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The project’s name, which means “House of Flour” in Arabic, nods to the region’s long-standing agricultural heritage, particularly the cultivation of wheat and barley—a practice still sustained by the ingenious irrigation methods of the past. The design itself draws inspiration from two such systems, namely the mesref, a surface channel used for agricultural irrigation, and the khetara, an underground gallery system devised by the 11th-century Almoravid dynasty to transport groundwater across the desert to Marrakesh. These systems, invisible yet vital, inform the house’s linear layout which divides the surrounding land into two distinct areas: on the one side, the desert terrain remains untouched, while on the other side, a modest garden of indigenous plants flourishes, irrigated by these enduring technologies on the other.
The house’s layout departs from the patio house typology where rooms are arranged around a central courtyard, unfolding instead as an enfilade of interconnected spaces. Two robust, rammed-earth walls form the backbone of the design, enclosing rooms, patios, and water features in a rhythmic procession. Large pivoting doors emphasize fluidity and openness, blurring the boundary between indoor and outdoor spaces, while a series of skylights funnel natural light while shielding interiors from the intense Moroccan sun.