The kissaria (market) is made up of a roof composed of twenty-five triangular concrete pyramids painted in white on the exterior supported by cruciform pillars. The central pyramid in the roof is a void space, creating a natural skylight and oculus above the market which the eye is drawn to. Below the roof, thirty stalls with cedar doors form a market. Each stall is naturally cross-ventilated through openings in the roof and walls. Close to the centre of the market there is a counter designed to accommodate a café, complete with an adjacent kitchen and bathroom facility. A mezzanine above the counter provides views of the ryad. Zevaco designed water basins and planters to interact with the cruciform columns, bringing the language of the ryad further into the kissaria.
The majority of the central ryad of the thermal complex is not in use. Plants have started to grow in the joints between its concrete pavers.
Also, its water system, which used to be elaborate, is defunct: canals, fountains and basins are today empty. Void of humans, the ryad is today a haven for pigeons, turtles, frogs, grasshoppers, storks etc…
In 2017 ACP received support from the Getty Foundation to create a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the Complex, transforming its abandoned buildings into pedagogical and cultural spaces. Using a participatory design approach that brings various stakeholders and the local community into the design process, a new phased masterplan for Sidi Harazem was developed. Phase one of the rehabilitation is currently underway: an adaptive reuse approach that will transform the market and hotel into cultural spaces for locals and visitors alike.
Watch the Thermal Station transform below, from its current condition to Aziza Chaouni Projects’ new masterplan!
