When observing Egypt’s method of expansion, one can identify a clear language and distinctive pattern of urban development. The years following 1952, marked by the privatization of agricultural land and the population boom, gave rise to a soon to be urban ‘catastrophe’. In order to fulfil the needs of the growing population, buildings were sprouting out everywhere, causing agricultural lands to disappear under a jungle of red bricks, erasing the lines between urban and rural. This phenomenon of informal expansion has spread across the country composing what is commonly known as Ashwa’eeyat or informal settlements. In Egypt, these can be identified by a unified method of construction using concrete skeleton structures of concrete slabs and beams along with plain red brick walls; an appearance that does not reflect nor shed light on the Egyptian culture or environmental requirements. The use of bricks and concrete is due to the fact that this construction method is the most commonly used and feasible type of construction; the material is available, the workmanship, even though it is not the most economic method. Egypt is a developing country that possesses numerous resources, being both tangible and intangible ones. The aim of this paper is to research and determine the possibility of creating different elements of construction utilizing available resources and recycling waste material. These elements would be economic and reflective of the Egyptian culture while maintaining the necessary environmental and physical safety requirements sought in residential buildings.

Bowman, M., Ahmad, A.E., Alyhassan, O.S. and Khalil, M.M. (1992). Surveying of some date palm parameters and properties to be utilized in date palm mechanization. Agricultural mechanization in Asia and Africa and Latin America, 23(2), 67-69.
A. Ramezanianpour, F. Gafarpour, M.H. Majedi, Use of rice husk in the production of masonary cements, Building and Housing Research Center (BHRC), September 1997.
Al-Baijat, Hamadallah. "The Use of Basalt Aggregates in Concrete Mixes in Jordan ." Jordan Journal of Civil Engineering. 2.1 (2008): 63-70. Print. .
Jana, Revedin. Empowerment by Participative Design The Urban Laboratory Zabbaleen. Locus Foundation.org. UNESCO, 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2013.
“DVV | Adult Illiteracy, Brain Architecture, and Empowerment of the Poor.” Dvv International. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.
GIZ, and KFW. Participatory Upgrading of Informal Areas: A Decision-makers’ Guide for Action. Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas in Egypt. Cairo: Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) in Egypt, 2012. Print
GIZ. Knowing Local Communities: Guide. Cairo: Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) in Egypt, 2012. Print.
GIZ (2). Maximizing Use Value: Action Guide for Informal Areas. Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas in Egypt. CAiro: Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas (PDP) in Egypt, 2012. Print
Kerama Jahromi, M., Jafari A., Rafiee S. and Mohtasebi, S.S. (2007). A survey on some physical properties of the Date Palm tree. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 3(2): 317-322.
Khoddam Razavi, S. R, “Rice husk ash a mineral admixture for high performance concrete”, Msc Thesis, Amirkabir University of Technology Press, 2005.
Marthong, C. "Effect of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as Partial Replacement of Cement on Concrete Properties."International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT). 1.6 (2012): n. page. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Mehta, P.K., "High-performance, high-volume fly ash concrete for sustainable development", Proceedings of the International Workshop on Sustainable Development and Concrete Technology, Beijing, China, May 20–21, 2004.
M. Zhang, V. M. Malhotra, “High-Performance Concrete Incorporating Rice Husk Ash as a Supplementary Cementing Material”, ACI Materials Journal, November-December 1996, Tittle no. 93-M72, PP. 629-636.
MOPIC, “Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas.” Participatory Development Programme in Urban Areas RSS. Egyptian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MOPIC), Spring 2004. Web. 21 Sept. 2013. .
Ramezanianpour, A.A. "The Effect of Rice Husk Ash on Mechanical Properties and Durability of Sustainable Concretes." International Journal of Civil Engineerng. 7.2 (2009): n. page. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.
Robertson, Eugene. United States. United States Department of The Interior Geological Survey. Thermal Properties of Rocks. 1988. Print. .
Shamsi, M. "Some physical and mechanical properties of date palm trees related to cultural operations industry mechanization ." Journal of Agricultural Technology . 5. (2009): 17-31. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. .
Sims, David, and Janet L. Abu-Lughod. Understanding Cairo: The Logic of a City out of Control. Cairo: American University in Cairo, 2010. Print.
Sosna, K. "Laboratory determination of the mechanical properties of granite rocks ." ARCADIS Geotechnika Inc. 988.4 n. page. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. .
Subramanian, N. "Sustainability of RCC Structures Using Basalt Composite Rebars S." Masterbuilder. (2010): 156-164. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. .
Suryawanshi, D.G. India. National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cutural Property.Basic Studies on the Properties of Palm Leaf. Lucknow: Paper, Web 13 December 2013.
Torabi, Anita. "Insight into petrophysical properties of deformed sandstone reservoirs." AAPG Bulletin. 97.4 (2013): 619-637. Web. 18 Dec. 2013. .

@article{Basil04021002,
title = " Creative Economic Building Components For Low-Income Housing ",
journal = "International Journal of Science and Engineering Applications (IJSEA)",
volume = "4",
number = "2",
pages = "30 - 39",
year = "2015",
author = " Basil Kamel,Moaz Mohamed ",
}