The Reactivation of Moucharaby as Light Ornaments through Digital Design

Ornaments are considered essential part of architecture, contributing to the atmosphere and sense of place through its diverse visual effects. The Moucharaby is one of the traditional architectural elements that requires technical, professional, and artisanal knowledge to exist. It is closely related to light, affecting the privacy of the space and controlling the movement of the eye. Despite the disappearance of both elements: ornaments and Moucharaby from the modern architectural scene, the recent sustainability trends, parametric design, and modern technologies offer an opportunity to revive these elements. The article describes the experiential methodology of an intensive workshop that took place in ENSA Grenoble. This research is conducted within the framework of an Egyptian-French collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering- Ain Shams University in Egypt and the School of Architecture in Grenoble, France, with the cooperation of “Les grands ateliers de L’île d’Abeau.” The workshop focused on designing a pavilion on the main campus of the University of Grenoble, with an emphasis on the exterior envelope to achieve harmony between light and form according to the orientation of the facade. The aim is to parametrically design and digitally fabricate prototypes of architectural envelopes whose patterns and light effects are a reinterpretation of traditional Egyptian architecture of the Moucharaby and its light atmospheres, while introducing variants to adapt the design to different situations and usages of the contemporary needs.