The Colonnade House | Lounès Messaoudi

The “colonnade house” is a response for a son’s wishing to offer a living space adapted for his parents, previously living on the first floor of the family house, where access to the garden was difficult for them.

The project is situated in Tipasa, 50 km west Algiers, in a dense neighborhood. The site is surrounded by family houses, and characterized by the presence of a pecan tree surrounded by a large garden.

Despite the huge plot, client's parents, with one of them is a disabled person, were confined on the first floor of the familial house, and kept away from the garden, especially during the covid-19 pandemic, with limited social and familial interactions. This project aims at spatial fluidity and to propose protected interiors spaces, and exterior reception areas that will be used all year long.

The house envelope is designed to offer a physical and visual contact with the exterior, while respecting the intimacy of its occupants, through horizontal and vertical openings, which makes the house open and closed at the same time. Its architecture opens with delicacy, and offers around the house different atmospheres, according to the orientation. By being frequented by the family members, children and grandchildren, the colonnade house is a welcoming place, while ensuring the privacy of its occupants and the possibilities of necessary retreat for the elderly.

The volume is simple but results from a complex process. The relationship with the exterior is facilitated, without opting for a radical solution of huge openings, which is not adapted to the climate and the needs of Algerians families.

The colonnaded gallery protects the house during different climatic conditions, and becomes an intermediate living space which is invested by the family for circulation, reception and dining.

The main spaces are oriented south and overlook the large garden. They are protected from the summer heat, thanks to the roof overhang which is supported by the series of columns. The secondary spaces are at the back, on the north, where there is a second garden and an outdoor kitchen with its terrace. The whole is designed according to standards and requirements of disabled persons.

The exchange between the interior and the exterior is favored by the presence of windows and French windows in living rooms, allowing visual breakthroughs in different directions.

During summer and winter, the interior spaces of the house benefit from cross ventilation, to offer optimal comfort to its occupants.

The interior spaces benefit from a sober and warm decoration. The materials, the furniture and the carpentry are made locally, by the region’s artisans.

Between opening and closing, vegetal and mineral, exposure and protection, this contemporary single-storey house blends into its environment. Its spaces are accessible to everyone, especially seniors with reduced mobility, while being adapted to the climate and culture of the Algerian family.