Mostafa ShawkyArchitect

Mostafa Shawky

Biography

Mostafa Shawky

Mostafa Shawky was an Egyptian architect, born in Cairo on 6 January 1915. He graduated first in his class, with distinction, from the Department of Architecture at Cairo University's Faculty of Engineering in 1938. He earned a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois in 1947, then worked with the architects Hertzka & Knowles in San Francisco.

He served in government from 1938 to 1960, becoming director-general of planning and buildings at Cairo Municipality in 1956, before devoting himself to private practice. From 1948 he worked with his partner Salah Zeitoun in the consultancy Shawky, Zeitoun & Partners for some forty years; his son, the architect Aly Shawky, joined him in 1977.

He designed and supervised about one hundred and twenty major projects in Egypt and the Arab world, among them Cairo International Airport, Cairo Stadium, the Nasser Institute and the preliminary plan for 10th of Ramadan City, and he was one of the architects of the salvage of the Philae temples at Aswan. He was the first to introduce the modular system as the basis of architectural planning in Egypt, and among the first to integrate works of art into Egyptian buildings.

He received the State Incentive Prize in the Arts in 1963 and the State Merit Prize in the Arts in 1990, the fifth architect to receive it after his teacher Ali Labib Gabr, along with several state decorations. In 1986 the Second Conference of Egyptian Architects honoured him for developing contemporary Egyptian architecture and training generations of architects.

Timeline

  1. 1915Born in Cairo on 6 January; grows up in Sayeda Zeinab and later Zamalek.
  2. 1938BArch with distinction, Cairo University; joins the Government Buildings Department (Ministry of Public Works).
  3. 1942Works manager, Buildings Section, Rural Affairs Department (Ministry of Health).
  4. 1945Sent to the United States on a mission to specialise in hospital design.
  5. 1947Master of Architecture, University of Illinois; then works at Hertzka & Knowles, San Francisco.
  6. 1948Begins private practice with Salah Zeitoun at 5 Kasr El-Nil Street.
  7. 1949First and third prizes in the Wahba building competition.
  8. 1953Head of design and buildings, General Directorate of Municipalities.
  9. 1955Order of the Republic, fourth class.
  10. 1956First prize, Cairo International Airport competition; appointed director-general of planning and buildings, Cairo Municipality.
  11. 1960Leaves government service for private practice.
  12. 1963State Incentive Prize in the Arts; Order of the Republic, third class, on completion of Cairo Airport; Order of Sciences and Arts, first class.
  13. 1966Second prize, international competition for the Benghazi Cultural Centre; first prize, American College in Maadi.
  14. 1968The Egyptian scheme to move the Philae temples to Agilkia Island is selected.
  15. 1970Consultant to the Nasser Institute (until 1978).
  16. 1972Founding of the consultancy Mostafa Shawky, Salah Zeitoun & Partners.
  17. 1975Consultant to the Arab Elevators Company (Schindler Egypt); designs its Heliopolis plant.
  18. 1977His son, the architect Aly Shawky, joins the practice.
  19. 1980The Philae salvage is inaugurated on 10 March; Ingersoll-Rand Prize (Italy) for the best project of 1980.
  20. 1981First prize, Engineers' Tower competition, National Housing Company.
  21. 1982Order of Sciences and Arts, first class, and a certificate from the Engineers' Syndicate on the third Engineers' Day.
  22. 1983Egyptian member of UNESCO's tripartite technical committee reviewing the Nubia Museum in Aswan.
  23. 1986Certificate of appreciation from the Second Conference of Egyptian Architects, chaired by Hassan Fathy; Order of Sport, first class.
  24. 1988Honoured by the Faculty of Engineering Alumni Association at the golden jubilee of his graduation.
  25. 1990Retrospective exhibition (2 June) and State Merit Prize in the Arts (20 June).
  26. 1992Included in the national encyclopaedia of prominent Egyptians.

Journeys

He made some forty-five journeys abroad between 1954 and 1984, visiting airports, hospitals, factories and modern hotels to prepare for his projects, and kept his own record of them.

His journeys abroad

Prizes and decorations

  • State Incentive Prize in the architectural arts, 1963 (the second architect to receive it)
  • State Merit Prize in the Arts, 20 June 1990 (the fifth architect to receive it since its foundation)
  • Ingersoll-Rand Prize (Italy) for the salvage of the Philae temples, 1980
  • Order of the Republic, fourth class, 1955
  • Order of the Republic, third class, 1963
  • Order of Sciences and Arts, first class, 1963, 1982 and 1990
  • Order of Sport, first class, 1986
  • Certificate of appreciation, Engineers' Syndicate, 1982
  • Certificate of appreciation, Second Conference of Egyptian Architects, 1986

Architectural competitions

  • First and third prizes – Wahba building competition, 1949
  • First prize – Cairo International Airport competition, 1956
  • Second prize – international competition for the Cultural Centre, Benghazi, Libya, 1966
  • First prize – American College, Maadi, competition, 1966
  • First prize – Engineers' Tower competition, National Housing Company, 1981

Memberships and committees

  • Member of the Egyptian Architects' Association and the Engineers' Syndicate (no. 3593); consultant engineer from 1974
  • Technical committee for public service buildings, Permanent Council for Services, 1954–1955
  • Higher Board for Architecture, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, 1955–1957
  • Chairman of the Dokki Housing Cooperative
  • Committees on building research and popular housing models, 1958, and on reducing construction costs, 1962
  • Building Research and Technology Council, Academy of Scientific Research, 1972; secretary of the committee for the reconstruction of cities
  • Advisory committee on the preliminary plan for Greater Cairo, 1971, and on urban planning for Cairo Governorate, 1973
  • Board of the Arab Bureau for Designs and Engineering Consultancy, 1974–1975
  • High-rise buildings committee, 1974; Ministry of Tourism committee, 1975; committee drafting the bylaws of the 1976 Building Law
  • Architecture Committee, Supreme Council for Culture, 1980–1982
  • UNESCO consultants committee, 1982–1983, and the tripartite committee for the Nubia Museum, Aswan, 1983
  • Housing and Reconstruction Division of the Specialised National Councils; Egyptian Planning Society; formerly board member of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization

Competition juries

  • United Housing Company building on the Alexandria corniche, 1969
  • Housing for Cairo University staff, Dokki, 1970
  • Memorial complex at the tomb of Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1971
  • Replanning of Opera Square, 1972
  • Planning of the Karayhat and Hekr districts, Ismailia, 1972
  • Memorial to the martyrs of the October 1973 war, 1974
  • Victory monuments in the Canal Zone, 1974
  • 10,000 housing units on the Merryland site, Heliopolis, 1974
  • Two housing districts in Suez, 1974
  • First housing city at Helwan, 1975
  • Garden City site, 1975
  • Master plan of El-Obour City, 1975
  • Multi-use building, 3 Kasr El-Nil Street, 1975
  • Petroleum House, Galaa Bridge Square, 1976
  • Museum of Civilisation, Gezira, 1982–1983
  • Replanning of Luxor, 1982

Photographs from his career

On receiving his master's degree at the University of Illinois, 1947; with Housing Minister Dr Aziz Yassin; and beside the model of the Murad Wahba building after winning first and third prizes.
On receiving his master's degree at the University of Illinois, 1947; with Housing Minister Dr Aziz Yassin; and beside the model of the Murad Wahba building after winning first and third prizes.
A photograph of the Government Hospital in Haifa, signed and dedicated by Erich Mendelsohn: “To Mostafa Shawky, Feb. 1947”.
A photograph of the Government Hospital in Haifa, signed and dedicated by Erich Mendelsohn: “To Mostafa Shawky, Feb. 1947”.
Explaining the Cairo Airport model to Abdel Latif El-Baghdadi, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, when the competition result was announced.
Explaining the Cairo Airport model to Abdel Latif El-Baghdadi, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, when the competition result was announced.
Explaining Cairo Airport after the first prize, and on the model designed to extend through its “fingers”.
Explaining Cairo Airport after the first prize, and on the model designed to extend through its “fingers”.
With Dr Ahmed Moharram and the German architect Werner March preparing the drawings for Cairo Stadium; and with Sudan's leader Mahgoub in Khartoum, with Osman Ahmed Osman and Ahmed Moharram.
With Dr Ahmed Moharram and the German architect Werner March preparing the drawings for Cairo Stadium; and with Sudan's leader Mahgoub in Khartoum, with Osman Ahmed Osman and Ahmed Moharram.
With the official delegation visiting a dairy plant in Sweden; and receiving an award from the head of the Engineers' Syndicate.
With the official delegation visiting a dairy plant in Sweden; and receiving an award from the head of the Engineers' Syndicate.
With the Misr Dairy board on completion of the El-Kobba plant; at the model of the Arab Elevators plant; and touring the plant once in production.
With the Misr Dairy board on completion of the El-Kobba plant; at the model of the Arab Elevators plant; and touring the plant once in production.
With ministers of housing and information at working meetings and project openings.
With ministers of housing and information at working meetings and project openings.
At project openings and model presentations.
At project openings and model presentations.

Journeys Complete list of works External links Thanks and Dedication