After visiting Al-Nazlah village to suggest solutions to "minor problems" for the EIECP, the architect recommended a much more ambitious goal: rescuing the region’s threatened cultural heritage. The project therefore aims to create a cultural-development nucleus with a visitor centre showcasing local ceramic-heritage products and artworks, and the tools used to produce them. Besides the visitor centre and display halls, there are pottery workshops, rest areas for visitors to the area’s waterways and a multipurpose cultural space. The project explored traditional construction methods and addressed excessive water use by adding natural materials to the mortar used. Local people were trained in these methods - including the striking use of pots in arch and vault construction - and then implemented all parts of the project. This approach impacted positively on future upkeep, as methods are now familiar to the locals and they are accustomed to maintaining in simple, inexpensive ways without specialised labour.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture