2.1 UG2, Y2 and Y3 ‘Model Display’. Collective output of the units model-centred, design methodology. These include spatial studies, material composites, tectonic assemblies and final building models. 2.2, 2.3, 2.7, 2.10 Imogen Dhesi, Y3 ‘Riad Al Nisa’. This project is a building for the women of Marrakesh who have become isolated or ostracised from their communities. Developed from the riad typology, it provides accommodation, vegetated courtyards and a new public space. This space functions as a mint tea garden and enables the building’s residents to interact and foster relationships with their neighbours. It is characterised by an opulent water feature, adapted to the Marrakesh climate, that passively cools the building whilst also providing an acoustic and atmospheric experience. 2.4–2.5 Benjamin Webster, Y3 ‘Modular Tectonic Experiments’. Early experiments investigating the potential of extruded earth and ceramic components to be assembled into larger structures. 2.6 Sheryl Beh, Y3 ‘Chinese Tourism Centre’. Chinese tourists visiting Morocco have increased since a visa requirement was removed. This project creates a building that assists these tourists in orientating themselves within the medina and, also, in training local tour guides in basic Mandarin language skills. 2.8 Ceren Erten, Y2 ‘Visiting School’. This project creates a school where children from rural areas can come and stay for a period of time in Marrakesh and access facilities that might not be available to them in their villages. The aim is that it will allow the country to develop its literacy rate and further its digital skills. The building is composed of classrooms and accommodation and, simultaneously, creates a cool underbelly, forming much-needed public space. 2.9 Josef Stoger, Y2 ‘Fashion School’. Motivated by the rich heritage of fashion in Marrakesh, the project looks to foster a culture that rejects the global fashion industry in the creation of a style that is idiosyncratic to the city. The proposal is for a dedicated fashion school where the building is inspired by the Berber tents and loose-fit fabrics adorned by older generations. 2.11 Yue (Nicole) Ren, Y3 ‘Souvenir Auction House’. Many souvenirs in the Marrakesh medina are not the product of careful hand-craft but are mass produced and imported from China. This proposal is for an auction house where traders can bid on larger quantities of these goods. It draws upon the smoothed-out aesthetic of many of the city’s buildings where, over time, they become bulbous as more layers of earth and clay are applied to their façades. 2.12 James Della Valle, Y2 ‘Light Entertainment’. This project builds on idea of the souk as a space for entertainment and performance. The proposal refurbishes a dilapidated collection of buildings to the north of Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, creating a series of urban incisions composed of lightweight walls, amphitheatres and rooftop canopies that act to frame and promote informal performance. The model is a 1:20 detail of how these incisions might meet the existing fabric. 2.13 Nicholas Collee, Y2 ‘House of Football’. This project creates a much-needed sports amenity in a poor part of the medina. It explores components and in-situ ‘post-carving’, after construction, to create visual complexity as a wayfinding strategy. 2.14 Ian Lim, Y2 ‘Souvenir Riad’. With Instagram tourism on the rise, what value is there in pictures as a souvenir? Questioning this phenomena, this project proposes that true value in travelling might be to obtain a unique experience or handmade souvenir. The result is a workshop building where visitors can create their own souvenirs guided by local craftspeople. 54
2.15 Katarzyna Dabrowska, Y3 ‘The Felt Garden’. This project explores notions of life and death in the creation of a garden, where felt urns are filled with seeds and the ashes of the deceased. Over time, the seeds germinate and become luscious plants. As generations pass, the felt bags disintegrate, allowing for new residents to bring life to the garden. 2.16 Jean Bell, Y2 ‘Rooftop Renewal-Casting Experiments’. This project embodies ideas about how one might capture the materiality and richness of the historic medina in which it is sited. It looks at casting with rubber moulds taken from existing wall conditions. The formwork of the new proposal is lined with the casts. 2.17 Karishma Khajuria, Y3 ‘Unfulfilled Aspirations’. This project endeavours to create a space where the women of Marrakesh are able to fulfil life ambitions. The building provides sanctuary, education and leisure. Conceived as a small neighbourhood with several riads and passageways, it is cooled and thermally regulated by screens and water channels. 2.18 Benjamin Webster, Y3 ‘Bab Doukala Riads’. As the medina of Marrakesh is becoming gentrified, many people are being displaced to the outskirts of the city. The proposal is for new affordable housing in the interstitial space between the old medina wall and the new city. The housing design, inspired by the riad typology, is arranged around central courtyards hosting vegetation and water. The structure is created out of modular elements which utilise the courtyards to passively cool the building. 2.19 Sut (Eunice) Lo, Y2 ‘Medina Market’. There are many places to buy food in the medina but few places to sit and enjoy it. This project explores a new kind of market space for the medina that is, at once, a series of food stalls and, at the same time, a shaded and vegetated public space. 2.20 Natali Rayya, Y2 ‘Equine Veterinary Clinic’. Donkeys are still widely used throughout the medina to transport goods. Working long hours under intense heat can often put a lot of strain on these animals. This project creates a clinic where the animals can have check-ups and treatment, and is supported by a visitor centre where they can interact with retired and recovering animals in a garden courtyard. 2.21 Kar (Tiffanie) Tseng, Y2 ‘Tannery Working Men’s Club’. Morocco is known for its tanneries. The intense heat and smell during the production process can be too much for many visitors. The workers, however, endure these conditions daily with little respite or retreat. This project creates a humble working men’s club for the tanners where they can shower, rest and converse, away from the harsh sun. The building is thermally regulated through a series of wind towers that can be seen poking up from the medina floor. 2.22–2.23 Paul Kohlhaussen, Y2 ‘Hammam Bab Doukala’. The hammam in Morocco forms one of the most democratic and inclusive public spaces. This project explores the idea that the hammam can bridge the widening gulf between those of the medina and the new city, as Marrakesh evolves with increased tourism. The building is formed of a series of spatial gradients ranging from gender specific to mixed, hammam to spa and inside to outside. The design is characterised by new ceramic ornaments inspired by the interiors of the city’s architecture. These ceramics vary to either filter water or create ceiling conditions where condensation is collected and reused.