Introduction
The name Bisat-al-Nur—carpet of light—reflects both the poetic ambition and the technical essence of the design: a woven interplay of vaults, layers, and illumination that transforms the market into a living, breathing organism of space and culture.
At its heart, Bisat-al-Nur is a modern structure that recalls tradition. It seeks to honor the rhythms of Cairo’s historic markets while reinterpreting them through contemporary tools, materials, and climate-responsive strategies.
Ingredients
The project is built on four essential ingredients:
- Vaults, establishing rhythm and volume, anchoring the architecture in tradition while opening it to new possibilities.
- Patterns applied to the vaults, creating a dynamic surface language that shifts with perspective and light.
- Overlapping layers, enriching spatial depth and allowing multiple readings of the structure.
- Light, the true protagonist, animating every surface and guiding the visitor’s experience.
Together, these elements form the backbone of the proposal, shaping both the physical structure and the atmosphere of the market.
Design Layers
The design unfolds across four layers:
- A new interior layout, remagining circulation and spatial organization.
- An interior shell, lightweight yet expressive, derived from mesh-based form-finding.
- The existing steel structure, serving as a constraint and framework for adaptation.
- A new exterior roof, tessellated and responsive to solar exposure.
The strategy was to leave the existing market mostly untouched, except for the roof panels. This approach preserves the integrity of the original steel framework while introducing a new architectural language that overlays, complements, and revitalizes the space.
Form Finding Process
The interior shell starts from an initial mesh and anchor points. Through dynamic relaxation, a funicular form is obtained -organic, resilient, and adaptable. This form is repeated across the market. Different curvatures emerged by changing the size of the initial mesh and the load factor applied.
Dynamic relaxation was applied also to the exterior roof mesh, with box morph used to apply a square tiling.
The layout begins with a new exhibition space, conceived as a cultural anchor within the market. Circulation paths connect the main entrances with an elevated area, weaving together flows of visitors and merchants. Multi-level stores are organised along the central axis, creating a vibrant spine of activity.
Tessellation System
In the design process, I explored different patterns, but ultimately two were selected. For the interior shell, the geometry was derived from a tri-hex pattern, achieved by pulling the midpoints of the grid lines toward the center of each hexagon.
For the exterior roof, the choice settled on a square-based tiling, a more regular system that allowed for controlled tessellation and integration with the solar analysis. Together, these two approaches establish a dialogue between interior complexity and exterior clarity, balancing richness with legibility.
For the exterior roof, he solar irradiance analysis informed the grouping of panels panels into three types:
- High transparency for areas of low exposure, allowing light to penetrate deeply.
- Medium transparency for zones of moderate exposure, balancing shade and illumination.
- Low transparency for areas of high exposure, protecting interiors from overheating while maintaining visual porosity.
This adaptive strategy transforms the roof into a responsive skin, mediating between climate and comfort.
Materials
The material choice for the interior shell and the roof frame was aluminium, valued for its durability, adaptability, and circular potential. To preserve a sense of tradition and warmth, I chose bronze tones for the interior and a bronze–champagne finish for the exterior. Thanks to Perlin noise, the roof changes fluidly between the two tones. This shimmering effect recalls woven textiles, reinforcing the metaphor of the carpet of light.
The palette carries both cultural and sustainable implications:
- Culturally, bronze resonates with Cairo’s historic tones, evoking depth and heritage, while champagne reflects light outward with elegance, projecting a modern identity.
- Sustainably, aluminium offers resilience against climate, circular potential, and thermal efficiency, making it a responsible choice for a market that must endure and adapt.
Thus, the material choice bridges past and present: a modern skin that recalls tradition through color, tone, and atmosphere.es past and present: a modern skin that recalls tradition through color, tone, and atmosphere.
Further Work and Reflections
While the design establishes a strong conceptual and aesthetic foundation, further work is required to refine its structural performance, acoustic behavior, and water management strategies for the roof.
It is also worth noting that the two-layer roof system may be redundant and unrealistic in practice. Yet it served as a valuable exercise in exploring different tessellation systems and light effects, enriching the design process and expanding the palette of possibilities.
Conclusions
Bisat-al-Nur is more than a design proposal—it is an invitation to imagine how Cairo’s public markets can evolve. By weaving together tradition and technology, constraints and creativity, the project seeks to revive not only a building but a cultural ritual.
The carpet of light becomes a metaphor for community: layered, patterned, and illuminated by the energy of people and place. A modern structure recalling tradition, built in aluminium yet glowing with warmth, Bisat-al-Nur is both memory and future, both heritage and innovation.
