Parallel lines in the desert landscape define the infrastructures that give these territories shape. These excavated lines in the sand that bring water to the Indigenous communities living on this terrain have been part of a traditional practice carried out for millenia. For thousands of years, communities in arid areas in Morocco have irrigated and divided their fields using water channels in straight lines and rammed earth walls. Rising from the barren lands of the plain of Haouz, a nondescript structure stands, like something hewn from the landscape. Architectonically informed by the local water infrastructures: namely mesrefs (water channels) and khetaras (underground draining galleries), Dar El Farina, a residential design by Leopold Banchini Architects effectively employs local building traditions. The designers deftly place such situated knowledge in dialogue with more contemporary sensibilities for the private residence; a contextual strategy they have employed previously for Marramarra Shack in Australia.

“I have long been fascinated with traditional Moroccan architecture. At the same time, I am also fascinated by contemporary ‘neo-vernacular’ architectures built by local inhabitants using a mix of traditional techniques and cheap modern materials,” the Geneva-based architect Leopold Banchini tells STIR. “My goal was to define an architecture inspired by both rather than a nostalgic interpretation of traditions. The rammed earth walls, earth renders and clay floors are done in a fully traditional manner.” These parallel walls—running a staggering 100m on site—of rammed earth architecture, follow the neat lines of ancestral water infrastructure; dividing the site into two diametric opposites.

On the one hand, the coarse desert terrain is left untouched, while towards the back of the residence, a lush garden of indigenous vegetation thrives. As the Swiss architects point out in the concept note, the residential architecture is envisioned to function off-grid. Along with the water features, the mud architecture and the garden, the residence is sufficiently cooled without expending power, while modern technology such as a solar panel system meets the home’s energy requirements. Within the terracotta-hued walls that encapsulate the interior spaces, soft light enters through distinctly defined openings and skylights. Three designated areas signify the residential typology of the project: two bedrooms and a kitchen/living space, all in a span of 4 metres. These are interspersed by sunken courtyards and water basins that cool the residential interiors. The soft natural light, refracted by traditional glazed tiles that line the openings, filters its quality, rendering the spaces with an ethereal air.

Each space is placed in succession to the other and divided with large pivot doors. These allow the rooms to bleed into each other solid to void and solid. Pivot doors on the external facade further blur the distinctions between interior and exterior in the design. Materiality particularly played an important role in the conceptualisation of the design, facilitating a juxtaposition of the traditional with the contemporary that renders the scheme timeless. “All the materials used for the project are commonly found in the surrounding villages. Some materials, such as rammed earth, clay floors, bejmats or zelliges tiles, are coming from vernacular traditions,” the designers note. “Some others, like galvanised metal sheets or concrete blocks, are commonly used in local neo-vernacular architectures.”

Noting their conscious use of local materials and its impact on the project, the designers continue, “It is also important to understand that these [vernacular architecture] techniques are still commonly used in this region because they are climatically and economically effective.” Contrasting the pinkish earth of the rammed earth walls with the concrete blocks in a minimalist facade design, the sculptural volume of the residence appears staid from the exterior. Inside, the spaces are animated through sunlight and water, the sun shifting from hour to hour. While it has become all too commonplace to proclaim to redefine an architectural typology, often through the use of vernacular methods of construction or sustainable design parameters, the simplicity of Dar El Farina’s form paired with a considered composition of space and materiality allows the house to stand apart; a longstanding and relevant example of contextuality.