PROGRAM: Residential
AREA: 24,000 m²
LOCATION: El Mahalla El Kubra, Egypt
STATUS: Under Construction
TIMEFRAME: 2017–2027
TEELA is located in Mahalla, an Egyptian city deeply connected to the textile industry. The project occupies two separate plots and combines retail at the lower levels, housing above and shared community spaces, creating from the outset the challenge of giving the development a coherent architectural identity.
The design begins with an analysis of the existing city, climate and traditional Egyptian architecture. Courtyards, mashrabiyas and other systems of shade and privacy are reinterpreted as contemporary design tools. The façade transforms patterns associated with the local textile culture into a geometry that filters solar radiation, opens diagonal views and visually unifies the different volumes.
The internal courtyard acts as the main lobby and circulation core, supporting natural light and ventilation. References to textile cones and traditional pigeon towers appear in specific elements of the project. TEELA therefore turns memory, climate and local culture into a contemporary architectural system, avoiding a generic residential response and creating an identity specific to its place.
One of the main challenges was how to connect the two separate plots of differing sizes that formed the basis of the project. To solve this, the two buildings are linked by rooftop bridges, creating a new community space: the social club. A courtyard is integrated into the larger plot to enhance ventilation and natural light, maintaining similar proportions to the smaller plot.
The slanted balconies provide diagonal views for all residences and are covered with latticework that offers privacy and shade. Their design draws inspiration from local culture, specifically patterns of traditional textiles. Other references to local culture are also incorporated into the project, such as the textile cones for the staircases and the materiality of pigeon towers for the social club.
The project systematically integrates references to traditional architecture and the specific context of Mahallah. The internal courtyard serves as the main lobby and circulation space, incorporating recognizable architectural elements, such as the spiral staircase, which reinforces both its symbolic and functional role. From this central space, all apartments are directly accessible, further establishing the courtyard as the heart of the building.
The façade adopts a geometry derived from mashrabiyas, not only to open up diagonal views and enhance environmental performance, but also to create a unified reading of the building as a large textile. In this way, the project translates cultural and construction patterns into a contemporary architectural system, where memory, climate, and tradition are transformed into geometry, space, and functionality.
DIRECTOR: Xavier Vilalta
PROJECT LEADER: Dolors Ollero
PROJECT TEAM: Hanna Lenart, Domiziana Monticelli, Laura Pompei, Silvia Vinci, Saidazim Sharipov, Lucia Feiglová, Matej Munko
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Karim M. Abdel-Aal
PROJECT MANAGER: Ahmed M. Abdel-Aal
MEP ENGINEERING: AM Group