Typical Morroccon RIAD as a basis.

A Riad is a traditional Moroccan house with an interior garden. The word riad comes from the Arabian term for garden, "ryad". The design of these courtyard dwellings in the coastal regions of Morocco were an adaption and modification of the Roman villa. The riads are inward focused which allowed for family privacy and protection from the weather in Morocco. This inward focus was expressed in the central location of most of the interior gardens and courtyards and the lack of large windows on the exterior clay or mud brick walls.

Lift the riad

By lifting this typical inward focused Riad, we create an even more interesting central courtyard because it now has a nice view on it’s surroundings and garden. Because the building is now higher it will also generate more shadow on the inside rooms making it more protective towards the Moroccan weather.

Moving the upper floor.

By moving the volume of the second floor outwards, a natural canopy roof is shaped which sheds shadow on the floor below. In addition two outside corridors are created which connect all the upper guestrooms.

The experience of entering

The outside corridor serves as a passage way around the building. The stairs connect the ground floor through this passage to the second floor and finally to the roof. The outside entrances –connected by this promenade, lead into small covered terraces in diverse colors that function as entrances to all the different rooms. This way entering the house becomes a major transitional experience and encourages reflection because all of the rooms open into the central atrium space.

The atrium

The central courtyard becomes visually and emotionally reinforced by rising the surrounding towards the atrium with one meter. This way a more intimate experience is created without losing the tremendous wide image of the surroundings. This lifted space is accessible from the in atrium and holds storage, bar cabinets, … The swimming pool stretches from the inside of the building towards the surroundings outside of the building, cutting the slope. Thiw way people can swim underneath the building towards the view. Next to the pool with the same lenght lies a ‘sunbathing’ terrace witch has sunshine all day long. For the enthusiasts.

‍