Problems on hold : A Question of compatibility

Last week I wrote about the ongoing project for the development of Sidi Gaber railway station in Alexandria. Despite the apparently ambitious scope of this project, the safety of the passengers using the station while construction work is being carried out has been absolutely disregarded. To move from one platform to another men, women, and children have to cross the rails exposing themselves to immeasurable hazards, while a simple overhead bridge would easily solve the problem. As for the project itself, no-one knows anything about it. The nature of the development or renovation being conducted was never announced, neither was anything said about the activities to be housed in the new building nor how would they affect the normal railway station operation. And more important, to what extent does the new project conserve the distinctive architectural style of Sidi Gaber station.
All this came to my mind as I remembered the predicaments involved in the development of the Cairo central railway station. It started some two years ago with the erection of a multi-storey car park which was pulled down midway through its construction following public protest against the fact that it would have hidden the exceptionally beautiful Arabesque-style façade of the station. Millions of Egyptian Pounds went down the drain because of poor planning and absent vision. Now the controversy is over the inclusion of a shopping centre in the station, and whether this can be managed while conserving the historical character of the building. It is a case of the everlasting tug of war between development and conservation.
What I saw at Sidi Gaber station aroused within me the same question, and the same anxiety. The Sidi Gaber station was built in the 1950s and was a fine example of departure from the revered classic architecture to the modern one. In his book Architecture of the 20th Century, the prominent Egyptian architect Salah Zaitoun (1917 – 1994) described Sidi Gaber building as characterised with bold lines and harmonious blocks, and distinguished with its red Sornaga brick façade that has retained its resplendence to this day.
It is thus of utmost importance to question how the ongoing project would affect the original character of the building. Every Egyptian is entitled to an explanation of what is going on and what outcome is expected, since every Egyptian is, in his or her own right, custodian over the nation’s architectural wealth.
I therefore call upon Alexandria governorate and the Transport Ministry, both of which share responsibility of the Sidi Gaber project, to publicise the purpose of the project, its details, and how far it will conserve the original style. Transparency and candour are an absolute pre-condition of this project if it is ever to escape the destiny of the Cairo railway station car park. Public fury at undesirable development would possibly be averted, as would any embarrassment to the government on that head.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not against development nor am I against investing in any project that would create job opportunities. But I firmly believe that development and conservation may be compatible; the aesthetic and historical value of our buildings may yet be saved. Our architects have gone through that before in countless projects. The world over, contests are held to achieve that compatibility.
I never heard of a contest that was held for Sidi Gaber development. It may be that I am poorly informed, but I have no doubt that many others in Egypt are equally poorly informed. Yet we all ask the perfectly legitimate question: What is really going on at Sidi Gaber?

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