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The Horreya Center for Creativity, involved in the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the public sector, has agreed with BEEP project partners in Egypt to select this building as one of the two Egyptian case studies. The heritage listed building of Horreya Center for Creativity is located within the old center of Alexandria city. It is considered as one of the earliest cultural centers in Egypt, and the first one in Alexandria. This building that was built in 1887 is characteristic of the late nineteenth century. Neo-renaissance style architecture was common due to the cosmopolitan nature of the city and the presence of a multitude of nationalities. It was constructed using load-bearing walls, as skeleton systems were still not used in Alexandria at that time. It was constructed to be used as an elite society club that changed to become a cultural and later arts center.

Photos by Hend Yassin, 2020

The building has been renovated and is currently in good condition. It consists of three floors encompassing a mix of uses, clarified as follows:
The Ground floor includes the main hall, where the main theatre is located within the center, surrounded by three chambers and a cafeteria. Also, a technical room is situated opposite to the theatre.
The first floor encompasses a musical library, Atelier, public library, movie theatre, Information Technology Center (ITC), meeting room, scholarly forum, ballet hall, administrative offices, and a cafeteria.
The third and last floor consists of administrative offices and multipurpose halls. In addition to some technical uses extended on a roof.

Reference: Alexandria center of Arts in Alexandria. Alexandria, Horreya Center of Arts. Cultural Development Fund, http://ebdaaalex.gov.eg/

Main photo by Roland Unger on Wikimedia Commons