Foster and Partners wins design for Cairo's Masbero

Project links Masbero to Zamalek Island.

British architectural company Foster + Partners has won an international competition to redevelop the Masbero Triangle district in downtown Cairo. The compeititon was launched by Egypt's ministry for urban renewal.

Central to the firm's master-plan is the introduction of residential, commercial and retail facilities for the residents of the largely informal Masbero settlements, creating a new city-centre hub in the process.

The urban regeneration scheme will place a communal area in the middle of the 35-hectare development, creating new access routes to the district's food market, retail area and hospital.

A new footbridge will connect Masbero to Zamalek Island, the city's embassy district, and there will also be a new leisure area called the Lagoon, with riverside cafes and retail outlets.

In the past a scheme to redevelop Masbero failed after Gulf investors attempted to relocate residents elsewhere however, following protests, Cairo authorities ruled that residents should remain in the district. Although Masbero is populated by predominantly lower-income families, the neighbourhood is also home to Egypt's ministry for foreign affairs.

Established in 1967, Foster + Partners is known internationally for its sustainable and high-tech architecture, and is wholly owned by its 140 partners.