Lafon house

Lafon House stands on the east–west axis of a 1ha plot in Marrakesh’s palm garden. The house consists of three volumes raised on a marble platform dramatically opening onto the Atlas Mountains. A swimming pool was placed at the centre of the composition. The main pavilion at one end of the swimming pool is reserved for the owner’s family. At the other end, lengthwise, the design includes two smaller, independent pavilions for family guests. These pavilions each include two superimposed bedrooms equipped with bathrooms and are independently accessible via an external staircase running across the façade. The kitchen and communal areas are located in the main house. This layout means that all the inhabitants can gather in a single common space. Upstairs in the main house, a loggia has been built into the thickness of the building, allowing people to take advantage of a high, external space.

The use of traditional adobe determines the ochre colour of the façades and the gentle inclination of the walls. The earthy tones of the colour palette bring a chromatic harmony in tune with the hues of the region. The buildings are crowned with a blue and gold frieze that visually connects the pavilions horizontally, balancing with the verticality of the openings. The walls are thick and insulate against the heat and thus maintain a comfortable atmosphere inside the house. The spaces in which to relax and meet others are generally oriented towards the garden.

The proportions of the platform, the pavilions’ ground plan, the doors and windows, and the details all relate to a system of geometric composition based on the rectangle, and the square root of five and its derivatives. The influence of classical Roman and Islamic cultures resonates in the house’s Mediterranean design.