AVANCA | CINEMA 2020 - Using Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts as a Cinematic Pedagogical Tool in Architecture Schools in Egypt - Taher Abdel-Ghani

Oct 29, 2026

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This research uses Bernard Tschumi’s cinematic approaches as a pedagogical tool to reshape how architecture is read in Egyptian architecture schools. It argues that architectural language should not be confined to precise, generative drawings, because organic behavior—through space, movement, and events—becomes central in The Manhattan Transcripts. It critiques market-driven, form-centered methodologies that rely on abstraction or simulation without challenging their focus. The paper ultimately proposes experience- and time-based notations for interpreting physical environments.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Architecture education under modernist and post-modern pressures

Space in architecture and interdisciplinary approaches

Rethinking space through Tschumi’s cinematic lens

Historical foundations of space concepts

From Aristotle to later interpretations

AVANCA | CINEMA 2020 Using Bernard Tschumi’s Manhattan Transcripts as a Cinematic Pedagogical Tool in Architecture Schools in Egypt Taher Abdel-Ghani Modern Sciences & Arts University, Cairo, Egypt Abstract This research aims to use Bernard Tschumi’s cinematic approaches to offer a different reading of architecture in which architectural language is not limited by precise and generative drawings, rather the organic behavior plays a significant role. Space, movement, and events are the main pillars ofTschumi’s The Manhattan Transcripts, where conventional components of architecture are broken down and rebuilt along different axes. This paper addresses architecture schools in Egypt that convey conventional architectural methodologies to students in the form of a market-driven intellectual economy without challenging the presumed focus on form either through abstraction or simulation. Eventually, the purpose is to introduce the notations of experience and time for all forms of intervention in the reading of the physical environment. Keywords: Bernard Tschumi, Architecture Education, Cinema, Pedagogy, Manhattan Transcripts. Introduction The Western modernist paradigm proved its dominance over local values and general philosophy. The very core of Disneyfication [1] encouraged extreme individualist movement and defined a novel chapter in the consumption culture, clouding itself over collectiveness and societal values. Such a trend has succeeded to penetrate intellect convincing the inner members to follow its trail, eventually giving rise to terminologies as “American dream” or “land of opportunity” (El-Husseiny and El-Husseiny 2012, 3) . This philosophy insulated a desire for show, power, and ecstasy that spread its cultural effect during the twentieth century emphasizing the importance of technology, scientific development, commodities, materialistic appearance, and ease of life. Architecture has followed a similar route, specifically within the Arab context. Al-Masiri referred to the Arab’s reaction to widespread materialism as partial secularism (Al-Masiri 2011, 69-70), where the state’s management preserved its seclusion from religious issues. This paved further steps for intellectual autonomy defining a culture of its own. Architecture in the Arab context became a tool for self-expression and elite status. The excessive use of new glazed offices and curtain walls was a reflection of individuals’ stylish cars and lavish lifestyles, i.e. a genuine transformation in the communities’ socio-cultural framework. The open-door economic reform that took place in Egypt during the late 1970s and early 1980s gave more space for privatization which has penetrated the urban perimeter of cities, especially Cairo, developing projects such as commercial centers and office buildings (Salama 1999, 2) . No longer is architecture a direct communication with inhabitants, but rather aformalistic economic necessity that emphasizes form over essence. As a result, architecture education has adopted such a formalistic approach within its milieu by excluding alternative forms of art and effort. Nikos Salingaros questions the intentions of modernist educational institutions [2],“The system is desperately trying to protect its sovereignty – not by improving its methods, but by ruthlessly eliminating any competing ideas”(Salingaros 2007, 93) . In other words, according to Salingaros, architecture schools embraced materialist intellect that corresponds to post-modern outcries rather than innovation and creative meaning. This paper explores the post-modern architecture education in Egypt and aims to tackle the conventional materialistic perspective by providing an alternative approach to reading the physical environment. Eventually, the paper attempts to answer a single, yet complicated, question: What is the missing element in architecture education that can revive essence and human-environment connectivity? We do not talk about Space

FAQs

What is the main goal of the research?

To use Bernard Tschumi’s cinematic approaches to offer a different way of reading architecture in Egyptian architecture schools, emphasizing organic behavior over purely generative drawings.

Why does the paper criticize conventional architecture education in Egypt?

It argues that schools adopt a formalistic, market-aligned perspective that prioritizes form and materialist intellect, without adequately challenging the assumed focus on form through abstraction or simulation.

What does the paper propose for interpreting the physical environment?

It introduces notations of experience and time for all forms of intervention, treating space as an articulated entity shaped by movement and events.

Oct 29, 2026

Upload by Fahsai