Mariott Djerba

Location: Djerba, Tunisia
Project Duration: 2018-2024
Surface Area: 100 387 sqm
Status: Under construction

Project Summary

The new Marriott Djerba, formerly known as Les Sirènes, is built on a plot of 100,387 square meters, boasting a beautiful beach spanning 540 meters in length and a stunning site. This parcel is particularly suited for the construction of a hotel unit, either in a block or mixed-use format.

The new owner of the hotel proposes a development plan for the project, involving the construction of a new 5-star hotel on the land while retaining a small part of the old hotel. This plan includes demolishing the portion facing the sea, which consists of the 3-star hotel built in the 1960s and part of the 4-star hotel. The following elements will be retained:

1. An accommodation block spanning two floors, with balconies added to the rooms to meet 5-star standards and refreshing their interior design.
2. The thalassotherapy center.
3. The indoor swimming pool.
4. The main restaurant.

Additionally, the developer proposes the construction of:

1. A new reception area.
2. Common areas including bars and restaurants.
3. Two new accommodation units spanning two floors each. (Unit A with 114 rooms, and Unit B with 159 rooms)
4. Extension of the existing restaurant.
5. A new kitchen facility.
6. Additional service spaces.
7. A new water park covering an area of 7000m².
8. 12 villas established as tourist residential units, each measuring 162 m².

The project is approached as a complex paradigm regarding how to construct on an island with a unique and singular architectural character. Drawing theoretical support from Dr. Ali Djerbi’s book “The Vernacular Architecture of Djerba: Towards a Semio-Anthropological Approach,” the adventure begins. Dr. Djerbi states, “Physical objects initially constitute simple spatial tensions that indicate the presence of possible action. But for these actions to be possible and realized within this tense space, it implies the appropriate form for its unfolding.”

Since there are no archetypes for this type of installation, the project relies on the same logic to create new forms based on the functions recommended for the hotel. These architectural forms will be characterized by their stability, performance, and formal and functional autonomy, generating multiple rhythms and creating a form that informs and establishes an interaction between signifier and signified.

In the architecture of the entire hotel, multiple volumetric fragments are perceived, each standing out with its own formal configuration. According to DJERBI Ali, “…The most relevant configuration is that of the parallelepipeds, which form, in some cases, square towers emerging from the overall volume… it designates for us the space of the ghorfa, of the bit…”

Consistently applying the acquired grammar on notions:
• Form (which informs),
• Unity = Entity (autonomous in its expression),
• Duality: Unity/Multiplicity,

All spaces have a privileged relationship with the sea, which is the element that carries the entire hotel. With its 470 rooms, the hotel presents an opportunity to rethink luxury tourism in Tunisia.