FAÇADISMPUTTOTHETESTOFTHECONSERVATIONOFRECENTHERITAGEIN MOROCCOEXAMPLEOFTHECITIESOFRABATANDCASABLANCA
KarimaBerdouz
UrbanPlanner,NationalSchoolofArchitecture,Rabat,Morocco,NorthAfrica
ABSTRACT
Façadism,thisarchitecturalpracticewhichestablisheditselfinEuropeduringthe1970sand1980s,enteredMoroccoin theearly2000s,asamethodofretaininghistoricfacades,theexteriorwallsofoldbuildings,orasthecreationofreplicas ofthesefacadeswithnewbuildingshavingacontemporarycharactertotheirinteriors.
Thefacade,oneofthemajorcomponentsofabuilding,actsasaninterfacewiththeoutsideworldbyconveyingseveral typesofmessages,whetherimplicit,explicitorsymbolic,thusofferingalinearcontinuumofthestreet.Thepopularattachmentto thisurbanheritagemakestheheritagedifficulttodemolishandsomehowresiststhisdesiretoreexploititsrareland.
Thetheoreticalbasisincludesanattempttopreservethehistoricimagebysystematicallysafeguardingthe facadesofoldbuildingsofheritagevaluegenerallylocatedinqualityurbanspaces.Consideredthen,asanelementof discredit,facadism,isoftenevokedinanunconsideredwayinthecurrentconceptualframework.Theadvancedobjective ofthispracticeistoincreasethedensityoftheurbanenvironmentwhilerespectingbuiltheritageconservation.
Similarly,itisessentialtopointoutthattheuseoffaçadismalsoresultsfromacompromiseofintrudingfactors inthesafeguardingofheritage:realestatespeculation,marketforce,urbandensification,legislation,standardsandskills ofpractitioners.Itisthenconsideredbysomeexpertsasaguaranteeofa“facial”safeguardoftheurbanlandscape.It evenharmstheeffortsmadeoverseveralyearstotheprincipleofaninnovativeandcreativearchitecturewhich neverthelessgeneratestheirreversibleloss,inparticular,ofhistoricalinformation.
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Thisarticleexploresandverifiesthehypothesisthatfacadismremainstheonlysolutiontosafeguardaheritagein danger.Similarly,itisnecessarytoexaminewhetherthisheritageoffacades,tofuturegenerations,doescorrespondtoa realtransmissionofvalues.
Thefacadeismanifestedintheexpressionoftheshapeofabuilding,itisoneofthefirstimpressionsofthe building,facingthegazeoftheuser.Albertidefineditas"thenoblestmanifestationofarchitecture".
Indeed,thefacaderemainsthemostimportantarchitecturalelementcapableoftransmitting,throughthe perceivedimage,thefunctionandmeaningofabuilding,itisalsotheelementthattransmitsthemost,theheritageheritage andcultureofasociety.
Theconcernoverprotectingthisarchitecturalandculturalheritagehasexistedforalongtime,theessenceof theseconcernsremainsknowinghowtopreservethisheritagewitharchitecturalandculturalaspectsofaplacewhile modernizingandadaptingtogrowth.
ThefirstreflectionsonheritagewereledbyRiegl,atthebeginningofthe20thcentury,heevenclassified different“memoryvalues”,recommendingaspecificmethodofinterventiontoeach.
GustavoGiovannoni,tookabigsteptowardsacomprehensiveunderstandingofthehistoriccity,anditsparticular planningrequirements.HistheoryisinlinewiththeconservationapproachofMoroccancities,inthiscaseRabatand Casablanca.
Hewasalsothefirstpersontoclearlyrecognizetheincompatibilitybetweenhistoriccitiesandthedevelopment ofmoderncities.
Histheoryofthethinningofthearchitecturalfabricseekstoreachacompromisebetweenglobalpreservationand limitedformsofintervention.
Hebelievesthatthenewcityshouldcoexistwiththeoldcity,insteadofreplacingit.Itisanawarenessofthe historicalheritage,andthebuiltheritage,whichpushedthearchitectstoafreedomintheinterpretation,andthusgavea freedom,totheconceptandtothearchitecturalcreation,ontheoldfabric.
MoroccanCitiesPuttotheTestofHeritageConservation
Moroccancities,mainlyRabatandCasablanca,areexperiencingaplausibledegradationofarchitecturalheritage.This heritageisoneofthecomponentsofurbanidentity,butalsoalandmarkofcollectivememory.
Thisdegradationismainlyduetoapopulationexplosioninthesetwocities,whichimpliesaquestforurbanland.
ItisinthiscontextthatfaçadismwasborninMorocco.Thecityhasbecomeamonocularandstaticimage,asis thecasewiththehistoriccentersofcities.
Thisarticleexploresfaçadismasanapproachtotheredevelopmentandconservationofarchitecturalheritagein MoroccoandquestionsthefaçadismprojectsinRabatandCasablanca,whicharemainlyconcentratedinhistoriccenters datingfromthebeginningofthe20thcenturyinthetwocities:RabatandCasablanca.
Casablanca,isfullofbuildingswithhighhistoricalandheritagevalue,wewillexaminethebuildinghousingthe BanquedelaSociétéGénérale.
TherewereearlyattemptstopreservethehistoricfabricofMoroccancitiesinthefaceoflargescale development.Twoexperimentalattemptswerethenmadeintheearly2000s,theLeGourmetbuildinginPlaceAlJoulane inRabat,whichwasrebuiltbyincorporatinganexistingbuilding,andtheBanquedeSociétéGénéraleonAvenue MohammedVinCasablanca,bothprojectsofferbothneighborhoodsrevitalizationandenhancement.
Itiscertainlynotpreservationasitisdescribedininternationalconservationcharters,orincommunity conservationstandards.Ibnkhaldountoldusthatanyinterventiononurbanheritagecannotgounnoticed,anditsreception cannotremainneutral.
Indeed,inmostcasesitisratheranemptygesturetopreservethehistoryofabuilding,astreet,ora neighborhood,whileirreversiblyremovingthestructureandtheinteriorofahistoricbuildingasrichasitisandto relegateittothedecorationofthestreet.
ThepracticeoffacadisminMorocco,unfoldsaccordingtomanywaysoftreatment:Thestylisticreplica(partial ortotal);Thethickorsemithickfacadealsocalled(theabstractreference);Façadismwithhollowingcombinedwitha stylisticextension(inventioninthesamestyle);Therecessedfacade.
Figure2:ImageShowingtheLincolnHotelinCasablanca, Morocco,BehindaFacadeofPoststoSupporttheLastWalls StillStanding,PhotoKarimaBerdouz2018.
FaçadisminMorocco,AConservativePracticeofChoiceorSolution
Theconservationofurbanheritagehasknownvariousformsanddifferentideologies.BetweenViolletleDucandRuskin, theconservationoftheoldtownwasdividedbetweenthetheoryofitsreinvention,andthatofnottouchingtheremainsof history,and"lettingamonumentdiewhenitstermhascome"
Itismainlyperceived,bytheintellectualpowers,asbeingafactorofcollectiveculturalimpoverishment.
WequestionheretheopinionofICOMOS,whichinnowayacceptstheuseoffacades.Whereasinthemajority oftheexamplesstudied,inthisthesis,weobserveaclearseparationofprinciple,byconsideringthepracticeoffacadism, asanultimatepractice,ofinterventiononabuilding,justifyinganarchitecturalheritageinterestand/orplanning,andnot asasimplemethodofconservation.
Theintegrationofcontemporaryarchitectureinhistoricbuildings,whateverthemethodchosen,raisesthemain questionoftherelationshiptotime:(pastandpresent)andtheapproachfortheconstructionofthisrelationship.This approachspreadstherelationshipbetweenthenewandtheoldonseverallevels,rangingfromextremecontrasttoabsolute mimicryinrelationtothehistoricbuilding.
Currently,inMorocco,façadismasanoperationaltool,whichhasbecomeincreasinglyusedinurbanblocks withheritageinterestisnotframedbyspecificlegaltextsItisoftenthesubjectofinterpretations,andmultiple,even contradictorylegalsystems.
Indeed,thecontrastwhenitcomestoafacade,thickorsemithick,remainstheinterventionmostperceivedbythe curators,asapossiblethreattothehistoricbuilding.
Thecontrastbetweenthenewandtheoldcancauseatemporalandculturalupdate,whichcanbecharacterizedby anadaptationofacontemporaryarchitecturallanguageanchoredinitspresent.
Exceptthatinthiscase,thestakeholdersofthecityremainlimited,inimaginationandopenmindedness,to acceptanewdesigninanoldone.
Prolongingthelifeofabuildingbygivingnewlifetoitsfacadesandnewfunctions,givesthedistrictanewhistorythat iscreated,andthereforebecomesanintermediarythatallowscommunicationbetweenthepast,thepresentandthefuture.
Inadditiontomodifyingthelegibilityofthecity,facadeisminevitablyleadstopoorheritage.Keepingonlythe facadeofabuildingcannotpreserveitsauthenticityoritsarchitecturalvalue.
Indeed,theprotectionofheritageisnotlimitedtothesimpleprotectionofappearance.Theinterestofheritage buildingsisduetotheirexterioraestheticappeal,butalsototheirconstructionsystems,theirpastusesandthelessonsthey havelearnedfromapreviousera.
Façadismisconsideredbysomeexpertsasaguaranteeofa"facial"safeguardoftheurbanlandscape.Iteven harmstheeffortsmadeoverseveralyearsforinnovativeandcreativearchitecture,butitalsoleadstotheirreversibleloss ofhistoricalinformation.
Thefaçadismapproachinurbandecisionsforthesafeguardingofheritageappearshereintotalcontradictionwith theGiovannonianapproachasaconservatoryprincipleofheritage,sincethereflectiononfaçadism,isapracticewhich marksthebreakwithurbanreflection.
Whileitmustbeadmittedthatinsomecasesitisverydifficulttorepairpoorlymaintainedbuildings,without consultingheritageexperts,severaldemolitionshavebeencarriedoutinhaste.
Thus,thefacadeproblemhidesamoresignificantgapinourplanningpractice,thatistosaythelackofreflection ontherecommendedmodesofintervention,inaheritageenvironment.
Façadism,theDiscreetEntryofaPracticethatisLookingforItselforthePrincipleofthe“EmptyShell”
Façadism,thispracticenewlyintroducedinMorocco,inadiscreetway,canleadustosaythatthepreservationofthebuilt architecturalheritageisbetterservedwhenonedoesnotdistinctlyseektopreservethefacade,andtheformsexteriorsofa building,attheexpenseoftheinterior.Andevenless,todistortthetemporalreadingofthisbuildingafterintervention.
Tothisend,conservationstakeholdersemphasizethelackoffeedbackandindepthanalyzesofthispractice,and itsimpactontheurbanlandscape.
This“experimentaltrialanderror”thusprovokesanurbanlandscape,designedbyeconomicpressures,farfrom anyprospectivereflection.
Façadismisthususedasacompromise,forabetteradaptationtocontemporaryconstraints,whilekeepingthe inheritedurbancoherence,evenemotionallyattimes.
However,thefacadeapproachhasinevitablyexposedtheneglectofthemaintenanceandmanagementofthe architecturalheritage.
Intheabsenceofsuitablelegaltextsandrecognizedpractices,resortingtotheappearanceofheritageconstitutesa gestureofgoodconscience,particularlyunderpressurefromcivilsociety.
Admittedly,researchonfaçadisminMoroccoisinitsinfancy.Nevertheless,itopensupaveryvastfieldof architecturalandurbanplanningpracticesusedmostofthetimeinanemergencywithoutanyfeedbackontheirimpactson theurbanlandscape.
Thefutureofresearchinthisfieldisstillwideandopen,becausealwaysonfieldwork,withoutscientific productioninparallelandifthecomparisoncanbemadeontheground,thissituationisrepeatedinarathersneakywayin theMoroccanmedinas.
ThearchitecturalheritageofMoroccancitiesisnolonger,onthemonumentorthebuildingonly,butonlarge urbanfacades,whichthenbecomeonlyadecorationofshoddycomparedtothehollowingoutthattheresidencesundergo inside.,thecaseofMarrakechorFeztodayisquitetelling.
Source:IbtissamKourdou2013.
CONCLUSIONS
ThisrelentlessnessonthefacadesofbuildingsisbecomingrepetitiveinMoroccancities.Wehaverecentlyobservedother practiceswhichconsistinredesigningcontemporaryfacadesonotherexistingoneswithoutthinkingaboutthewhole building.ThemostrecentexampleisthatofthebuildinghousingtheurbanmunicipalityofHarhourainthePrefectureof SkhiratTemara,builtduringthe2000s,butwhosefacadeshaveseenanew"IMAGE"bybuildingnewfacades.
Thisnewskinaddedtotheexistingbuilding,isconsideredasa"carnivalizationofurbanfacades",itconsistsofa spectaculartransformationofanurbanlandscapebyanewarchitecturalredevelopmentwhichaccompaniesurban developmentinthesaidmunicipalityduringthisyearof2021.
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