Morocco Showcases Innovative ‘Tiny Kasbah’ Project at Germany’s Denkmal Fair

Leipzig – The Moroccan pavilion at the Denkmal trade fair in Leipzig, Germany, showcased a one-tenth-scale model of the “Tiny Kasbah,” a modular and demountable construction project inspired by the earthen architecture of Almohad kasbahs.

Held from November 5 to 7, the biennial fair, dedicated to the preservation, restoration and renovation of historical monuments, featured a Moroccan pavilion highlighting the Kingdom’s architecture and cultural heritage. 

Visitors were able to discover Morocco’s traditional earthen construction techniques through the “Tiny Kasbah” project. Two presentations by the National School of Architecture of Marrakech (ENAM) were also scheduled for the closing day, one focusing on the social and historical functions of earthen architecture in Morocco and the other on the use of earthen mortars in the restoration of old buildings.

Speaking to MAP, one of the project’s initiators, Zouhair Bennani, Deputy Secretary-General of the Moroccan branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-Morocco), explained that the model illustrates a construction system for which a patent application had been filed with the Moroccan Office of Industrial and Commercial Property.

The aim, according to Bennani, is to promote Moroccan earthen construction techniques while incorporating new technologies. Designed to be dismantled and relocated, the “Tiny Kasbah” also integrates Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, he noted.

For Bennani, the challenge lies in combining today’s technologies with the centuries-old tradition of Moroccan kasbahs, enabling this architectural heritage to evolve with the times.

Bennani said the team, comprising architects and architecture professors, hoped to establish partnerships with industrial players and institutions in Germany, a country whose expertise in manufacturing earth-based products he highlighted.

At the 2024 edition of Denkmal, Morocco presented a full-scale kasbah and won a gold medal.