Constantly Curious: Reimagining the Giza Pyramids and beyond

The following is a first-hand perspective from Thomas Kemp, an Urban Designer, working within the Planning and Landscape team in WATG’s London office – he recently visited Giza as part of the team working on a master plan surrounding the iconic pyramids. Here, Tom reflects on his experience and how being ‘constantly curious’ was of key importance to understanding the task at hand.

Earlier this year, I got the opportunity to join a multidisciplinary team assessing an exciting master plan project in Giza, featuring the world-famous Giza Pyramids.

During this trip, my goal was to get a feel for the site as it is, especially with its immense history and cultural significance, while also working on ideas of what the future for this place could be, repositioned and reimagined as a world-class tourist destination.

The project itself is highly ambitious: to create a cohesive tourism master plan that unites a vast area, from Dashur all the way up to the Sphinx airport, where the Giza Plateau will take centre stage. We have a goal of making it more accessible, more compelling and more immersive to both visitors and stakeholders, while properly respecting this UNESCO World Heritage Site and honouring the immense history of this location.

Cairo is booming. Development is happening in every direction, with new towns and ambitious expansions coming to life rapidly. Our team has been given the task of ensuring Giza’s tourism strategy doesn’t just keep up with that growth, but helps shape it, aligning heritage, accessibility, and economic opportunity into a unified and inspiring vision.

That’s where design curiosity, and my own keen interest, comes in. Not just the initial questions, but the willingness to keep asking, keep listening, and keep exploring. For me, being ‘constantly curious’ means remaining open to the unexpected and driven to uncover the full story.

During the visit, the team was led by Rob Sykes, Associate Principal and the leader of Advisory, and included global landscape and planning principal Ashley Scott and planning lead Christopher Craig, Project Architect, Ahmed Gamal Ibrahim, Urban Planner and director of PUD consultants Amr Attia, heritage expert Andrew Anderson, archaeologist Dr. Fekri A. Hassan, and Egyptologist Michael Jones. The client team was also able to bring their own perspectives, leading to an exciting exchange of ideas from the start.

One of my favourite memories from this trip was hearing from Michael Jones and Dr. Fekri A. Hassan. Their deep knowledge of ancient Egypt, shared during site visits and conversations, brought the project to life. Their stories were incredible, and I learned so much in such a short time. I hope there’s much more of that to come as the project evolves.

Equally, travelling with Principals is always a fantastic learning experience – I get to see the way they interact with clients, knowing when to ask questions, when to not ask questions and seeing what insights they might have. Each Principal brings their own unique skill set and experience, bringing different perspectives to create more engaging conversation. This is extremely valuable, and I like to think of myself as a sponge in those situations. As much as the listening and learning is important, I’m also sure to get involved too, always asking a question when the timing is right.

For the first couple days, our team explored a range of key sites: the Grand Egyptian Museum, the world-famous pyramid plateau, the rapidly developing new capital, and lesser-known areas such as Nazlet El Semman, an informal settlement at the base of the plateau. It’s great to reflect on this experience, especially walking through these specific areas and communities – this was such a privilege and a necessity. It offered me a deeper, more grounded understanding of the project’s full context. Beyond the physical environment, there’s a rich social and cultural landscape that surrounds and shapes it and that must be considered with equal importance

There’s no substitute for seeing it in person. We work on large-scale sites all the time, but when you’re physically there, it hits you differently. You see the scale, the complexity, but also the potential. With Giza, it’s special, and you immediately feel that this is a place that deserves something extraordinary.

Travel has always been one of my favourite parts of the job, but project travel offers a different perspective, one where I can be equally responsible for helping shape that tourist experience. That dual view is what makes destination planning so rewarding.

Having worked on multiple projects across Egypt recently, I feel that my connection to the country is only getting stronger. I’ve always had a fascination with ancient Egyptian history, so that makes each visit particularly meaningful. I also love the warmth of the people and the quality of the food, so it’s easy to see why these projects stay with me long after I return home.

On our next trip to Cairo, I hope we’ll have the chance to spend an extra day exploring, not just the Pyramids Plateau, but also venturing further down to Saqqara. There’s always more than meets the eye, and we’re eager to absorb as much knowledge as possible. For us, exploration is the key to understanding.

This project is incredibly special and opportunities like this don’t come around often. That’s why I’m committed to embracing it fully, giving it everything I’ve got, and doing my absolute best to create something truly impactful.

Working in Egypt has been a joy and there’s nothing more quintessentially Egyptian than this project. I’m hopeful that everything I’ve learned here will carry forward into whatever comes next.