German University in Cairo

Instructors

Ahmed El Hozayen

Visual Design & Presentation Department
Email: Ahmed.elhozayen@guc.edu.eg

Ahmed has been working at GUC since 2014. He is an Instructor in the same program where he teaches urban and architectural design. read more

He is currently a Ph.D. researcher in the Architecture and urban design program at the German university in Cairo on the perception of children’s safety in public spaces. Previously, He obtained his master’s degree in landscape engineering from Agrocampus Ouest in France in 2013. Ahmed earned his B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering in 2010 from Cairo University. His research interests include urban sociology, environmental psychology, and design for children.

El Hozayen also practiced architecture in several local and international firms and co-founded F-Context, a Cairo-based architecture design studio, in 2022.

Aliaa Maged Kamal

Building Technology Department
Email: Aliaa.kamal@guc.edu.eg

Aliaa is an architect and researcher with 13 years of teaching experience, involved in Building Technology, Architectural drawing and Design studio courses for foundation years, besides integrated design and introduction to project management /construction management courses for upper stages. read more

Besides practical experience and teaching, she has concentrated research on design for children with a special focus on designing play spaces in a participatory regime. She has performed on site workshops with children, and research experiments aiming to upgrade the quality of playground designs for children.

Aliaa M. Kamal is a PhD candidate working on the topic “Child Developing Play Opportunities in Cairo”, after she was granted her MSc degree in 2014 for the thesis titled “Listening to Children: Developing Skills through Play Space Design” and graduated, 2010 from Architecture department, Faculty of Engineering Cairo University.

Selected Publications:

Kamal, A.M.(2019). Building a Child-Developing Play Space in Cairo through Listening to Children. In R. Danenberg, V. Doumpa, & H. Karssenberg, The City at the Eye Level for Kids (pp. 92-97). Amsterdam: STIPO Publishing. doi:ISBN 978-91-7729-838-0.
Kamal, A.M. (2014). Listening to Children: Developing Skills through Play Space Design. Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University. Faculty of Engineering. Department of Architecture. Egyptian Universities libraries Collaboration.

Merna Hany Sabry Ibrahim

Visual Design & Presentation Department
Email: Merna.sabry@guc.edu.eg

Merna has been working in GUC since 2014. She is an instructor in visual design and presentation department. She accomplished her master’s degree from Cairo University in 2016. She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation in Ain Shams University, starting from 2021. read more

She teaches several courses in the visual design and presentation department, such as design studios, CADCAM courses, electives courses, descriptive geometry, 3D model making, etc. She is interested in kinetic Architecture, the rotational mechanism of the architectural components, the Dynamic Facades, Responsive Skins, Intelligent Buildings, Home Automation and Smart Building System.

Selected Publications:

Merna H. Ibrahim (2021), “Comparative Analysis between Different Proposed Responsive Façade Designs for Reducing the Solar Radiation on the West Façade in the Hot Arid Region”, ICCRDSB 2021: 15. International Conference on Climate Responsive Design and Sustainable Building, Dubai, UAE.
Ibrahim M. & El-Sherbiny E. (2016), “Reducing the energy consumption using responsive architecture in the hot arid region”, SBE16: Sustainable Built Environment Conference, Cairo Egypt.

Meryem Kübra Uluç Tolba

Architecture & Urban Design Department
Email: Meryem.tolba@guc.edu.eg

Meryem Kubra is a practicing architect for ten years. She obtained her master's degree from Bauhaus University-Weimar in Architecture. Currently, she is working on her Ph.D. in building transformation between the typologies namely adaptive reuse in Universität der Künste, Berlin. read more

Her research includes but is not restricted to housing, architectural typologies, spatial design, architectural design principles, upgrading the informal settlements, adaptive reuse, and building transformations in urban and architectural contexts. Meryem has worked in a professional environment in both architectural design offices and construction sites for 10 years. She was a project architect in several projects in varying countries such as Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, and Egypt. She had a great chance to get involved in exciting and pioneering projects such as collaborative housing projects in Germany and several buildings design on the campus of Technical University in Eindhoven.

Nouran Zakaria Mohamed

Architecture & Urban Design Department
Email: Nouran.abdelhamid@guc.edu.eg

Nouran Zakaria is an Architect and Designer who has been teaching in the German University in Cairo since 2016. She did her master’s research titled “Pop-ups in No Man’s Land - Pop-up architecture and its role in revitalizing urban voids” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Rita de Freitas. Currently an Instructor at the GUC. read more

Her research interest stems from her curiosity towards certain unknowns in architecture and destinies that it holds. Revolving around the idea of ephemerality and how such approach can change the way architecture is perceived and its impact on the sociology of space and urban transformation. In addition, how social sciences and cultural studies play a big role in the unplanned of a city, it’s fabric and identity.

Her strategy in teaching is more experimental and conceptual towards the way she tackles architecture and how she transfers it to students. Allowing new visions and ideas to surface while finding basis and strategies for them in a more constructive and realistic realm.

Selected Publications:

Zakaria, N. & Pinto de Freitas, R. (2020). The Role of Pop-up Architecture in Urban Void Regeneration. In proceedings of the Agora Caumme 2020 conference – Mediterranean: Between Expansion and Regeneration.

Omar Emad Salem

Architecture & Urban Design Department
Email: Omar.emad-salem@guc.edu.eg

Omar Salem is a Cairene Architect and Urbanist holding M.Sc. degree in Architecture & Urban Design; focusing on Mediterranean studies and Migration strategies. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. specialized in Pedestrian Mobility and Spatial Qualities in African cities. read more

Since 2017, he has been involved in Undergraduate & Pre-Master courses including Design & Bachelor Studios, Advanced Theory, Housing, Architecture Drawing, Intro to Urban Design and Urban Economics. Salem is willingly devoting his research path, by drawing knowledge from Political & Socio-Economic fields to investigate and act upon the relation between contemporary urban planning development and humanitarian crises, focusing on the African & Mediterranean context.

Besides his practice in several Landscape & Design projects, Salem has been invited as an Editorial member in the Journal of Mediterranean Cities and participated in organizing several research events including SMART CITIES 4.0, AGORA CAUMME PAUMME 2020, and the 1st German-Architecture Day in Egypt; organized by ESU-LAB in Mansoura University & funded by DAAD.

Selected Publications:

Salem, O. (2021). Development Opportunities in Egyptian Less-Inhabited Cities; Qaha as a Case Study. A + Arch Design International Journal of Architecture and Design, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 71-84, 2021. DOI: 10.17932/1AU¬.ARCH.2015.017/arch_v07i1004.
Salem, 0. (2021). Adapting Cities for Mediterranean Migration Influxes: The Arrival City. Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 760-769, 2021. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2021.090317.

Sara Samy Khalifa

Building Technology Department
Email: Sara.Khalifa@guc.edu.eg

Sara Khalifa is a doctor of environmental architecture and a researcher at Building Technology department, Architecture and Urban Design Program at German University in Cairo since 2014, with a total of fifteen years of experience in teaching at the building technology department. read more

Khalifa received her BSc degree in Architecture in 2008 from Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, the same university where she obtained her MSc degree (2014) and PhD degree (2020) in environmental architecture.

Khalifa’s Research and teaching interests include biomimicry, environmental architecture, green architecture, green building rating systems, and building technology.

Parallel to her academic studies, she obtained LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) and LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) in 2015 and 2017 to become more specialized in one of the most worldwide used green building rating systems (LEED).

Selected Publications:

Samy, S., Nadim, W., & Abdelkader, M. (2020). Biomimicry in Architecture: The Potential Shift from Theory to Practice. In Architecture and Urbanism: A Smart Outlook (pp. 89-103). Springer, Cham.
Samy, S., Nadim, W., Abdelkader, M. (2017). Defining the Characteristics of Design Process Models as a Basis for Proposing a More Sustainable Integrative Approach. In International Conference for Sustainable Design of the Built Environment SDBE London.

Yasmina Sherif Sarhan

Building Technology Department
Email: Yasmina.sarhan@guc.edu.eg

Yasmina Sarhan is an Instructor in building technology department in Architecture and Urban Design program at GUC. Sarhan is currently finishing her PHD degree in: Cairo University. She is a Ph.D Candidate. She has a premaster in Town Planning and urban development Master Program in NRW, Germany. read more

Sarhan completed her B.Sc. in Architectural Engineering in 2011 at faculty of engineering, Cairo University, where she has previous experience also working as a teaching assistant, in addition in AAST. Sarhan has teaching experience in BTECH, DS’s, AD, renewable energy, sustainable building, G.P’s and GIS.

Sarhan recently participated in organization committee as supervisor for the first German architecture day in Egypt organized by Egyptian sustainable lab “ESU LAB” in GUC.

Research interests include Left over spaces, sustainable Urban Development, Community Development, Urban Regeneration, Sustainable building technology applications.

Selected Publications:

Y. Sarhan, H. Elfouly ,2023, "Constructing an Analytical-based Model for User Satisfaction towards under Bridge Spaces within the Egyptian Urban Fabric," Civil Engineering and Architecture, ISSN 2332-1091- Vol. 11, No. 1,. DOI: 10.13189.
S. M. Kayed , S. A. Abueldahab , Michael Eichner , Yasmina Sarhan, 2022, Green Rooftops: Enhancing Buildings’ Sustainable Performance in Egypt, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY (IJERT) Volume 11, Issue 02 (February 2022)

Yosra Adel Malek

Architecture & Urban Design Department
Email: Yosra.malek@guc.edu.eg

MSc. Arch. Eng. Yosra Malek is an architect and urban planner. Instructor and researcher at the architecture and urban design department at the GUC. Currently expanding her research expertise through a joint Ph.D. program at the GUC and Umeå University in Sweden. read more

Founded a new interdisciplinary research approach ‘Wadi Urbanism [WU]’ which aims to throw light on the multiple landscape qualities of wadis within arid and semi-arid environments. She managed to set WU as a research-by-design laboratory platform conducting and co-leading several Design Studios: Pre-masters DS’19 ‘New Oasis Agro-Productive Communities & Ecotourism’, pre-masters DS’20 'Wadi City: From Threat to Resource' in collaboration with DRC, DS’21 'Flash Floods Desert Cities’, Bachelor DS’21 'Wadi Culture & Architecture', under UFM Strategic Urban Development 2040 action plan.

Her research focuses on water-sensitive urban design, rainwater harvesting, local food production, circular economy, Water-Energy-Food Nexus, and productive landscapes. Invited as a guest lecturer and Panelist at TU Delft 2020 IED and Umeå University for 'Designing Cycles at 64°' 2021.

Selected Publications:

Malek, Y., & Redeker, C. (2022). Heal and Adapt - Prototyping productive landscapes in Egypt and Sweden. Scape Magazine, 19(ACROSS - Urban futures across the hemispheres), 137-143.
Malek, Y. (2020). Wadi Agriculture - Wadi Urbanism. In C. Redeker, & M. Jüttner (Eds.), Landscaping Egypt: From the Aesthetic to the Productive (pp. 72-73). Berlin: JOVIS.