The project consists of a farm building located within the Ait Ourir SOS Children's Village which is part of the international network of the SOS Kinderdorf organisation. The latter was founded by the late Professor H. Gmeiner to offer orphan children a permanent home within a family context. A principal aim of the present project was to introduce children and adolescents to farming techniques and the production of foodstuffs for the village.
The farm lies some 40km from Marrakech, at an altitude of 650m the foot of the Atlas Mountains. The project area originally formed part the valley bed of the river Zat that flows 1.5km away from it. The farm buildings are used for the breeding of a variety of animals such as dairy cows, calves, sheep, rabbits, poultry and to provide storage space and housing for one farmer. The project is made up of a series of barrel vaulted structures built around a large rectangular courtyard accessed directly from the north facing main entrance. Each room has two high level circular windows that provide natural lighting and cross ventilation. The farmer's house is located at the southeastern corner of the farm and has a separate entrance and patio. The main elevation is symmetrical with three barrel vaulted rooms on either side of the main entrance, and an adjoining lower domed room at each corner. These rooms structurally restrain the horizontal thrust created by the vaulted roofs. Gutters and vertical concrete elements drain rain water to the courtyard, the latter also serve as decorative elements.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
