Marché municipal

Location: Mhamdia, Tunisia
Project Duration: 2019
Surface Area: 3600 sqm
Status: Completed

Project Summary

Our project is located in Mhamdia, in the Ben Arous governorate, within a popular neighborhood. It is part of an urban restructuring operation aiming to build a hub not only for this municipal market project and the artisanal zone but also for sports fields.
Our architectural and urban choices have been dictated by several concepts and criteria:

1. The Aqueducts: An Inspiration, Anchoring in Context: Our approach aims to strike a balance between an idea of openness and modernity on one hand and anchoring in the context and environment on the other. Our project is primarily inspired by the Roman aqueducts that traverse the southern part of the city of Mhamdia, bringing water from the Zaghouan mountains to Carthage. Our project is intended as a gesture of urban and societal structuring that, like the Roman aqueducts, connects and structures the functioning of the city. This gesture, driven by economic factors, will not only contribute to the urban enhancement of the city but also to social and societal life, aiming to offer citizens a better quality of life.

2. A Market, a Social Hub: With this project, we have aimed to transcend the purely economic connotation of the market and move towards other dimensions, namely the urban and social dimension. Thus, we have created a small urban square opening onto which are the pizzeria and the refreshment stand, dedicated to civic life, meetings, and artistic expression. This square will be equipped with skateboard platforms, dedicated to the neighborhood’s youth, offering them various urban recreational activities. The white walls of the facade serve as an artistic canvas, encouraging young people to express themselves freely through street art and graffiti.

3. Multiple Functions, a Structuring Axis: Functionally, we have opted for a spatial arrangement that structures the different functions into two separate units formally but closely linked functionally. This connection is materialized through a circulation axis covered by intersecting vaults. Each unit is developed around a patio, which, as needed, can serve as an outdoor exhibition area, accommodate merchants’ stalls, or host occasional events.