The Sidi Harazem Bath Complex is a
brutalist
Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by Minimalism (art), minimalist constructions th ...
thermal
spa complex in
Sidi Harazem, near the city of
Fez, Morocco.
The property is owned by the
CDG Foundation.
It was designed by
Jean-François Zevaco between 1960 and 1975.
Restoration and community oriented activities
Before the start of the construction works in 1958, rural communities, who had lived on the site for generations were forced to move to new places to make space for the new tourist destination.
In 2017,
Aziza Chaouni
Aziza Chaouni (Arabic; عزيزة شاؤني) is a Moroccan architect who teaches at the University of Toronto.
Detail
She is the founder of Aziza Chaouni Projects and associate professor at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landsca ...
and her team of architects, engineers, researchers and photographers won a $150,000 grant from the
Getty Foundation
The Getty Foundation, based in Los Angeles, California at the Getty Center, awards grants for "the understanding and preservation of the visual arts".Getty FoundationAbout the Foundation. Retrieved September 18, 2008. In the past, it funded the ...
to restore the complex and develop the surrounding area.
In July 2021, Getty Foundation reported about the course of the restoration and the accompanying campaign of including the local communities. Among other activities, Chaouni had initiated the building of a new market near the spa complex to accommodate informal stall owners and peddlers who had lost their former market in a fire.
References
{{coord missing, Morocco
Brutalist architecture in Africa
Architecture in Morocco
Spas
Hot springs
1960s in Morocco
Tourism in Morocco
Resorts in Morocco