Place Lalla Yeddouna
Fez, Moroco
The project is an entry in the International Urban Design Competition for Place Lalla Yeddouna which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The aim project was to revitalize the public square and surrounding buildings at a central crossroads in the Medina of Fez.
The key project objective was to revitalize the site and its surroundings adapting modern distinctive architecture into an area that is full of tradition, vibrancy and functional diversity. Physically the site comprises small alleyways, a nicely shaped square with a tree, a river, a bridge dating from the 14th and 15th Century, some dilapidated buildings that will be replaced and others that are historically and architecturally significant and will be rehabilitated.
The currently heavily polluted river is undergoing a city-wide revitalization program thus the proposal featured a large arcade multi-purpose arcade structure that refocused the orientation of the site to the river. As a hybrid building / infrastructure, the arcade mediated the significant site slopes through a network of public ramps, stairs, bridges and walks.
Credits
arkin Architect Limited: Kevin Weiss – Principal, Michael Deyong, Leah Scherk
