Cairo Pergola – ADC

CLUSTER (Cairo Lab for Urban Studies, Training and Environmental Research) in collaboration with THISS Studio and Orient Productions has completed Pergola, a ten-metre-high outdoor theatre and community arts structure set within Agouza Children’s Park in Giza, one of Cairo’s few remaining public green spaces.

Rising beside the 6th of October Bridge, the bright red 84-square-metre pavilion forms part of an ongoing initiative by CLUSTER to reassert the civic role of design within a rapidly transforming urban landscape.

Delivered for just £45,000, the project continues CLUSTER’s Along-the-Line programme, a series of interventions reclaiming contested sites across Cairo. Conceived as both architecture and activism, Pergola challenges the city’s commercial redevelopment and shrinking public realm by providing a free and accessible cultural venue for residents. Its siting is deliberate: positioned against the roar of Cairo’s arterial highway, the structure stands as a conspicuous marker of resistance to the erosion of shared space.

Except for its steel frame, the structure is made almost entirely from recycled plastic waste recovered from the Nile and nearby construction sites. Material supply was coordinated with three Egyptian innovators in plastic reuse: TileGreen, ReBlox and VeryNile, in response to Cairo’s mounting waste management challenges. In doing so, the project hopes to demonstrate the viability of large-scale reuse in construction, while drawing public attention to environmental issues in the city.

“Independent performance venues are exceedingly rare, with artists, cultural operators, and festivals competing for limited space,” said Ahmed El Attar, general manager at Orient Productions. “Collaborating with CLUSTER and THISS Studio has been a remarkable opportunity to bring a new venue to life; one that is essential for local artists.”

Pergola evolved through a participatory process led by CLUSTER and THISS Studio. A week-long workshop in Cairo brought together students, local designers and park users to model and test ideas.

As part of a grant programme supported by Art Jameel and the British Council, Pergola will host a six-month programme curated by Orient Productions, exploring themes of sustainability through music, dance, theatre and film. The initiative seeks to strengthen local connections to the park while creating a new platform for contemporary Egyptian arts.

“Pergola reflects a shared commitment to maintaining and creating community-driven, culturally active public space in the heart of Cairo,” said Sash Scott, co-founder of THISS Studio.

“The project’s success lies in the close collaboration between CLUSTER, THISS Studio, and Orient Productions, together with the active participation of local communities and students. We hope it will become an enduring contribution to Cairo’s cultural landscape and a positive example of building with recycled materials, to create celebrated, long-lasting buildings with contemporary cultural value.”