Villa on the Edge of a Golf Course in Marrakech: An Analytical Study of Architectural Design and Integration with Nature
Villa on the Edge of a Golf Course in Marrakech: A Design Study
On a 1,400-square-meter plot, a villa stands out with a design that balances quiet presence and visual lightness simultaneously. The project clearly integrates the sensory and the spiritual, reflecting the architects’ focus on creating a holistic experience for both residents and visitors.
Inspiration from the Surroundings
The design draws inspiration from the landscapes of Marrakech, particularly the city’s yellowish hue, extracting aesthetic elements from light and local materials. This approach allows the villa to harmoniously blend with its environment while maintaining its distinctive architectural identity.
Simplicity and Raw Nobility
The project is distinguished by its use of simple forms and raw materials, giving the space a sense of nobility and purity. The design avoids excessive ornamentation, focusing instead on the essence of materials and composition, embodying a contemporary design philosophy centered on balancing beauty and function.
Harmony Between Design and Nature
The architects aim to create a continuous interaction between the villa and the surrounding nature, allowing visitors to feel an organic connection to the place. Manipulation of light and shadow further enhances the sensory experience of both interior and exterior spaces, giving each corner a unique character.
The Dual Character of the Design
The architectural design of the villa is expressed through two contrasting levels, each reflecting a different philosophy of interaction with the environment.
Ground Floor: Solidity and Rootedness
The ground floor features red terracotta bricks, giving it a sense of stability and rootedness. Here, the building appears as an extension of the land itself, engaging in a visual and functional dialogue with its surroundings, reflecting the design’s deep connection to the environment.
Upper Floor: Fluidity and Elevation
In contrast, the upper floor offers a lighter, more fluid design, seemingly suspended in the air. It features a metal base that serves as the foundation for the hybrid volume above, where curves and angles intersect to open the floor’s lines toward the surrounding golf course, enhancing the sense of freedom and spaciousness.
Interaction Between the Two Levels
This contrast between solidity and fluidity creates a cohesive architectural experience, combining grounded stability with visual lightness, allowing visitors to move between a feeling of security and comfort while remaining open to the natural surroundings.
Privacy and Protection in the Design
Although the villa faces the street, the home remains clearly protected, with its dark and modest façade reflecting the design philosophy of maintaining privacy while allowing carefully controlled light to enter.
Control of Light and Privacy
The façade features delicate openings covered with thin terracotta slats, filtering the western sunlight and reducing thermal radiation while maintaining a sense of interior openness without compromising privacy. This solution demonstrates a precise balance between visual comfort and internal security.
A Moment of Transition: A Distinctive Entrance
The villa is accessed through a narrow passage between two curved walls, serving as a threshold or separator between the outside and the inside. This space can be considered a transitional moment for visitors, where the experience gradually shifts from exposure to the street to immersion in the privacy and interior ambiance of the home.
Interior Organization and Spatial Fluidity
The villa’s interior design is organized around a central core that integrates vertical circulation and technical spaces. This arrangement allows for a natural flow between different functions within the home, while maintaining clarity of movement and structure.
The Staircase: A Functional Work of Art
The staircase stands out as an independent architectural element, sculpted and fragmented to appear detached from the walls. Each step is precisely integrated into the volume, while the suspended railing floats delicately, tracing a subtle vertical line through the space, enhancing the sense of fluidity and transparency in movement between floors.
Interaction Between Spaces
Through this organization, the staircase harmonizes with the surrounding spaces, making the transition between floors a continuous sensory experience. Here, fluidity and transparency are not mere aesthetics, they serve as tools to strengthen the connection between the user and the architectural structure, while maintaining clarity of functions and circulation paths.
Spatial Sequence on the Ground Floor
The villa’s ground floor unfolds in three main sequences: the dining room, the living area, and the fireplace corner. This arrangement reflects careful attention to internal circulation and creates a seamless experience between the spaces.
Dining Room: Openness and Connection
The dining room is separated from the other spaces by rotating doors, with a large curved opening that allows visual and physical connection with the rest of the areas. This opening enhances the fluidity of the interior layout, making the transition between spaces more natural and seamless.
Living Area and Fireplace Corner
The living area connects directly to the dining room, creating an integrated social space. Meanwhile, the delicately suspended fireplace corner serves as a focal point, combining visual and functional warmth and giving the space an intimate character without obstructing circulation.
Local Materials and Craftsmanship in the Design
The choice of materials in the villa reflects a commitment to blending with the local environment and traditional craftsmanship. The primary materials, zellige, tadelakt, Taza stone, and terracotta brick, are locally sourced, giving the project an authentic and sustainable character.
Attention to Detail and Commitment to Quality
Every element within the villa, from stone handles to sculpted rain chains, demonstrates meticulous attention to detail. This focus on craftsmanship highlights the connection between material and hand, enhancing the user’s perception of design quality and the integration of construction with artisanal artistry.
Integration of Architecture and Craft
The use of local materials extends beyond aesthetics to include functionality and durability. By unifying architecture with craftsmanship, every part of the villa becomes an expression of a design philosophy that links beauty with practicality, while preserving the authenticity of the surrounding environment.
Upper Floor: A Space for Contemplation and Harmony with Nature
The villa’s upper floor features a meditation space open to the sky, where the home connects with the celestial realm. This area offers a place for retreat and tranquility, where sunlight transforms into a spiritual experience that enhances the sense of inner calm and serenity.
Nature as a Complement to Architecture
Lush vegetation surrounds this space, forming an intimate green setting, an organic cradle that softens the structural geometry. This integration of nature and architecture enhances the interaction between the user and the space, creating a balance between the body, the environment, and the surrounding context.
Harmony Between Light and Space
Natural light transforms the space into a sensory and spiritual experience. Through the interplay of light and shadow, the upper floor becomes a place that allows individuals to connect more deeply with themselves and their surroundings.
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The villa offers an architectural experience that combines simplicity with sensory aesthetics, highlighting a balance between local materials and the fluidity of the interior spaces. The effort to create a dialogue between architecture and nature is evident, as is the careful attention to light and shadow, which imbues the upper floor with a spiritual atmosphere.
However, the overall impression is tempered by certain reservations: some contrasts between the two floors may make visual continuity less apparent along certain pathways, while interior spaces can occasionally feel somewhat enclosed despite the presence of finely detailed windows. The heavy reliance on local materials also imposes limitations on flexibility in certain functional details. Additionally, the sensory experience of transitioning from the street to the interior may feel limited for those not accustomed to reading architecture with an artistic eye.
Overall, the villa maintains its distinctive presence and offers compelling elements for a sensory experience, yet it remains a project that could benefit from further careful review of spatial distribution and functions to ensure a more coherent and inclusive experience for all users.
Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team
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