Tamnougalt Workshops
objectifs
● consolidation of the structure (stone walls, wooden beams and rammed earth walls)
● comprehension of oases and rammed earth cities
location
● ksar Tamnougalt situation
dates
● from the 2nd to the 11th February 2020
price
● sold out
transport
● from Marrakech to Agdz by bus (www.ctm.ma) and collectives taxis from Agdz to Tamnougalt
● the nearest airport is Ouarzazate, then collectives taxis till Agdz and Tamnougalt
organisation
● Kasbah des Caïds: Hassan Aït El Caïd (kasbah.des.caids@gmail.com)
● Labina: Oussama Moukmir (o.moukmir@gmail.com) / Mounsif Ibnoussina
● Marsad Drâa: Carlos Perez Marin (carlosperezmarin@gmail.com)
applications
● The workshop is aimed at students and young architects, but other profiles will also be considered
● Candidates must send an e-mail (in English or French) explaining their interest on this workshop (just a paragraph) to carlosperezmarin@gmail.com before December the 31st at midnight, Moroccan time (you should receive an e-mail confirming the application has well arrived).
● There will be 15 places
● On January the 10th, we will announce the participants selected
. program
. the workshop
The first day we discovered the ksar and the kasbah where we were going to stay during the workshop.
As scheduled, we started to work in the madrasa the second day, first analysing the pathologies and drawing a plan of the complex. Even if the main aim was to consolidate the vertical cranks of the prayer room, we learnt, talking to old people, that they built an extension of the mosque in order to avoid the prayer room to fall down, due to the instability of the ground. In order to be solved that problem needed means and money we had not, however, we realised this part of the building was moving towards the palm grove because of horizontal stresses exerted by the roof, because the structure was damaged by the action of water. So we decided to repair the wooden beams with the participants and the help of 4 local workers.
Despite the permission we had from the Culture Minister, some local authorities asked us for more permissions, so we had to change the practical workshop, doing that at the Kasbah des Caïds where we could build a traditional deck.
We also could do some tests with lime mortars in the kasbah.
We wanted the participants to learn how to build a rammed earth wall and we did it in the palm grove, which let us to experience during the whole day what an environment like that can offer to oasian planning.
The second key element of the workshop was the presentations on different topics; geology, traditional construction systems, architectural heritage of the Drâa valley, Saharan caravans… A big thanks to the speakers: Oussam Moukmir, Rachida Kasimi, Mounsif Ibnoussina and Isabelle Cousy.
During the workshop we had the opportunity to meet a group of scholars from Charles University in Prague and Czech Technical University (led by Daniel Ziss and Tobias Smolik), working on adobe synagogues and mellas the the Drâa valley. It was unexpected but an enriching experience for all of us.
We also considered it was very important to visit architectural heritage near Tamnougalt, like Tawirte Al-Caid with amazing views over the palm grove.
The last day we visited some ksour from the Drâa valley: Takatarte, a watch tower, Ait Hammou ou Said and Tinmasla.
. acknowledgement
This workshop could not have taken place without the commitment of the three organisers, Kasbah des Caïds, Labina Association and Marsad Drâa, especially thanks to Hassan el-Caïd, Oussama Moukmir and Mounsif Ibnoussina. And of course thanks to all the participants (from Morocco, Italy, Portugal and France) for trusting us.
credits pictures and videos: Carlos Perez Marin