What if the Nile’s waters continued to rise? How would communities respond, and how could design play a role in shaping their survival? These are the questions at the heart of DeNile, a student-led speculative design project developed at the School of Design & Media at Coventry University’s Cairo branch, based at The Knowledge Hub Universities. Imagining a future where climate change reshapes the geography and livelihoods of Egypt, DeNile offers bold proposals centered around aquatic adaptability, drawing inspiration from indigenous knowledge and environmental urgency.
The project was developed as part of the UNFOLD Exhibition, curated by Domus Academy in Milan, and was showcased during Milan Design Week 2025 at BASE Milano. At the center of the project is a multifunctional fish farming device that does more than harvest aquatic life. The system is designed to support both agriculture and aquaculture through built-in filtration and waste management systems. This speculative object forms the core of a broader vision: floating farms, vertical aquaculture structures, and hybrid professions capable of surviving a world transformed by rising seas.
The students behind DeNile—Mariam Bayoumy, Mireille Hossam, Mourad Massoud, Robana Omar, and Zeyad ElRawy—developed the project in two key phases. In the first phase, they participated in a critical design workshop, diving into research and speculative futures grounded in Egypt’s unique socio-cultural and geographic context. This stage was driven by rigorous questioning, scenario-building, and a deep engagement with alternative visions for climate-resilient living.
The second phase translated conceptual ideas into tangible outputs. Through sketching, modeling, rapid prototyping, and iteration, the students evolved their designs using a range of digital tools.
Rhino played a particularly vital role in this process. Its precision and modeling versatility allowed the team to shape organic forms such as the floating support structures and the soft sacks that collect aquaculture byproducts. Working with NURBS enabled the creation of high-quality Class A surfaces and complex geometries, pushing the boundaries of form development in the digital space.
Much of this form generation happened directly within Rhino, often bypassing traditional sketching methods. This presented challenges in translating freeform ideas into 3D space. Yet by leveraging tools like CageEdit, PointsOn, and SelUV, the team found flexibility in adjusting and refining their designs, ensuring that the resulting 3D prints maintained detail and structural clarity.
Rendering was carried out in KeyShot, giving material weight and visual presence to the speculative prototypes. These digital outputs culminated in highly detailed models, ready for CAM workflows and physical realization if ever pursued.
Beyond its technical accomplishments, DeNile reflects the School of Design & Media at The Knowledge Hub Universities’ ethos: a commitment to critical thinking, experimental design practices, and socially conscious creativity. In just six years, the school has become a leading force for interdisciplinary design education in Egypt, backed by the legacy of Coventry University in the UK.
With open studios, advanced fabrication tools, and a vibrant academic community, the institution provides fertile ground for projects like DeNile—visionary, rigorous, and deeply engaged with global challenges.
DeNile is more than an academic exercise; it’s a provocation. It invites us to imagine—not just survive—the world that climate change is bringing forth, and challenges us to shape it with thoughtfulness, ingenuity, and design.
CREDITS
Students: Mariam Bayoumy, Mireille Hossam, Mourad Massoud, Robana Omar, and Zeyad ElRawy
Project Developed at: School of Design & Media, Coventry University Cairo, The Knowledge Hub Universities
