“We always have to explain our references, [although] we
try to avoid this because we don’t copy. I don’t open a book of
Islamic architecture and say this feature is nice and copy it.
We look at Islamic architecture almost every day; it’s become
a part of us. So when we are designing, it is coming from in-
side, and it could by coincidence look like something we have
seen before, but it is never straight forward copying.”
Much like Fathy’s work, Dubai’s Ismaili Centre is a bridge
between tradition and modernity, suspended timelessly amid
an environment cluttered with glass and concrete towers.
And while the building features canonical elements found in
Islamic architecture, like domes, vaults and corbels, the exe-
cution and attitude toward materiality is principally modern.
“[The building] is very modern in its thinking. A lot of mod-
ern architecture is built with concrete and is left fare-faced
and the structure is true. Everything here is designed with
this kind of thinking. It is true to the material, it is not clad-
ded or pretentious. We built in stone, and even without orna-
ments or carvings, it is still impressive,” El Dahan said.
The architects explained how working with Fathy gave
them a certain attitude toward architecture, and life itself.
“We took from him a kind of energy which I think, even af-
ter many years since his passing, we are still working with,”
El Dahan said.
22 / COVER STORY