Foreign at first, but remarkably smart and usable design.
We spent a week in Marrakesh in a 1930s-inspired riad instead of a hotel. Riads, traditional Moroccan houses with interior gardens, are designed like a mini castle with multi-story high perimeter walls fencing off intruders. Windows are not faced outside to protect the residence’s privacy. The unique architecture also helps with air circulation to keep the heat out in the summer but warm in the winter.
Our riad is located in the medina near Dar el Bacha. Leading up to the riad, we need to pass through narrow streets like a maze. The streets are filled with pedestrians, bicycles and e-bikes with shoppers and merchants of many mom and pop stalls selling bread, pastries, produces, butcher, and handcrafts.
You can’t miss the riad’s entrance. First, it’s a heavy, over-sized metal door with layers of Arabic shapes. Second, the door frame is shaped like the top of a mosque. Third, there is a visible ledge you need to leap through, similar to a traditional Chinese palace.
The entrance way has a fair amount of usage of expansion and contraction. Once you step in to the small foyer, you can smell the Italian perfume, then after a short corridor, you are taken to an expansive, welcoming interior garden with tall banana trees and water features in the courtyard. The area is decorated with many low lounge tables reminding you of its luxurious Moroccan style.
Looking down, the floor is laid with modern polish concrete floor and red lime stone polish concrete chair rail. Looking up, you can see balconies, a black painted wooden bridge and a black painted wooden bay window structure overlooking the interior garden. The black wood frame reminded me of Thai architecture.
Smart, green design
We visited in June with daily high of 45C (113F), but without the need of any air conditioning, the interior garden is at least 10–15C (50–60F) cooler. With the courtyard’s water feature, it’s an ideal spot to read a book, enjoy a glass of rose, or have a siesta!
Another remarkable design is noise reduction. Within the riad, it’s impossible to hear any bike engine noise, traffic, or any chatter in the Medina. It’s as if the riad is hidden, providing a secluded place to relax and enjoy Marrakesh.
Behind the palm trees are three small rooms with high ceilings, the one on the left brings us to the tiny concrete room for Hammam, a Moroccan sauna with full body scrub. The room is dark but kept at a warm temperature. The one on the right is for Swedish massage. The room in the middle is relaxation room to have Moroccan sweet mint tea with local cookies.
We stayed at Riad 72, what makes it unique is their simplicity in design, earthy colour tone, and an interesting mix of traditional Moroccan architecture and modern Italian influence.
