The Tourist Trap, Fez Medina 2011 _ Sam Westbrook

The Labyrinth   

The labyrinths a retail zone were tourist can come to buy locally produced goods, crafts and art work. They will be guided through the ground floor plan of the traditional courtyard houses that make up the existing cluster of buildings, re-configured the new transitional route will move the user from one Courtyard to the other passing by boutique shops and market stools, were they will be given the opportunity to purchase goods, whilst admiring the traditional courtyards and interiors. 

Movement through the Labyrinth follows a specific path, starting at one point and culminating at another. The internal layout of shops and stalls is organized around the nature of the products sold, clustering those similar together.

Medina Community Complex_Mariam Shaari

The new complex will support activities for youth and adults, expected to be an exemplary cultural site, economic stimulator and generator for the development of other projects in Fez, its region and Morocco. Aimed to refurbish and rebuild existing historic structures whilst providing a mixed use of urban spaces for the community as well as visitors to the Medina.

The concept of Restore and Rejuvenate is to restore the old existing building and rejuvenate the surrounding environment. The outline of the old building will be maintained but improved for the purpose of design to eliminate the need for a total demolition. The focus is also placed on the idea of encouraging local activities in the area and promoting the rejuvenation of social activities directly, and the nearby river indirectly. The outcome of the design is also aimed at the intention to preserve and promote comprehension of unique local cultures and activities.

Artefacts of Andalus, Rue Guernis, Fes, Morocco_Benjamin Hale

It would sound strange in the 1970s if the term ‘post-impact conservation’ was mentioned, as far as conservation is concerned, this was when the median and the city of Fez as a whole saw it's greatest expansion with the influx of local immigrants into the medina. Broadly speaking, conservation signifies archeological preservation of valuable objects that may likely become extinct. Today, it goes beyond a mere celebration of an historical icon. The pressure of human needs in urban heritage sites has widened the scope of conservation in order to go in tandem with social and economic development. Conservationists came to realise that their task of scrutinising stones and cleaning surfaces is negatively affected by a dearth of funding. The pressing need of the people whose heritage is a living and not a static legacy is consequently dashed.