Cultural Interlude in Morocco

Joudour Sahara focuses on environmental and social sustainability through the programmatic overlapping of the music school, ecolodge and anti-desertification testing ground. Courtyards between buildings promote passive cooling and collaboration between users. Outdoor reed canopies allow for active use of the site during the hot summer. Multi-use spaces such as shared administrative facilities and an outdoor auditorium reduce the built footprint and promote shared resources.

Winner presentation Cultural Interlude - Music school and ecotourism center, M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco (l-r): Stuart Smith, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation & Director of Arup, Germany/UK; Aziza Chaouni, Dana Salama and Thomas Duncan, Aziza Chaouni Projects, Morocco & Canada; and Meisa Batayneh Maani, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, and Founder and Principal Architect of Maisam Architects & Engineers, Amman, Jordan.

Winner presentation Cultural Interlude - Music school and ecotourism center, M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco (l-r): Maria Atkinson, Chairperson of the Holcim Foundation (at podium); Wanda Helby, Sahara Roots Foundation, the Netherlands; Hashim Sarkis, Head of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021; Dana Salama, Aziza Chaouni, Aziza Chaouni Projects, Morocco & Canada; Jose Antonio Primo, CEO of LafargeHolcim Morocco; Thomas Duncan, Aziza Chaouni Projects; and Meisa Batayneh Maani, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, and Founder and Principal Architect of Maisam Architects & Engineers, Amman, Jordan.

Longitudinal building volumes are oriented along the southwest-northeast axis in accordance with prevailing wind directions to encourage natural ventilation, and to block open spaces from the encroachment of sand dunes. Various planting strategies such as spiral formations and using half-walls to protect vegetation will serve as anti-desertification case-studies. The seguia (seen in blue) connects the site to the Drâa River east of the road.

Winner presentation Cultural Interlude - Music school and ecotourism center, M’Hamid El Ghizlane, Morocco (l-r): Wanda Helby, Sahara Roots Foundation, the Netherlands; Hashim Sarkis, Head of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021; Dana Salama, Aziza Chaouni, Aziza Chaouni Projects, Morocco & Canada; Jose Antonio Primo, CEO of LafargeHolcim Morocco; Thomas Duncan, Aziza Chaouni Projects; and Meisa Batayneh Maani, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, and Founder and Principal Architect of Maisam Architects & Engineers, Amman, Jordan.

Aziza Chaouni of Aziza Chaouni Projects, Morocco & Canada responds to winning the Global Holcim Awards Bronze with Meisa Batayneh Maani, Member of the Global Holcim Awards jury 2021, Member of the Board of the Holcim Foundation, and Founder and Principal Architect of Maisam Architects & Engineers, Amman, Jordan.

The water reservoir’s top half is occupiable, allowing occupants to enjoy the effects of evapotranspiration in the passively cooled space. Rain falls down the slowed roof of the reservoir into a wide copper basin, creating a space for spectacle on the site.

Joudour Sahara is the first off-grid music school and ecolodge of its kind in Southern Morocco.

The palm tree grid seen in the foreground reduces sand encroachment, and walls protect vegetation.

M’hammid El Ghizlane is home to twelve tribal musical styles which are taught at Joudour Sahara.

This map demonstrates energy usage, water distribution, and circulation by different users.

Joudour Sahara’s shaded auditorium is its primary communal space, designed to accommodate outdoor learning and performances of various sizes. The auditorium connects to an underground recording studio (left) insulated with hay.

A passively cooled occupiable water reservoir and anti-desertification eco-lodge room strategy.

The compost toilet system streamlines waste produced on site and protects a tamarisk tree.

Exhibition spaces promote passive cooling with solar chimneys and a solar-powered Canadian well system.

L-shaped half walls, tamarisk/ acacia trees, and grids of woven dried palm tree leaves protect the site from encroaching sand dunes.

Various landscaping strategies on site contribute to fighting erosion and sand dune advancement.

Aziza Chaouni Projects (ACP) is a multidisciplinary design firm with offices in Morocco and Canada.