The Group of Moroccan Modern Architects (
French: Groupe des Architectes Modernes Marocains) or GAMMA was a collective of
modernist architects working in
Morocco. It began under the direction of
Michel Écochard, director of urban planning in Morocco during the later years of the
French protectorate, and was led by
Elie Azagury after
Morocco's independence.
History
GAMMA initially included the architects George Candillis, Alexis Josic and Shadrach Woods. [1] [2] In the early 1950s, Écochard commissioned GAMMA to design housing that provided a "culturally specific living tissue" [3] for laborers and migrants from the countryside. [4] Sémiramis, Nid d’Abeille (Honeycomb), and Carrières Centrales were some of the first examples of this style that came to be called vernacular modernism. [4] Ecochard's 8x8 meter model, designed to address Casablanca's issues with overpopulation and rural exodus, was pioneering in the architecture of collective housing. [5] [6] It was the first time the French Protectorate built housing for the colonized rather than the colonizers, and it did so to suppress the Moroccan Nationalist Movement, particularly after the 1952 protests following the assassination of the labor unionist Farhat Hached, which were centered in the bidonville of Carrières Centrales (now Hay Mohammadi). [7]
At this time, Elie Azagury was the only "native" Moroccan architect in GAMMA. [8] [9] He and Candilis pushed Écochard for higher density development at Carrières Centrales. [10] Azagury considered verticalization "an economic and social necessity," and was critical of Écochard and his idea that Moroccans could live in high-rises, considering him "an active instrument of the French colonial power." [11]
Azagury led GAMMA after Morocco's independence in 1956. [12] He feared throughout the following decade that independence would come with a return to vernacular architecture instead of modernism, but was relieved that this wasn't the case. [12]
Other architects associated with GAMMA include Jean-François Zevaco, Abdeslam Faraoui, Patrice de Mazières, and Mourad Ben Embarek.
References
- ^ Dahmani, Iman; El moumni, Lahbib; Meslil, El mahdi (2019). Modern Casablanca Map. Translated by Borim, Ian. Casablanca: MAMMA Group. ISBN 978-9920-9339-0-2.
- ^ "Casablanca 1952: Architecture For the Anti-Colonial Struggle or the Counter-Revolution". THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
- ^ P., N.; Ecochard, Michel (April 1956). "Casablanca: le roman d'une ville". Population (French Edition). 11 (2): 374. doi: 10.2307/1524699. ISSN 0032-4663. JSTOR 1524699.
- ^ a b "Adaptations of Vernacular Modernism in Casablanca". Retrieved 2020-04-15.
- ^ "Habitat collectif méditerranéen et dynamique des espaces ouverts". resohab.univ-paris1.fr. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
- ^ Fabrizi, Mariabruna (2016-12-07). "Understanding the Grid /1: Michel Ecochard's Planning and Building..." SOCKS. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
- ^ "Casablanca 1952: Architecture For the Anti-Colonial Struggle or the Counter-Revolution". THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
- ^ Chaouni, Aziza (2014-07-03). "Interview with Elie Azagury". Journal of Architectural Education. 68 (2): 210–216. doi: 10.1080/10464883.2014.943632. ISSN 1046-4883. S2CID 112234517.
- ^ Dahmani, Iman; El moumni, Lahbib; Meslil, El mahdi (2019). Modern Casablanca Map. Translated by Borim, Ian. Casablanca: MAMMA Group. ISBN 978-9920-9339-0-2.
- ^ Lu, Duanfang (2010-11-02). Third World Modernism: Architecture, Development and Identity. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-89548-7.
- ^ Chaouni, Aziza (2014-07-03). "Interview with Elie Azagury". Journal of Architectural Education. 68 (2): 210–216. doi: 10.1080/10464883.2014.943632. ISSN 1046-4883. S2CID 112234517.
- ^ a b Chaouni, Aziza (2014-07-03). "Interview with Elie Azagury". Journal of Architectural Education. 68 (2): 210–216. doi: 10.1080/10464883.2014.943632. ISSN 1046-4883. S2CID 112234517.