AAU ANASTAS / SELECTED WORKS / MARCH 2013 48.

PLACE LALLA YEDDOUNAA NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE MEDINA OF FEZFez, Morroco

AAU ANASTAS / SELECTED WORKS / APRIL 2011

Date: 2010-2011Type: Urban planningClient: Agency of Partnership for progressArea: 12,500 m2Status: competition

Place Lalla Yeddouna is one of the strategic places of the Medina of Fes. Located at the lowest point of theMedina, along the river, the square adjoins many touristic sites; it hosts an important center of local artisanal,and is a historic passageway between the two historical parts of the town, through the Bin LamdounBridge. Consequently, the site of PLY constitutes one the main entrance to the Medina.

It is of a main importance to analyze the qualities and the dysfunctioning of the zone, so as to elaborate theprinciples of the urban schemes and directives.

Reinterpretation of the riad typologyThe project fits into the urban context of the medina but more generally into the Moroccan context (culture,climate, etc.) It is inspired by Moroccan sequences and typologies observed on the spot.

So, rather than drawing the public place (the square) and then, arranging the elements around it, the projectfollows the inverse approach: designing the elements of which the organization is going to determinethe public place.

The concept suggests a reinterpretation of the riad typol-ogy, a block relatively closed on the outside, directedon itself and opened on a private space (a central court-yard, around which the block is organized, oftenwith trees and a fountain). The facade of the riad is similar to an outside crust, kind of a closed raw bark, inopposition to the internal space, an opened core with a much finer treatment. The public space developsaround this crust.

However, on the PLY, existing buildings are joined to each other. This arrangement generates a public space oriented on itself. Therefore, the project suggests creating urban entities, kinds of “reversed riads”, separated from each other and whose arrangement would allow to create interstices, new spaces adapted to the particular context of this sequence of city entrance.This bias suggests the replacement of the major part of the existing buildings for their typology and arrangementdoesn’t allow another type of public space.Architecture of the urban entities

All five urban entities implanted within the site of the PLY have the same facade treatment. The crust, constitutedby slightly ochre Moroccan bricks, composes raw facades with a minimum of drillings. The choice of the material justifies itself by its aesthetics, which respects the criteria of the medina and also by the thermal comfort that it generates due to its strong inertia.

277.5

277.5

280.5

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275.5

272

275

275

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276

BIN LAMDOUN BRIDGE

SHADED AREA

282.5

286

291.5

286.5

PLACE LALLA

YEDOUNA

ShopsWorkshop  for

 supporting  activities

StoresRestaurant

Internet  Cafe

Site  Management

Administration  Office  Unit

Restaurant

Public  Restroom  Unit

Post  Office

Fire  Brigade  Post

EMERGENCY ROUTE

StoresRetail Shops

CafeSnack Bar

288.5

Medina  Information  Center

Restaurant

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BAB NOQBA

DE

RB

CH

OU

AR

A

DERB JAMAL C

HOUK

DERB BIN LAMDOUN

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DE

RB

JA

OU

NZE

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Possible extension of the green alley bording the

river into Interconnecting zone B

CONNECTION WITHINTERCONNECTING ZONE AESTABLISHED THROUGH ACONTINUOUS MINERALTREATMENT OF THE RIVERBANKS OFFERING LARGEPLATFORMS FOR FESTIVITIES

275.5

Retail  ShopsWorkshop  for  supporting  activities

StoresRestaurant

Hotel

A

A

B

B

AAU ANASTAS / SELECTED WORKS / MARCH 2013 50.

PLACE  LALLA  YEDDOUNA

FEZ  RIVER

PLACE  LALLA  YEDDOUNA

FEZ  RIVER

URBAN TYPOLOGY 1

URBAN TYPOLOGY 2

URBAN TYPOLOGY 3

PLACE  LALLA  YEDDOUNA

FEZ  RIVER

RESTROOMS

RETAILS  SHOPS

RESTAURANTS

CAFES

SNACK  BARS

INTERNET  CAFES

HOTEL

SITE  ADMINISTRATION

PUBLIC  FACILITIES

PRODUCTIONWORKSPACES

ARTISAN'S  MEETINGROOM

FINISHING  WORKSHOPSWITH  DIECT  SALES

WORKSHOPS  FORSUPPORTING  ACTIVITIES

EDUCATIONALWORKSHOPS

ARTISAN'S  PRODUCTSEXHIB  STORES

ARTISAN'SADMINISTRATION

RESIDENTIALAPPARTMENTS

MEDINA  INFO  CENTER