Jacques Majorelle School, Benguérir, Morocco

The project was funded through a collaborative partnership between Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and the International Office for School and University Education (OSUI), the Moroccan branch of the French Secular Mission. The funding partners with the architects sought to create a unique architectural identity with climate-adaptive features that blend in with Benguérir's Green City landscape. With an ambitious one-year timeline from concept to completion, the project responds to a rapidly expanding community while integrating phased flexibility to accommodate future growth. The resulting design by ZArchitecture Studio, led by Zineb Ajebbar, combines functionality, adaptability, and respect for local tradition. The project stands as a contemporary landmark within the region’s educational infrastructure.

The site is organized into two main zones: educational buildings that front the main road, with shared facilities such as sports fields and the cafeteria positioned towards the rear. The completed Phase 1 accommodates kindergarten and elementary students, supported by administrative offices and a multi-functional Environmental Knowledge and Culture Center. Phase 2 will add secondary education facilities and a gymnasium. The functional layout is closely tied to the project’s phasing. Phase I is developed in the north to allow Phase II to unfold smoothly in the south, ensuring a fluid continuity between the different entities.

To address flow constraints, the kindergarten function and shared spaces (for primary and secondary) are located on the ground floor. Classrooms are on the upper level, connected by walkways linking them to shared facilities. These shaded walkways play a crucial role in facilitating smooth movement and communication between spaces, benefiting students, teachers, and administrative staff alike.

The “comb” arrangement of buildings is oriented to facilitate safe circulation, with ground-floor classrooms connected by shaded walkways and covered outdoor play areas. At the back, the gymnasium is placed to the south, freeing up the center for the multi-sports fields, which provide a landscaped open area for the project. The cafeteria and Environmental Knowledge and Culture Center are located to the north, utilizing the service and delivery access from the underground parking.

The school design is inspired by the traditional Moroccan approach to educational architecture and focuses on courtyards as multifunctional spaces for natural ventilation, visual continuity, and communal engagement. It is composed of long, clean straight lines, rectangular non-ornate facades stacked together to give an impression of space and mass spread over two floors. The L-shaped layout creates spaces for parking, gardens, and play areas within shade on the ground floor. The traditional courtyard concept which drives the design is presented in a variety of ways: The courtyards, which are covered playgrounds, act as visual indicators on the exterior, designating the entrances to the various school departments. Inside, courtyards serve as buffer spaces between kindergarten classrooms and as a transition between middle and high school in the secondary sector. These spacious courtyards serve as important meeting places for students from other sections and offer much-needed coolness and shade in Benguérir's scorching climate. As a result, the covered playgrounds take centerstage on the exterior and, thanks to the way the volumes interact, the entrances to the different educational activities are prominently shown. The structure is primarily composed of reinforced concrete, chosen for its durability and ability to streamline construction on a tight timeline. These design choices were made to promote a balanced and comfortable microclimate within the campus, ideal for fostering focused learning environments. Locally-sourced Ourika stone for the exterior walkways and terrazzo from a mix of Ourika, Zayane, Boujad and Tifelt, all local stones from the region for the interior spaces highlight the project’s connection to its Moroccan context.  The exterior walls are rendered in earth-colored mortar with some sections textured with striations. Shaded walkways and lightweight roofing over playgrounds mitigate temperature extremes, reducing heat gain and enhancing user comfort.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge where we are and to really work with what we have.  It’s not just about being sustainable. It’s about being aware of your surroundings and being at ease with your identity and where you come from. For me, it’s very important to use local materials because it shows we have a story and that what we have in our country is valuable and we just have to look at it in a different way to make it appreciated,” says Ajebbar about the finish selections for the project. “It’s not just about identity. It’s also about viewing colors, tones and textures you’re familiar with and feeling good in the spaces you live in.”

Altogether, the Jacques Majorelle French School is exemplary in its design for Morocco’s regional climate and culture. The school’s design also ‘teaches’ Morocco's cultural identity, French heritage, and history. It was named after French painter Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962), a student of the famous École des Beaux-Arts who settled in Marrakesh where he fell in love with the vibrant colors and the quality of light he found there. He drew inspiration for his paintings from his trips and from Marrakesh itself. His paintings include many street scenes, souks, and kasbahs as well as portraits of local inhabitants. The school’s vibrant colors seem to draw from Majorelle's influence.

ZArchitecture Studio was founded in 2021 by Zineb Ajebbar. The Rabat-based studio makes sustainability an integral component of its practice and projects and advocates the use of local materials and talents with a contemporary approach.

Growing up in Marrakesh, Ajebbar was aware of the sights, sounds, and colors of her city of birth which have inspired her design philosophy.  She was also attuned to the complexity of architecture and wanted to use it as a tool to help people. After her architectural studies in Italy and France, Ajebbar returned to her birth country to practice with the vision of creating transformative and impactful architecture that celebrates Moroccan culture and spaces. Her involvement in the 5-star Oberoi Marrakesh Hotel, a stunning masterpiece that integrates Moroccan traditional design was the decisive moment that cemented her mission to harness local practices in her work. The project brought in the best of local craftspeople and is a beautiful synergy between a modern complex and traditional aesthetics.