“Commissioned by Dar Arafa, Georges & Samuel Mohsen joined Egyptian architect Waleed Arafa in November 2023 to document La Maison d’Égypte in Paris as its first occupants. For a week, they explored the building under different conditions, engaging with passersby who admired its architecture and occasionally joining spontaneous private tours with Mr. Arafa. In May 2024, they returned as Mr. Arafa conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, spending a week with student residents of various nationalities. While Mr. Arafa gathered their feedback and addressed questions about the design, Georges & Samuel documented the residents’ interactions with the space, showcasing how the building was experienced in a new season and light.”
La Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris
The Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP) is a unique architectural complex established after World War I to promote peace by bringing together young people from around the world to learn and live together. Today, it welcomes 12,000 students, researchers, and artists from 150 countries across its 43 residences.The campus features iconic modernist buildings such as Le Corbusier’s Fondation Suisse (1933) and the House of Brazil (1957), all set within a sprawling park.
Egypt’s return to the Cité International Universitaire
Many decades after architect Abou Bakr Khayrat’s early 1950s design for ‘Fondation Farouk’ failed to materialize, a new chapter began when the French government allocated a fresh piece of land to Egypt, replacing the original site purchased by King Farouk for 3 million French francs. In 2018, the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris made 1,915m² of land available to Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education, prompting a design competition. The competition required collaboration between an Egyptian architect and a French practice, marking a renewed effort to bring the vision to life.
The journey of designing Maison d’Égypte began with an unexpected phone call to architect Waleed Arafa from Bassem Abdelshahid, a young Egyptian architect working with SAM Architecture in Paris. At the time, Arafa’s work was gaining significant attention, particularly after the success of his Basuna Mosque in Sohag, Egypt. Initially skeptical about the opportunity, Arafa found himself inundated with emails from several prominent architectural firms, all eager to collaborate on this prestigious project for the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. Among them, he ultimately chose to work with the first, SAM Architecture, a relatively small firm led by Boris Schneider, as its scale promised an intimate and collaborative working environment that matched Arafa’s Preference for focused teamwork.
The design process was a collaborative effort that seamlessly integrated architect Waleed Arafa’s vision with SAM Architecture’s local expertise. The competition required the structure to embody Egypt’s architectural identity while respecting the historical and aesthetic standards of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. This balance between tradition and modernity drove the team to create a design rooted in the essential qualities of Egyptian architecture while adapting to the Parisian context.
For Arafa, the project was an opportunity to explore the essence of Egyptian architecture beyond its traditional environment. Drawing from his academic research on mosques in Britain, he noted how removing a typology from its usual context reveals its fundamental qualities. He saw Paris’s strong architectural identity as a challenge that would force him to distill what truly defines Egyptian architecture. Inspired by Sigfried Giedion’s observation that ancient Egyptians were the first to transform rock into stone for architectural use, Arafa envisioned a monumental, monolithic structure—a single piece of stone carved and shaped to meet its function.
Schneider’s suggestion to use precast concrete as a modern “processed stone” proved pivotal. This material not only allowed the team to mimic the look and texture of Egyptian sandstone through pigmentation and acid etching but also addressed the environmental challenges of Paris’s climate with a self-cleaning surface. By using the concrete structurally rather than as mere cladding, the team honored the Egyptians’ original approach to stone as both a functional and aesthetic building material.
A century-Old tree at the heart
Shaped like a U, the building wraps around a garden, preserving a 100 years old large copper beech tree. The concave east facade is fully glazed naturally illuminating the indoor garden of Egyptian plants at the bottom of an atrium rising the entire height of the structure. This central space is overlooked by single-loaded corridors leading to the student rooms and the communal kitchens & dinning areas on each floor.
Ancient Egyptian Wisdom
The main façade of Maison d’Égypte is adorned with structural concrete panels engraved with hieroglyphic texts carefully selected from ancient Egyptian writings on the etiquette of knowledge. These inscriptions, chosen by architect Waleed Arafa in collaboration with Egyptologist Dr. Monica Hanna, highlight timeless lessons once taught to young students in ancient Egypt. Esteemed Egyptologists Professor Salima Ikram and Dr. Anne-Claire Salmas also contributed their expertise, ensuring the texts’ historical and cultural authenticity. The engravings symbolize a connection between Egypt’s rich educational heritage and the Maison’s mission as a place for global academic exchange.
Click to explore ancient Egyptian writings on the etiquette of knowledge.
‘Spend the day writing with your fingers, while you recite by night. Befriend the papyrus-scroll and the palette. It pleases more than wine. As for writing, to him who knows it, it is better than all professions. It pleases more than bread and beer, more than clothing and ointment. It is worth more than an inheritance in Egypt, than a tomb in the west.’
‘Be a scribe, take it to heart, so that your name becomes as theirs. Better is a book than a graven stela, then a solid enclosure.’
The intricate hieroglyphic work was meticulously drafted by Rania Salah ElDeen Eldakrony, a fresh graduate and Dar Arafa Architecture’s first hire in 2020. She also created the detailed scene of “Teaching Young Girls to Become Scribes,” which is prominently featured on the building’s main door. To enhance accessibility, a QR code will be integrated into the door, enabling visitors to explore the texts in Arabic, French, and English. This thoughtful integration of ancient Egyptian culture into a modern architectural context ensures that Maison d’Égypte serves not only as a residence but also as a living tribute to Egypt’s intellectual legacy.
A dialogue with Le Corbusier
In contrast, the remaining three sides of the building pay homage to neighboring iconic modernist structures -such as “Fondation suisse” 1933 and “Maison de Brésil” 1959 designed by Le Corbusier – through clean, rigorous and precise lines that entertain a play of light and shadow over the course of each day of the year.
“When we reached the shortlist for the Maison d’Egypte, I declined any new paid commissions and asked everyone to wait for me while I conversed with Corbusier!’ Waleed Aarafa to visitors during a tour at Maison D’Egypte
The Egyptian home: Sun, light and warmth
The concept of an “Egyptian home” was central to architect Waleed Arafa’s vision for Maison d’Égypte. For him, a house transforms into a home when it provides tranquility, comfort, security, and safety, achieving a delicate balance between familiarity and novelty, as well as communality and individuality. What makes it distinctly Egyptian is the reign of warmth and light, both physical and psychological, mirroring Egypt’s vibrant climate and cultural identity.
Unlike the double-loaded layouts typically employed in the Cité Internationale buildings to accomodate more units—which often result in dark, unwelcoming corridors—Arafa proposed a single-loaded configuration. This approach allowed natural light to flood into all 197 units and their corridors, creating a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere. Overlooking an interior atrium with an Egyptian garden, this layout achieved visual continuity and offered residents spaces for both socializing and seclusion. Arafa’s thoughtful strategy brought together functionality and cultural sensitivity, addressing the needs of students from sunny regions like Egypt who might struggle with the darker northern climate.
This decision not only solved practical issues but also became a decisive factor in winning the competition. None of the other four finalists proposed a single-loaded layout, which Arafa identified as a cornerstone of his vision. It ensures that Maison d’Égypte is more than just a residence. It stands as a warm and welcoming “home” for students, reflecting the essence of Egyptian culture in a foreign land.
The internal Egyptian Garden
The internal garden on Maison d’Égypte’s first floor, filled with vibrant Egyptian plants, forms a tranquil oasis at the building’s core, where students often study and socialize.
The communal kitchens
Each floor features a fully equipped kitchen looking onto the atrium, offering views of the interior Egyptian garden. These communal spaces are furnished with sustainable, handcrafted dining tables and chairs by MUBON Eco-furniture, highlighting Egyptian craftsmanship and creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for students to gather and share meals.
The rooms
Maison d’Égypte offers 177 standard rooms at 15 sqm, 8 rooms equipped for people with Special Need at 21sqm, 7 studios also Special Needs-ready at 20sqm, and 3 suites at 33sqm per suite, all equipped with private bathrooms and minibars. The studios and suites have an additional advantage of a full kitchenette. All the Built-in desks are positioned in front of large soundproof windows that showcase panoramic views of the Cité universitaire and the city of Paris.
The multi-purpose Hall
Accessible from the exterior garden and the reception, there is a 200-seat column-less multi-purpose hall featuring acoustic wooden paneling with perforations representing both the Egyptian Lotus and the papyrus leaves; symbols of creation, wisdom and knowledge.
The roof top
On the top floor, a spacious roof deck and solarium elevate the communal areas, providing students with a peaceful retreat to connect, relax, and enjoy the warmth of the sunlight. This thoughtfully designed space also offers panoramic views of Paris, creating an inspiring environment for both social interaction and quiet reflection.
Maison D”Egypte – Dar Arafa Egypt + SAM Architecture (France)
- Manufacturers: Decomo, Mubun Furniture, Nadim Group, Randa Fahmy
- Lead Architects: SAM architecture
- Landscape Designers: EMMA BLANC Paysage
- Structural Consultants: Batiserf
- Acoustic Consultants: Altia
- Project Management: Oskaprod
- General Contractors: Sicra Ile de France
- Design And Supervision: Waleed Arafa, Boris Schneider
- Design And Graphic Design: Bassem Abdelshahid
- Site Architects: Lucas Eydoux, Morganne Leclercq
- Heirogliphs Facede Design: Rania El Dakrouny
- Modern Glyphs Design: Nourhane Elkady
- Architects: Manal Amr, Shahd Osman
- Egyptologists: Salima Ikram, Anne-Claire Salmas
- Associate Architect: Dar Arafa
- Design Team: SAM: Boris Schneider, Lucas Eydoux, Morgane Leclercq, Bassem Abdelshahid, Florian Guérant;
- Dar Arafa: Waleed Arafa, Rania El Dakrouny, Nourhane Elkady, Manal Amr, Shahd Osman
- Mep Consultants: BET Louis Choulet
- Economists: Ecallard Economiste
- Client: Association Maison d’Egypte
- City: Paris
- Country: France
Photography by Egyptian architectural and documentary photographers Georges & Samuel (The GS Studio)
All photographs on this website are the copyright of Georges & Samuel (The GS Studio) and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form without prior written consent.