In Natural Energy and Vernacular Architecture (1986), Hassan Fathy explains that “a principal purpose of building is to change the microclimate” (p.7). Thus, climate imprints its effects on the architecture, which in return, testifies of the different ways in which, through time, people cope with the climate. The modern brise-soleil is one of these testimonies.

Today, how do people deal with the constantly increasing heat of the city climate, which is both a cause and an effect of climate change? Like in most countries, the majority of buildings in Egypt are not designed by architects. Therefore, this presentation will address the diversity of practices related to thermal control of buildings. Challenging the hierarchy in knowledge, from thermal sciences to domestic bricolage, paves the way for accessing necessary resources to think and implement an effective, relevant design.