PORTFOLIO ENGLISH | GHZILI MOHAMMED | ARCHITECTURE | 2023

A perpetual thirst for learning and evolution, that is the idea that drives me every day through my journey in the field of architecture. After six years of studies, I realize that through architecture I have been given a role in this existence, which is to serve the world around me, to make sure to appropriately respond to various and sometimes conflicting needs, to solve problems, and to succeed in each of my architectural actions in making the world a better living space for all.

GHZILI MOHAMMED

26 ANS JUNIOR ARCHITECT

Even a project that is not realized can have an impact on architecture. We rethink the reason and the means to exist in relation to architecture, to look at it differently, to experience it differently, above all it is a matter of expanding and looking at ourselves differently.

‘‘ Symbiotic union ”

From small to large scale in nature, we are increasingly trying to integrate in order to achieve a healthy architecture. Nyctinasty is a project that adapts to the climate, the concept is to integrate into nature not only through materials but also through natural phenomena. In botany, nyctinasty is the movement of flowers responding to the day-night variation. The goal is to build a building that responds to the day-night, summer-winter variation through eight cubes, 4 by 4, constituting the large cube, which represents the first compact form, more resistant to cold, heatconserving, The second is obtained after movements (page 9) allowing to breathe nature, receive more air, more sun, and gain more space.

Circular Movement

(This movement is applied to both levels at the same time) a fixed block that contains a technical room (an electric motor). It pushes the other blocks on rails that trace their trajectory, in order to open onto an inner patio.

RECTILINEAR MOVEMENT

(This movement is applied to the 2nd level only) the 4 cubes are pulled using hydraulic jacks, in order to shift relative to the ground floor, creating terraces all around the patio resulting from the circular movement.

Un vérin hydraulique

Trajectoir circulaire du RDC

EMERGING EARTH

My project aims to bring life to the village by promoting local agriculture while avoiding its commercialization. To do this, I have chosen to implement my concept in the village of Tiourar, located in the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of 2225m.

Tiourar is a typical Berber village, characterized by its difficult access, which has managed to preserve its culture, language, poetry, architecture, agriculture, and traditional craftsmanship over the centuries. This isolation has protected the village’s identity and preserved its soul, but it is now time to connect it to the rest of the world while preserving this precious heritage.

To achieve this project, I have designed an architectural building that brings together a farmers’ cooperative to promote local products, a youth center to exploit the region’s tourism potential, and essential facilities for the village such as a health and education infrastructure.

The topographical constraints have forced me to limit my 2-hectare land in such a way as to integrate into nature rather than opting for a blank slate. Indeed, like in other Moroccan villages, Tiourar has adapted its land to housing and agriculture by creating superimposed terraces that follow the topographical lines smoothly while preserving the natural aspect of the landscape.

To respect this approach, my project draws inspiration from this tradition by using local materials and creating outdoor spaces that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. I also made sure that the buildings are eco-friendly by using sustainable construction techniques and incorporating water and energy management devices.

In summary, my project aims to create a sustainable and environmentally friendly village, while preserving and promoting the culture and identity of Tiourar. I hope to contribute to the vitality and development of this beautiful mountainous region.

3D view of the project

To implement an effective conceptual strategy, it is necessary to develop an organizational chart that will determine the most relevant development choices. The first objective of the project is to create a block housing the cooperative, which will serve as a production space. This space must be organized in a linear manner to facilitate the circulation and communication of the different production elements. Spaces of different scales must be aligned in order to create a dynamic flow of movement. The different spaces will be connected by bridges allowing to cross the volumes. This block will be the only one slightly floating on the topography of the land, in order to mark its importance in terms of volume and landscape.

The second element of the project is a space hosting an agglomeration of dormitories, composed of individual rooms, intended for tourist accommodation. This space must be located below the first block and be directly connected to it. It will allow access to the third block. The third block will house the educational equipment, which will be divided into two parts connected by a bridge. The fourth space will be dedicated to the health infrastructure and must be easily accessible in case of emergency. Finally, the last element of the project will be a volume intended for the management space and the general management of the project.

Projec’s model

VOLUMES ‘S COMPOSITION

Upon analyzing the architecture and architectural typology of the village, it is possible to identify several ways of composing vernacular buildings.

The first method is the use of a noncontinuous loop, which is a result of the prevalent livestock activity in the region. The houses are composed of circular blocks with an open opening to allow the passage of sheep flocks. This generates an open patio and semi-open houses on the public space.

LIGHTNESS AND HEAVINESS

The project aims to create a distinctive element that gives it a significant spatial dimension. To achieve this, it is necessary to highlight cubic compositions and the topography of the site. To achieve this goal, I have chosen to focus on lightness and to make this weight fly above the topography through a multitude of simple and aligned blocks. This volume will be supported by a very light structure that will emerge from all the topographical lines of the terrain. The distribution of weight on a grid of points by eliminating the large classic dimensions of supports (such as columns) will allow for this effect of lightness and heaviness.

“Nature’s aNd Creativity’s Jewel Box”

My main objective as an architect is to design a building that meets the needs of the National School of Fine Arts in the city of Asilah, while preserving the site’s vocation as a primary public space for the local population. To do this, I conducted a thorough study of the site to determine the best strategy to adopt.

After this analysis, I decided not to build a building on the site, but rather to create a building that animates the site, while respecting its morphology. Indeed, I wanted to preserve the vocation of the public space while responding to the needs of the School of Fine Arts. To do this, I imagined an ingenious strategy of covering the topographically irregular ground with a flexible material, which takes the form of the topographic lines under the effect of gravity. By stiffening this material, I could preserve the topography of the site while creating a discreet volume that could accommodate the main passage of the building.

This passage, which penetrates the site by hollowing it out, was designed to serve the different spaces for the practice of art, such as drawing, sculpture and painting workshops. I also took into account the needs in terms of openness and brightness, in order to create a pleasant and inspiring work environment for the artists. Finally, I made sure that the building was not too imposing and that it left enough space for the site to remain as open as possible.

A building that delicately blends into the landscape, allowing its presence to be subtly guessed.

ART PASSAGE

The passage connecting the bus station to the main avenue will be transformed into an exhibition space for school works, while preserving its natural rock. This rock will be used as a natural stage to showcase the students’ works. The use of natural materials in public space creates a strong connection between the school and its environment, thereby reinforcing its integration into the city.

SCHOOL BETWEEN TWO NATURES

The first part of the building will be placed between a roof that will follow the topography of the land and a passage that will preserve its natural rock. The project will thus be integrated into a very natural environment. The shape of the roof, adapting to the site’s topography, will allow for a harmonious integration of the building into its environment, while the natural rock passage will create a visual and physical link with the city.

TIMID BUILDING

The building will timidly rise from the ground, letting its light spread on its surroundings. It will mark its presence without imposing itself as an imposing volume. The discreet shape of the building will allow for a dialogue with the public space and not disrupt the visual balance of the city.

A building that discreetly blends into the environment, letting its light spread around it

Sketch - Plan - Section.

A building that discreetly slips into space, allowing its brightness to illuminate its surroundings.

“Between taboo and

and sacred heritage”

By observing life in the Medina, we notice that its fortifications enclose not only heritage, but also cultures and intramural habits, particularly the consumption of cannabis. This ancient city has a large consumption of this substance, which is a culture and tradition passed down from generation to generation. However, society does not dare to speak of it and prefers to consider it a taboo.

In the context of the legalization of cannabis production, the Ricolé foundation represents a large brand of legal production intended for responsible use, located in the Medina of Fes. This represents a symbol that allows to display this culture and break the taboo that surrounds it.

This project also concerns the problems of heritage classified by UNESCO (such as the Medina of Fes), a city founded in the 8th century that expanded under the rule of several dynasties. The objective is to continue to build the city as a new Fassi generation, while achieving an urban seam with the new city.

Indeed, the building puts the great wall between its two parts, one intramural and the other extramural. The exterior part, a transparent building, allows the visibility of the fortifications, symbolizing the new modern footprint of our generation and showing that heritage is not only to be preserved, but that today’s architecture is also the heritage of tomorrow. The intramural part, on the other hand, is an architecture that evokes the past through facades that integrate into the landscape of the Medina. Between the intramural and extramural is a new passage that enters the building by passing over the wall, symbolizing a new way of entering the city and a new door for the new generation that builds it.

Architectural break

Urban seam

New Gait

NEW GAIT URBAN SEAM

The new entrance to the Medina will be built with a bridge that passes over the wall, symbolizing the new modern footprint of the new generation Fassi. This bridge creates a new way of entering the city, and it’s not just preserving the heritage but also building new architecture that will be the heritage of tomorrow.

In order to bring the modern building closer to the wall and show a kind of imprint of the new generation that will take over the expansion of the Medina, The two buildings contrast with each other, they put the fortification and link without touching and the transparent building, dressed in the texture of the wall, reflects it through it.

‘‘ Optimized, Comfortable, More Appropriate ”

When it comes to social housing, the trend of building vertically has forced us to respect the factor of the prospect, a way to let everyone get their share of sunlight, a share that lasts 25% of sunshine during the day, that is 3 or 4 hours. The rule says: the distance between two vertical buildings = their height, therefore, the prospect also forces the expansion of cities. This kind of housing puts everyone in a shared wall with at least 2 neighbors, which reduces the appropriation of space and hinders the neighborhood.

In physics, porosity is the set of voids in a solid material, filled by fluids. The concept is to remove floors in a vertical habitat, to allow the passage of sunlight beams brought by the sun to the neighboring building, provided that it is close enough, with the goal that this building receive light several times during a day. Therefore, the distance between two vertical buildings is reduced, which optimizes urban space in terms of expansion of this kind of construction. Moreover, the removal of shared walls increases the quality of life between neighbors, and the appropriation of private space.

Sunlight in social housing = 25% of a day = 4 hrs/day

Sunlight in porous city = 16% x 4 = 64% of a day = 7.6 hrs/day

The prospect rule: H=L

Reduction of distance L

Removal of intermediate floors

The building is made up of a lightweight structure. Despite its height, its porosity allows it to be flexible against the wind. A stairwell and elevator are positioned outside of the 4 buildings. Access bridges are located on each floor, allowing for the connection of the entire building. The housing takes the form of an “L” shape on a square, leaving 1/4 of the land as a private garden forming a vegetal well inside the entire building.

4 vertical housing units

Plans

Floors Ground floor

The goal is to propose pisé housing in Village Tiourar, housing that blends into the landscape of the Atlas mountains. The search for volumes is primarily based on respect for the construction technique, between load-bearing walls and naturally noble materials such as earth. The volume allows for fully experiencing the mountain spectacle, with its landscapes and conditions.

‘‘ Simulations on the project: Pise houses”

Lighting projects with BOA Light Studio

Boa Light Studio has entrusted me with the design of several aspects of projects, including the proposal of a light kiosk in public spaces in China, the choice of volumes, color, intensity of lights, is the subject of sensitivity to natural elements present on site.

Implementation of a lighting project with BOA Light Studio

Design of benches for the National School of Architecture in

Sensitive outlets

AMSTERDAM BRIDGES SUMMER 2020

CREATIVE DISTRICT, NANTES SEPTEMBER 2020