Rehabilitation of Place Lalla Yeddouna

About the competition

The Agency of Partnership for Progress (APP), with its implementing partner, the Agency for the Development and Rehabilitation of the city of Fez (ADER-Fès), is issuing this competition for the design of a site in the Medina of Fez, Morocco, known as Place Lalla Yeddouna.

The site of the competition, the Medina of Fes, is is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since 1981.

The Medina is a mosaic of small-scale, modest, sand-colored houses, and its endless labyrinth of narrow streets, where we can find still preserved as a living museum, an antique mode of life, full of history and shrouded in mystery.

Results (competition over) :

First prize : Mossessian & Partners, London/UK Michel Mossessian with Yassir Khalil Studio, Casablanca/Morocco Yassir Khalil ;

Second prize : Ferretti-Marcelloni, Rome/Italy Laura Valeria Ferretti, Maurizio Marcelloni and Valeria Botti with Bahia Nouh, Fès/Morocco ;

Third prize : Moxon Architects, London/UK Benn Addy with Aime Kakon, Casablanca/Morocco ;

Timetable :

Registration for phase 1 : 16 August to 15 October 2010
Jury Colloqiuim = 30 August 2010
Download for materials phase 1 : 20 September 2010
Site visit : 30 September 2010
Online forum Phase 1 : 20 September to 15 October 2010
Submission of entries phase 1 : 8 November 2010
Jury meeting phase 1 : 13 and 14 December 2010
Distribution of Advanced Competition Manual : 20 December 2010
Online forum phase 2 : 20 December 2010 to 21 January 2011
Participants colloqiuim phase 2 : 6 January 2011
Submission of entries phase 2 “Set A” : 19 February 2011
Submission of entries phase 2 “Set B” : 24 February 2011
Jury meeting phase 2 : 18 March 2011
Exhibition : 20 to 30 March 2011

Keywords : Cultural rehabilitation, Culture, Heritage, Sustainability

Competition results

First prize : Mossessian & Partners, London/UK

Michel Mossessian with Yassir Khalil Studio, Casablanca/Morocco Yassir Khalil ;

Second prize : Ferretti-Marcelloni, Rome/Italy

Laura Valeria Ferretti, Maurizio Marcelloni and Valeria Botti with Bahia Nouh, Fès/Morocco ;

Moxon Architects, London/UK

Benn Addy with Aime Kakon, Casablanca/Morocco ;

Theme and objectives

The Place Lalla Yeddouna is expected to be a cultural site exemplary of our time and the region, and a stimulator and generator for the development of other projects in Fez, its region and Morocco.

The competition task comprises the urban design for the Place Lalla Yeddouna, the preservation of historic buildings as well as the design of new buildings.

The principal objective of the Artisan and Fez Medina Project is to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty among artisans and other citizens in the City of Fez. The primary goal of the Fez Medina Activity is to revitalize the Medina of Fez through the redesign and renovation of six strategically important sites that are among its cultural, historic and architectural treasures. It takes advantage of Fez’ rich cultural, historic and architectural resources, and its vibrant artisan sector to make each project site attractive for both residents and visitors.

The Medina of Fez was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and therefore, preserving the cultural heritage and integrity of existing structures is of utmost importance. All project activities in the Medina must be conducted in a manner that protects this unique cultural resource and is consistent with Morocco’s commitments under the UNESCO Convention.

The competition is in two phases. That enhances the number and quality of design proposals in phase 1 and enables amendments and specifications of the proposed designs in phase 2. In phase 1 the jury chooses the most potential of the design proposals and makes recommendations for a further design development in phase 2.

Key criteria

The projects proposed by the participants has to take in consideration many important aspects of the site and its global situation. The jury will judge the projects on the following criteria :

The integration in the urban context;
Architectural and fonctionnal aspects;
Rehabilitation and preservation;
Environmental sustainability (including bio-architecture, water problematics and use of renewable energy).

Jury Members

Expert Jurors :

Abbas El. Fassi, Prime Minister Kingdom of Morocco, Morocco
Bensalem Himmich, Minister of Culture, Morocco
Anis Birrou, State Secretary of Artisanat, Morocco
Samuel L.Kaplan, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, USA
Mohamed Rharrabi, Governor of Fez, Morocco
Hamid Chabat, Mayor of Fez, Morocco

Deputy Expert Jurors :

Youssef El Mrabet, Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Morocco
Mohammed Ameziane Hassani, Architect, Minister of Culture, Morocco
Mohammed Msellek, Director of Strategic Development and Cooperation, Secretary of State for Artisanat (SECA), Morocco
Richard Gaynor, Millennium Challenge Corporation, USA
Abdelkader Nadri, President of the Regional Council of Architects of Fez, Morocco
Fouad Serrhini, Director General of ADER-Fès, Morocco

Architectural Jurors :