
houses.
The Courage House was conceived as a model for a typical townhouse on a narrow frontage plot. The house-made extensive use of traditional design elements and local craftsmanship.
Saudi Arabian career
With the oil boom in 1973,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
provided a majority of commissions for El-Wakil. He undertook the design of a number of grand mansions developing a design approach of internalised spaces of atriums, patios, and courtyards, which appeared unfamiliar to the prevailing trend of extrovert
villa
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
type houses.
The first in this series of houses was the Zahran mansion, as a precursor to the Suleiman palace in
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
. The Suleiman palace became a unique expression of contemporary architecture applying traditional Arab design concepts. In a survey of architecture in Saudi Arabia, the ''
AIA Journal
''Architecture'' was a monthly magazine.
History
In 1899, ''The American Institute of Architects Quarterly Bulletin'' was authorized.
In April 1900, ''The American Institute of Architects Quarterly Bulletin'' first issue appeared.
In 1913, ' ...
'' nominated it as one of the best designs accomplished.
Two more houses were built in Saudi Arabia; the Alireza mansion in
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
and the Kandiel house in Jeddah, both in load-bearing brick construction.
Another three interesting house designs in Saudi Arabia, that failed to get built, were the Mansur Badr residence in Riyadh, the Mansur Badr townhouse in
Makkah, and the Hossam Khashoggi residence in
Taif.
Other works
Beyond Saudi Arabia El-Wakil designed a contemporary Arab courtyard town house for
Farouk Sultan
Farouk Ahmed Sultan ( ar, فاروق سلطان; born 1941) was President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, the highest judicial court in Egypt. He was appointed in 2009 by President Hosni Mubarak, and succeeded by Maher El-Beheiry in ...
in Kuwait. The
University of Durham
Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by royal charte ...
in UK taught the design of the Farouk Sultan house as an example of environmental design.
Another small house was designed on the
Island of Hydra
Hydra, or Ydra or Idra ( el, Ύδρα, Ýdra, , Arvanitika: Nύδρα/Nidhra), is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea between the Myrtoan Sea and the Argolic Gulf. It is separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow str ...
in Greece. In his book ‘A Vision of Britain’, The
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
presented it as an example for his ideas on traditional architecture.
In 1993, El-Wakil designed a mansion for
Thomas Kramer Thomas Kramer (born April 27, 1957) is a German-born real estate developer and venture capitalist, noteworthy for his part in the redevelopment of South Beach, Miami, Florida. Thomas Kramer's development projects include the Apogee, the Portofino To ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, Florida.
Vincent Scully
Vincent Joseph Scully Jr. (August 21, 1920 – November 30, 2017) was an American art historian who was a Sterling Professor of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University, and the author of several books on the subject. Architect Phil ...
, in his book ‘Between the Two Towers’ gave it generous mention.
By the time the Suleiman mansion had been completed, El-Wakil's work had caught the attention of Sheikh Said Farsi, the mayor of
Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...
, who appointed him as advisor.
Mosques works
In collaboration with the Ministry of
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
and Endowment, a program for
Mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
Architecture was established for the reconstitution of traditional architecture, for the first time enabling the construction of compressive brick structures devoid of concrete.
With support from Mayor Said Farsi and Deputy Minister Hossam Khashoggi, El-Wakil now proceeded to achieve an opus of over fifteen mosques within a period of ten years. Designing single-handed, he managed to delve into the evolution of the finest detail, to develop innovative building techniques, and simultaneously to achieve minarets, and vaulted and domed structures, of great daring.
Four little mosques; the Island mosque, the Corniche mosque, the Ruwais mosque and the Abraj Mosque were commissioned as part of the beautification of New Jeddah.
Five other grand mosques were commissioned in Jeddah; the Suleiman mosque, the Harithy mosque, the Azizeyah mosque, the Jufalli mosque and the monumental
King Saud Mosque
His Majesty King Saud Mosque ( ar, مسجد الملك سعود) is the largest mosque in the city of Jeddah and is located in Jeddah's Al-Sharafeyyah District.
The Mosque was designed by Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil and was finished in 1987. It is mai ...
. They were all in brick construction and provided an opportunity to develop traditional building crafts. The brick dome of the King Saud mosque with a diameter of 20 meters and a peak height of 40 meters challenged structural engineers who refused liability for its construction without concrete. El-Wakil signed an affidavit taking full responsibility for its structure. Being directly commissioned by King Fahd and promoted by the mayor of Jeddah, El-Wakil managed to circumvent all the bureaucratic regulations that would have prevented the mosque ever being built.
Four Pilgrimage mosques of great historic significance were commissioned in
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...
(Al–Madinah Al-Munawarah - the Holy city of the Prophet):
*The design and reconstruction of the
Quba Mosque built on the site where the very first mosque in Islam was erected.
*The design and reconstruction of the
Qiblatain Mosque said to have been the mosque where the worshipers first changed the direction of their prayers from Jerusalem towards Mecca according to divine revelation.
*The design and reconstruction of the
Jama Masjid, the congregation mosque, said to have been the mosque where the first Friday prayers in Islam were performed.
*The
Miqat Dhu al-Hulayfah
The Mīqāt Dhu al-Ḥulayfah (), also known as Masjid ash-Shajarah ( ar, مَسْجِد ٱلشَّجَرَة, lit=Mosque of the Tree) or Masjid Dhu al-Hulayfah (), is a ''miqat'' and mosque in Abyār ʿAlī, Medina, west of ''Wadi al-'Aqiq'', wh ...
Complex designed for pilgrims to perform their purification rites and prayers before entering the Holy city of Madinah.
![Masjid al-Qiblatain](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Masjid_al-Qiblatain.jpg)
Two mosques were later designed in Riyadh and one in Diraiyah on the outskirts of Riyadh. The Maydani Mosque in Riyadh was the only one built.
Another two mosques were designed for the city of
Makkah:
*The Bilal Mosque, unfortunately never built, was named after the muezzin who announced the call to prayer for the Prophet Muhammad. The earlier mosque had been unfortunately demolished with the new expansions of the Haram.
*The Hafayer mosque in proximity to the Haram has just recently been completed for prayers in the month of Ramadan 2008.
Mosques outside Saudi Arabia
![Ash-Shaliheen Mosque, Brunei Darussalam(outside)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Ash-Shaliheen_Mosque%2C_Brunei_Darussalam%28outside%29.JPG)
Several mosques were designed outside Saudi Arabia:
*The
Kerk Street mosque built in downtown
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, replaced the 150-year-old mosque to accommodate a larger number of worshipers. The restricted site imposed five prayer levels and an unsparingly efficient utilisation of space.
*The Yateem Mosque in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
was designed on a challenging narrow plot. The minaret is unique as it incorporates a custom-designed clock.
*The Houghton Mosque and community centre on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.
*The
Ash-Shaliheen Mosque
The Ash Shaliheen Mosque ( ms, Masjid Ash-Shaliheen) is a mosque located besides the Prime Minister's Office Complex in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.
Structure
The mosque is built in the Moroccan style by Egyptian architect Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil ...
is a mosque in
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
designed to consider the traditional spatial character of
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
architecture.
*A Muslim Community Centre in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
: the design of which went no further than its conceptual stage.
Taken as a body of work, the mosques of El-Wakil can now be seen to show great leaps of the imagination, while invariably being rooted in tradition. Not only are the fine ornamental details remarkable, the vast variety of columns and stalactites, pendentives and multiple other elements all created without repetition. The structural forms, such as the triangular minaret at Miqat in Madinah, grow organically from functional and programmatic exigencies.
Other Buildings
Apart from mosques and houses, El-Wakil has designed and built a variety of building types:
*An early project in Jeddah was the design of a car showroom and
office
An office is a space where an Organization, organization's employees perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize objects and Goals, plans, action theory, goals of the organizati ...
s, a pioneer example of the integration of Saudi Arabian elements with conventional concrete structure.
*A later project was The Souk Al-Dawoodiah at Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah; consisting of a
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
and office building, this also was a commercial building utilising traditional forms.
*A
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
by the coast in Jeddah, inspired by medieval Islamic towers, was of interesting design although never built.
*Two Public buildings designed but not built were the Ministry of Pilgrimage and Endowment Head office in Jeddah and the offices of Public Waterworks.
International works
![Islamic Studies Centre Oxford 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Islamic_Studies_Centre_Oxford_2.jpg)
In 1991, the crisis of the
Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
forced the closure of El-Wakil's offices in the UK. Being aware of the situation,
Andrés Duany invited El-Wakil to come to Miami as visiting Professor at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
. El-Wakil also joined a charette organised by Duany for the development of South Beach. The developer Thomas Kramer, impressed by El-Wakil, asked him to design his new residence on Star Island. Duany presented El-Wakil with several consultancy opportunities of which The Kemer County Development offered him the opportunity to experiment with Traditional Turkish Architecture in the Design of the Country Club. El-Wakil kept a base in Miami until the tragic events of 911.
El-Wakil has been championed by
The Prince of Wales who shares his approach to architecture. The Prince selected him among his advisors for the Prince of Wales School of Architecture, and as Patron to the
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
Centre for Islamic Studies; the Prince commended him for the design of the centre's building. El-Wakil cherishes this recognition as he personally believes Prince Charles to be the true patron of Tradition.
The
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OXCIS) went through a long and sometimes painful process but has recently neared completion. The building blended the tradition of Oxford architecture with the spirit of Traditional Islamic Architecture. The medieval character of both architectures made it a happy marriage. The building reintroduced load-bearing brick structures, eliminating steel and concrete.
The almost-completed centre appeared on the front cover of the UK
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
Magazine on March 10/11 2007.
Awards
El-Wakil has received recognition for his contribution to traditional architecture and sustainable building technology for the third world, addressing at an early date the now more widely understood issues of sustainability.
*In 1980, The Agamy Beach house claimed the first
Aga Khan Award for Architecture. El-Wakil shared the award with his mason Ala-el-Din Moustafa who was one of the master masons to build Hassan Fathy's village in Gourna.
*In 1985, he received the
King Fahd Award for Research in Islamic Architecture.
*In 1986, El-Wakil's work was recognized by the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
and was made Honorary Fellow at San Antonio in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.
*In 1987, on the occasion of The International Year of Shelter for the Homeless (IYSH), a competition was organised for New Technological Solutions for
Social Housing (CINTUS). Out of entries from 75 nations, El-Wakil's design won him an award.
*In 1988, El-Wakil was accorded the title of Professor by the
International Academy of Architecture
The International Academy of Architecture - ''a non-profit-making company for performing activities for private benefit'' (IAA, bg, Международна архитектурна академия) is a non-governmental and non-profit organizat ...
and the
International Union of Architects
The International Union of Architects ( French: ''Union internationale des Architectes''; UIA) is the only international non-governmental organization that represents the world's architects, now estimated to number some 3.2 million in all.
About ...
.
*In 1989, El-Wakil acquired a second Aga Khan Award for the design of the Corniche Mosque in Jeddah. The Award Ceremony was held in Cairo, El-Wakil's hometown and was presented to him by the First Lady
Suzanne Mubarak.
*In 1993, El-Wakil received a Certificate of Appreciation from Dade County in Miami for his entry, within a charette of 20 architectural firms organised by Andres Duany, for the urban design development for
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard.
This area was the fi ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
*In 1994, El-Wakil received an Award and Trophy for his achievements within the city Al-Madinah Munawarah, an achievement unique for a non-Saudi.
*In 1994 El-Wakil also received a Certificate of Appreciation from
Solidere in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
for his contribution as president of the jury for the reconstruction of the Souks of Beirut.
*In 1999 El-Wakil was honoured in Riyadh at the International Congress for Mosque Architecture with the First Prize for the Design of the Contemporary Mosque Architecture.
*In 2008, El-Wakil was named the 2009 winner of the
Richard H. Driehaus
Richard Herman Driehaus (; July 28, 1942 – March 9, 2021) was an American fund manager, businessman and philanthropist. He was the founder, chief investment officer, and chairman of Driehaus Capital Management LLC, based in Chicago.
The phila ...
Prize for his contributions to classical architecture.
Memberships
El-Wakil has also participated as a member of several juries on architecture and advisor to several institutions. He has been:
*A Member of the Board of Trustees of the International Heritage Trust (founded by Lord Duncan Sands);
*A Member of the Academic Board of the Prince of Wales school of Architecture;
*Advisor to Astronaut Prince
Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, سلطان بن سلمان آل سعود; ''Sulṭān bin Salmān Āl Suʿūd''; born 27 June 1956) is a Saudi prince and former Royal Saudi Air Force pilot who flew aboard the American STS-51-G Space Shuttle missi ...
High Commissioner of Tourism and of Saudi Heritage Trust;
*President of the Jury for the reconstruction of the Old Souks of Beirut;
*A member of the Jury and Think tank for the Aga Khan Prize for architecture;
*Advisor to
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
for the development of a village to relocate the Bdul tribe in
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
;
*A member of the King Fahd award for the International Youth of the World Competition for Islamic Architecture;
*A Member of the Jury for the competition of the urban development for
Samarkhand historical centre;
El- Wakil has also participated in many International symposiums and lectures; in the US at
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...
and the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
in New York, the Rowlett Lectures at
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, and the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
.
Recent Activities
El Wakil continues in vigorous professional activity, dividing his time between Middle Eastern capitals.
In Beirut, Lebanon, he has designed three projects including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a prominent downtown site within the Solidere master plan; a town house re-interpreting traditional Levantine architecture to accommodate contemporary usage; and the Bank of Kuwait in the downtown Solidere district.
In
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
he is undertaking the Master Planning of a city quarter, integrating best contemporary low-energy planning practice with climate-tempered Islamic built form.
El Wakil has recently designed a boutique hotel in
El-Gouna
El Gouna ( ar, الجونة ' , "the Lagoon") is an Egyptian tourist city, owned and developed by Samih Sawiris' Orascom Development, dating from 1989. It is located on the Red Sea in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt, north of Hurghada. It is p ...
,
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, and a mixed-use residential quarter within the Solidere International project Cairo Eastown.
He is also doing small town houses, and a new mosque, in Riyadh.
With Prince Sultan, the Saudi
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
, he worked on developing and restoring a the old Al-'Udhaibat traditional farm in the
Wadi Hanifa in
Diriyah on the western outskirts of Riyadh. A book ‘Back to Earth’
[William Facey, ''Back to Earth: Adobe Building in Saudi Arabia'', 1997, ] recorded the project.
On a recent visit with the President of
Senegal
Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
, El-Wakil was invited to develop experimental social housing in mud brick.
He has also been involved in the design development of a compressed-earth brick making machine in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
with the development of interlocking brick shapes.
El Wakil, empowered now with third-generation CAD programmes, is very technologically savvy. He retains his aim of designing, one day, in homage to Fathy, a sustainable village retaining the culture and forms of tradition. He avows that green architecture need not look industrial.
References
* Holod, Renata (1983) ''Architecture and community : building in the Islamic world today : the Aga Khan Award for Architecture'' Millerton, NY: Aperture;
"The Mosques of Abdel Wahed El-Wakil" Al-Asad, Mohammed (1992) "The Mosques of Abdel Wahed El-Wakil" in ''MIMAR 42: Architecture in Development'' Concept Media Ltd., London;
External links
Official website''Wakil, Abdel Wahed el-'' Artnet
Information on Archnet.orgwith links to plans.
*
Corniche Mosque Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
*
Halawa House Agamy, Egypt.
* feat. Wakil,
Driehaus Prize
The Driehaus Architecture Prize, fully named The Richard H. Driehaus Prize at the University of Notre Dame, is a global award to honor a major contributor in the field of contemporary traditional and classical architecture. The Driehaus Prize was ...
ceremony,
Notre Dame School of Architecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakil, Abdel Wahed El-
1943 births
Living people
Ain Shams University alumni
New Classical architects
Driehaus Architecture Prize winners
20th-century Egyptian architects
21st-century Egyptian architects