Wekalet Bazaraa as spatial intelligence: reviving vernacular market design for a resilient future in Cairo

Purpose This paper operationalizes spatial intelligence as a multi-lens analytical framework for reading vernacular market architecture as a coordinated system. The framework is applied to Wekalet Bazaraa, a historic market-lodging complex in Cairo, to extract transferable design principles for contemporary retail environments in hot-climate contexts. Design/methodology/approach The study draws from literature, archival sources and first-hand spatial documentation. Six interdependent analytical lenses structure the case analysis, followed by synthesis into design principles. The method is replicable across comparable market typologies. Findings The framework establishes spatial intelligence as a coordinated architectural system that can be read through multiple lenses. Applied to Wekalet Bazaraa, it reveals how spatial hierarchy, thresholds, proportion, material and structural economy, environmental modulation and temporal adaptability operate together to support comfort, adaptability and long-term resilience. These findings inform transferable design principles for contemporary retail environments. Originality/value The paper's contribution lies in establishing spatial intelligence as an operational analytical framework for systematically translating vernacular market architecture into transferable design knowledge for resilient retail environments in the Global South and beyond.