For as long as human history can recall, architecture was never solely about constructing functional buildings. It was often the façade reflecting art, culture, and often power and grandeur. Today, some of the landmarks around the world have become iconic symbols of their countries. But in fact, the closer you look, the more you’ll notice how cultures have more often influenced one another than drew clear distinctions. As you trace the intercultural influences in each country, many lines tend to get blurred.Take Egypt for example, from Greco-Roman monuments which resonate the cultural imprint of Greece, to the Islamic architecture which spreads across North Africa, all the way to Andalusia in Spain, and the characteristic European architecture which to date links Downtown Cairo to many of the European cities. Yet despite how intriguing this intercultural merge seems to be, it largely remains part of history. However, to one curious young Egyptian man, Amr Eid, many “what if?” questions remained unanswered. “The entire [What If] project started when I tried to visualize what the Baron Palace would look like standing by a lake,” says Eid on his Facebook page. “When I was…
