The infamous Scramble for Africa in
the late 19th and 20th centuries disrupted the entire African continent
with enduring repercussions. Morocco - located at a crossroads between
Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab-Muslim world in the Maghreb, and
Mediterranean Europe - has struggled to withstand the resulting cultural
and sociopolitical clashes ever since.


Fez Lessons: Industrious Habitat
looks at Fez, Morocco's famous former capital and today its
second-largest city. Based on a recent research program conducted by
EPFL's Laboratory Basel (laba), it investigates how these clashes have
marked the city's socioeconomic structure and urban fabric, and whether
or not it offers alternative and relevant means of human association and
community.


Given the growing stream of large-scale international
investment, the constant enticement of tourism, and a worldwide revival
of nationalism, Laba's student's and researchers were looking for tiny
cues, nagging doubts, and signs of the fusion between form and life,
raising questions about identity, authenticity, tradition, the
globalisation of culture, and the use of local resources. Their findings
are visualised in the book in striking images, graphics and maps.
Students' proposals for architectural interventions addressing these
issues are presented through images and plans.