Dar El Farina
Location: Morocco
Architect: Leopold Banchini Architects
Local architect: Sana Nabaha
Photographer: Rory Gardiner
Two vital infrastructures shape this desertic plain in Haouz: a mesref, a seasonal water channel for agriculture fed by Atlas mountain canals, and a khetara, an ancient underground gallery built by the Almoravids to supply Marrakesh with groundwater. Though hidden, water defines this arid landscape, domesticated for centuries with irrigation and rammed earth walls.
Dar El Farina, a linear rural house, follows the mesref and khetara, dividing the land into two landscapes: untouched desert and a lush garden sustained by ancestral water systems. Off-grid, it uses solar, soil, and local water for self-sustainability.
Two parallel rammed earth walls enclose a sequence of rooms, patios, and water basins, with sunlight entering through skylights and openings. Pivot doors connect or separate spaces, blending interiors and exteriors. The structure reinvents the traditional patio house with compressed soil walls and colorful zellige-tiled skylights that tint sunlight, reflecting on water surfaces. Thick mud walls, shaded areas, and water features create a cool, self-sustaining microclimate in the desert.
Content edited by Dima Fadel
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