In the sunbaked Haouz plain, where the desert’s silence is punctuated by whispers of ancient water systems, Leopold Banchini has crafted Dar El Farina—a linear dwelling that both honors and reimagines its environment.
This off-grid rural home navigates the delicate balance between human intervention and nature’s raw austerity. By aligning the house with two historical water infrastructures—the mesref and the khetara—Banchini bridges centuries of agricultural ingenuity with modern architectural thought. The result is a space that invites contemplation: a sanctuary where design, history, and sustainability converge.
Two vital infrastructures traverse this arid expanse in the Haouz plain. The first, a mesref, is a modest water channel that fills a few times a year, fed by a labyrinthine network of canals originating in the High Atlas mountains. The second, a khetara, is an ancient underground drainage gallery constructed by the Almoravids over a millennium ago to transport groundwater to Marrakesh. Though often hidden from view, water shapes this parched landscape profoundly. For centuries, humans have domesticated the plain, irrigating and dividing fields with endless stretches of rammed earth walls.
Dar El Farina is a linear rural dwelling that aligns itself with the paths of the mesref and the khetara. The house serves as a boundary, partitioning the land into two distinct terrains. On one side, the untouched desert persists; on the other, a verdant garden flourishes with native plants, nourished by these time-honored water systems. Entirely off-grid, the house relies on sunlight, soil, and water sourced on-site, achieving complete self-sufficiency.
The residence is defined by two parallel rammed earth walls that enclose a sequence of rooms, patios, and water basins. Harsh sunlight filters through carefully positioned openings and skylights, animating the interiors with shifting patterns of light and shadow. Expansive pivot doors offer the flexibility to partition or merge spaces, blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors. This evolving living structure reinterprets the traditional, inward-looking typology of the patio house.
The construction employs compressed earth for walls and floors, blending seamlessly with the landscape. Overhead, zenithal openings are adorned with colorful zellige tiles, crafted by artisans in a nearby village. These traditional tiles refract sunlight into a spectrum of hues, which then dance on the water’s surface. The thick mud walls, calibrated sunlight, water features, and abundant vegetation combine to create a cool microclimate—a tranquil refuge in the desert.
