柱廊屋丨阿尔及利亚丨Atelier Messaoudi Architects

Architects:Atelier Messaoudi Architects

Area:98m²

Year:2021

Photographs:Reda Ait Saada

Manufacturers:Geberit,Holcim,CarlWorld,Knauf,Seigneurie

Lead Architects:Lounes Messaoudi

Design Team:Amina Mahouche, Ahmed Mahmoudi, Tinhinène Mezghiche, Reda Ait Saada

City:Tipasa

Country:Algeria

Text description provided by the architects. The “colonnade house” was designed for a son wishing to offer an adapted living space to his parents previously living on the first floor of the family house, from which access to the garden was difficult for them. The project is situated in Tipasa, 50 km west of Algiers, in a dense neighborhood. The site is surrounded by family houses and is characterized by the presence of a big pecan tree. Despite the huge plot, our client's parents, one of them being a disabled person, were confined to the first floor of the familial house, and kept away from the garden, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, with limited social and familial interactions. This “colonnade house” aims at spatial fluidity, while proposing protected interior spaces and exterior areas that can be used all year long.

The colonnaded gallery protects the house during different climatic conditions and becomes an additional space that is used by the family for circulation, reception, and dining. The main rooms are oriented south and overlook the big garden. The secondary spaces are at the back, on the north, where there is a second garden and an outdoor kitchen with a terrace. The spaces are designed according to the standards and requirements of disabled persons. The exchange between the interior and the exterior is favored by the presence of windows and French windows in all living spaces, allowing visual breakthroughs in different directions, and positioning to give views of the garden from lying or sitting positions. Wooden shutters protect the spaces from undesired sunlight.

During summer and winter, the interior spaces of the house benefit from cross ventilation, to offer optimal comfort to its occupants. The interior spaces benefit from sober and warm decorations. The materials, the furniture, and the carpentry are made locally, by the region’s artisans. Between opening and closing, vegetal and mineral, exposure, and protection, this contemporary single-story house blends into its environment. Its spaces are accessible to everyone, especially seniors with reduced mobility while being adapted to the climate and culture of the Algerian family. The Colonnade House has been shortlisted in the Arab Architects Awards 2022, Category Private Housing.

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