MOROCCO
ARCHITECTURAL
HYUNJIN YOON
F LOR A H WA NG
TOUR 2014
Morocco Architectural Tour
Itinerary DAY 1
Providence - Marrakesh Marrakesh - Agdez
DAY 2 DAY 3 DAY 4
Agdez - M’hamid
S a h a r a D e s e r t Tr e k k i n g
DAY 5
S a h a r a D e s e r t Tr e k k i n g
DAY 6
Cheggaga - Ouarzazate
DAY 7 DAY 8
Ouarzazate - Marrakesh
Marrakesh - Providence
DAY I - M a r r a k e sh
Greeted by a modern airport
Monumental Mosque Inside the riad
A r t i s a n ’s G a l l e r y
Riad (hotel) tucked away in an alley way
Moroccan Architecture
Modern Plaza
Ja r d i n M a j o r e l l e
“Bienvenue au Jardin Majorelle” The Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech is one of the most visited sites in Morocco. It took French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) forty years of passion and dedication to create this enchanting place in the heart of the “Ochre City”.
by Yves Saint Laurant
Night Market
The first day in Marrakesh was truly remarkable. The culture, social, and the architectural differences s h o c k e d u s t h e m o s t . We w e r e f i r s t g r e e t e d b y t h e airport built by E2A Architecture. The airport managed to capture the essence of the culture. We a r r i v e d a t o u r l o v e l y r i a d - s t y l e h o t e l w h i c h w a s t u c k e d a w a y i n a n a l l e y w a y. A f t e r s e t t l i n g i n , w e w e r e too excited to visit the landmark tourist sites in M a r r a k e s h . We h a v e v i s i t e d t h e A r t i s a n ’s G a l l e r y, t h e Modern Plaza, lovely Jardin Majorelle, and the Night Market full of action.
Marrakesh to Agdez
Our lovely guide Abdel and driver Sahid
Tr ave l l i n g ove r t h e H i g h A t l a s M o u n t a i n
Great scenery and architecture
Unexpected Charm
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Bricks
T h e G r e at K a s b a h
Kasbah
Culture
Wa t c h - t o w e r
Kasbah City and the Hamada Oases
Rocks car ved by wind cm by cm
Kasbah City
Shade and wind funnel
Hamada Oases
Mosque
Nomad Tent - Night before the Trek
N o m a d Te n t - N i g h t b e f o r e t r e k k i n g
Memorable Night
Day I - To Chegaga Dunes
Leaving the Camp
Starting the Journey
Hint of the Dunes
The first day of trekking started off by riding the D r a m e d a r y. O u r g u i d e a n d c a m e l m a n , I g d i r , p r o v i d e d u s w i t h g r e a t f o o d a n d h o s p i t a l i t y. We s t o p p e d b y f o r l u n c h a f t e r 2 h o u r s o f w a l k i n g , and had some time to sketch the beautiful s c e n e r y. There is so much to learn about the nature and aesthetics of nature. In addition, the lifestyle of traditional nomad suits the style of architecture.
Skecthing
To t a l n u m b e r o f Wa l k i n g : 2 h o u r s
Day II - To Chegaga Dunes
Desert Animals and Insects
Dunes
Annual Red Bull Rally
Rock Sand
To t a l n u m b e r o f Wa l k i n g : 2 h o u r s
Day III - To Chegaga Dunes
Final day of the journey
with our Camel man and guide- Igdir and Abdel
Our last day of trekking ended with a long 4 hour walk. However, the view of the chegaga dunes (highest dune in Sahara Dessert) was tramendous iin both beauty and height. The notion of wind making marks on sand is very similar to the markmakings on drawings. Despite the sandy wind, we climbed on top of one of the dunes. T his place has a magical aroma which inspired us a r c h i t e c t u r a l l y.
Our tent in the middle of the Dunes
To t a l n u m b e r o f Wa l k i n g : 3 h o u r s
Chegaga Dunes
L e av i n g t h e D U n e s
O u r z a z at e
Saving wild donkeys First shower and real breakfast in 3 days
Back to the Oases
O u r z a z at e t o M a r r a k e s h
Examples of Moroccan Architecture
Feeling on top of the clouds
Une x pe c t e d V i si tors Pa rt I I
Wild puppies from a Cafe
Conclusion - Ar chitecture in Desert The trip in general was surreal and overwhelming; however, the real questions remain. “Deser t Architecture”, we define it as it is, for its: I . Fo r m : h o w t h e d e s e r t ’s l a n d s c a p e a n d n a t u r a l p h e n o m e n o n affect the for m of architecture. II. Systems: how the climate is controlled, and the natural ventilation system is done. Also, looking at the local building materials and its microclimates. III. Circulation: how the transportation and urban planning is erected by this specific condition, “deser t.” The landscape of desert and its characteristics greatly affect the for m of architecture. From the outline of the desert, to the availability of water, these are direct consequences of t h e l a n d s c a p e . A r c h i t e c t u r a l l y, t h e y u s e c o l u m n s o f l o n g r e b a r placed at each corner of the building and also connect bricks horizontally using rebar. Later, the horizontal lines of bricks are stacked which connect to the ver tical rebar columns. T he r o o f s t r u c t u r e c o n s i s t s o f w o o d , h a y, a n d r o c k s f o r m a x i m u m shade and chill affect.
caused by erosion of man-made bricks. T his means, the first levels constantly get crushed, and is replaced by the second l e v e l o v e r t i m e . C o n s e q u e n t l y, t h e y b u i l d a n o t h e r l i n e o f K a s b a h ’s o n t h e s i d e o f t h e o l d e r l i n e a n d b u i l d l a y e r s o f housing. It is simply amazing because this process occurs naturally while modern buildings do this step of layering m a n u a l l y. Modern metropolitan cities require great security and buildings i n l a r g e s c a l e s, w h i ch d o n o t a p p l y i n M o r o c c o. However, Moroccan architecture also maintains and deals with heat solely by material and architectural choices. In addition, the typology of Riad and Kasbah can easily be adapted to modern architecture and offer variety of spatial relationship with other architecture. In a sense, Moroccan architecture is a step ahead of modern architecture in terms of its relationship with other buildings simply by culture, tradition, and trust.
To c l a r i f y, t h e r e a r e t w o m a i n t y p o l o g y o f b u i l d i n g i n M o r o c c o. First is Riad style, which means house with a courtyard. Tr a d i t i o n a l R i a d ’s d o n o t h a v e w i n d o w s f a c i n g t h e e x t e r i o r , because the traditional woman could not step outside of the house. The second typology is Kasbah, which has four towers on the corners and is a sign of great wealth. However, this second t y p o l o g y e x t e n d s t o m u l t i p l e s c a l e s t o K a s b a h To w n , a n d K a s b a h C i t y. Moroccan culture allows direct trust even on someone they have just met. Also, the older towns were for med close t o g e t h e r b y t h e s a m e f a m i l y, s o t h e y h a v e a s t r o n g c o n n e c t i o n between towns. T he older K asbah towns have layers of f loors
Special Thanks To o u r D o n o r - w h o m a d e t h i s t r i p p o s s i b l e . Abdel and Sahid - our guide and drive. Igdir- camel man and caretaker. F e l i c i t y - o u r t r a v e l a g e n c y. Jamil - Riad caretaker.
T h i s c o l l e c t i o n o f w o r k s b y H y u n J i n Yo o n a n d F l o r a H w a n g is licensed under a Creative Commons License