Villa E – Ourika, Morocco
sponsored by Domani
“It is not about erasing the human touch, but highlighting it. Imperfection is part of the process. It’s our language, but you can only recognise it if you can feel it.” Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, Studio KO
SUSPENDED IN TIME
Sitting on the foothills of the Atlas Mountains – known by the Berbers as Idraren Draren, Mountains of Mountains – Villa E seems to rise up from the landscape, like a solid form that strikingly protrudes from the rust-red soil.
Here, architects Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty of Studio KO weave together Western minimalist architecture with Eastern building techniques and earthy textures in a house devoid of trends and styles. In fact, the duo avoids the word ‘style’, instead defining their work as an attitude. Respecting the landscape, culture and history of the site, they observe, listen in and try to understand the context before acting. As architecture inevitably makes an imprint in thelandscape, how it is done is key to Studio KO.
Just as the ancient mountain range was sculpted by erosion over time, Villa E bears the mark of time. Gathering each locally sourced Oika stone, before transporting it by donkey to the site, cutting it and then setting it in place is a work of true craftsmanship and patience. This is where we feel the strongest kinship with the project – Domani’s pots and planters, much like Villa E, proudly display the passage of the hands that built it.
Find Out More about Domani and their products.
