Fez Lessons: Industrious Habitat

Morocco—located at a crossroads between sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghrebi Arab world, and Mediterranean Europe—has struggled with cultural and sociopolitical clashes since the infamous Scramble for Africa in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These clashes have left enduring marks on the urban fabric of Fez, Morocco’s former capital and second-largest city, including its landmarks and landscapes.

Fez Lessons is a project of Laba, or Laboratory Basel, founded in 2011 as a satellite studio of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Based on recent research, the book explores Fez’s urban fabric, relaying a compelling story of how the city has been shaped and reshaped over time. The findings are visualized in striking images, graphics, and maps and followed by proposals for architectural interventions that address key issues by facilitating alternate forms of association and community. Given the growing stream of international investment, the constant enticement of tourism, and a worldwide revival of nationalism, interventions focus on these challenges, among others, raising questions about identity, authenticity, tradition, globalization, and the use of local resources.
 

Harry Gugger is professor of architecture and director of Laba, a Basel-based satellite studio of the EPFL’s School of Architecture.
 
 

Sarah Barth is research assistant at at Laboratory Basel (laba).

Augustin Clément is a teaching assistant at Laba, a Basel-based satellite studio of the EPFL’s School of Architecture.

Alexandros Fotakis is a teaching assistant at Laboratory Basel (laba).

Tiago Trigo is a research assistant at Laba, a Basel-based satellite studio of the EPFL’s School of Architecture.