Cité verticale

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André Studer and Jean Hentsch, site plan for the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954. gta Archives/ ETH Zurich (André Studer)

Cité Verticale Jean Hentsch and André Studer designed and built a cité verticale for the neighbourhood of Sidi Othman between 1953 and 1955. Inspired by the ATBAT-Afrique proposal, Hentsch and Studer’s scheme first envisioned a pyramid-shaped building that would capture the spirit of a “modern casbah” and strive to “accommodate the customs and habits of inhabitants coming in from the countryside and from the mountains.”1 This reinterpreted casbah would be composed of vertically stacked dwelling cells that not only fulfilled housing

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needs, but also the need to recreate the patio courtyards as they existed in traditional Muslim homes. However, the projected pyramid-shaped building by Hentsch and Studer was deemed impossible due to law enforcement concerns (police access), and was eventually reorganized into large blockshaped buildings. The architects conceived their building so that “each dwelling will have a ‘traditional’ patio, that is, a patio open to the sky and protected from public view, which functions as the centre of the dwelling and which can

1

Hentsch and Studer explanatory note. gta Archives, 126–024. Author’s translation.


André Studer and Jean Hentsch, preliminary design of a habitat marocain in the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

be accessed from any of the rooms. Patios measuring 7.2 by 3 metres shall be aligned vertically and will branch out at right angles on alternate floors, thereby providing a 3 by 3 metre space with one storey of vertical clearance (containing the service area) and another space with two storeys of vertical clearance.”2 Although Hentsch and Studer’s design project was rooted in a seemingly poetic reinterpretation of traditional building forms, the actual layout and construction of apartments were conceived in an extremely modern way,

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with double exposures, large windows and grouped services. The construction consisted of reinforced concrete with brick and plaster infill, and terrazzo flooring. Though Hentsch and Studer considered their project as a prototype to be reproduced on adjacent plots with community facilities, the Sidi Othman project was never actually reproduced. Moreover, as in the case of Candilis and Woods’ Carrières centrales, several of the patios in Sidi Othman were later converted into enclosed living spaces once the occupants had moved in.

2

Ibid. Author’s translation.


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André Studer and Jean Hentsch, master plan and house types in the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

André Studer and Jean Hentsch, model of the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

Opposite: André Studer and Jean Hentsch, preliminary design for a habitat marocain in the cité verticale at Sidi Othman featuring house types with large outdoor spaces, 1954. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

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André Studer and Jean Hentsch, façade of longitudinal buildings of the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954–1956. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

André Studer and Jean Hentsch, plan and perspective showing intricate pattern of patio dwellings, 1955. gta Archives/ETH Zurich (André Studer)

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André Studer and Jean Hentsch, façade of a point block in the cité verticale at Sidi Othman, 1954–1956. gta Archives/ ETH Zurich (André Studer)

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