During our presence at the Creative Industry Summit, we had the opportunity to interview one of the most important speakers at the event, Rasha Al-Kady.
Who is Rasha Al Kady?
- Rasha is a chief creative officer (CCO) at Studio KAD, which specializes in architecture, interior design, and landscape, they practice sustainability from the larger master plan to the architecture and the interior spaces.
- Rasha also gained a BSc Hons in Architecture from Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University and an MSc in Sustainable Design of Built Environment from the British University of Dubai.
- She leads the Tourism Development Committee within the prestigious New Republic organization of Egypt and the Egyptian Junior Business Association, paving the way to celebrate the transformative power of creativity and its profound impact on society.
- She is always responsible for leading a diverse and talented team of engineers seeking the chance to grow in an increasingly innovative environment.
Rasha Al Kady’s commitment to creating a sustainable future shines brightly through the LEED AP Interior Design + Construction certification awarded by the revered USGBC. With this extensive knowledge, she provides the world with commercial interiors and rental spaces that serve as havens of happiness, productivity, and environmental harmony. Rasha had an amazing talk under the title “From Pyramids to Possibilities: Egypt’s Sustainable Tourism Odyssey”, where she unveiled the secrets of sustainable tourism, redefining the essence of travel. She also uncovered the secrets of sustainable travel, where history, culture, and responsible practices come together.
Then, we were honored to ask her a few questions about her career and her incredible and inspirational talk.
Sustain Arabia Interviews Rasha Al Kady
We had the honor to interview this inspirational figure. Here’s a glimpse:
1. What do you do to achieve sustainable architecture?
Sustainability means maximizing a positive impact and minimizing a negative impact, and that’s exactly what we should do in everything, including architecture, building, and tourism. Sustainable architecture revolves around three models which are economy, environment, and sociocultural, and it is not just limited to the environmental aspect; sustainability is more than something environmental; it means the preservation and sustaining of a model or a project.
Sustainable architecture also means relying on sustainability in various factors, such as the materials used in construction, the communities, the people who will inhabit this project, and the people who work on this project. So sustainable architecture doesn’t mean building sustainable materials only; it means taking care of the economy, the environment, and social and cultural factors.
2. Do you provide your staff with information, tips, and training on how to be more environmentally responsible?
Definitely, we have set a Friday of every week to start discussing hot topics and different trends with the team, and I’m not the only one who trains the people or gives them information, but everyone in the team is free to share his information and his tips as long as it’s beneficial to everyone on the table.
3. Why does sustainability matter in tourism?
Sustainability means balancing between what you have as history and the future developments of this history, it’s important to have a sustainable model that regenerates, maximizes a positive impact, and minimizes a negative impact.
Sustainability means that the model is well-maintained, well-balanced, and working to the future, so if you don’t sustain tourism it will actually be extinct and will cause many consequences, for example:
- The historical monuments will be deteriorated.
- Antiques will disappear.
- Museums won’t be protected.
- Beaches will be in disrepair.
And it’s not just historical tourism that will be affected, because tourism is more than that, but we are talking about different types of tourism, for instance: adventure tourism, sports tourism, recreation tourism, cultural tourism, etc.; any kind of tourism, if you don’t sustain it or don’t create a sustainable model for it, you won’t have a great profit from it; it will disappear, and by years you will definitely lose it. That’s why sustainability matters in tourism, and that’s why sustainable tourism in Egypt matters.
