16 July 2026 – We have compiled the results of the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture’s Riads in Fez design studio into a pdf document, which is available online from today.

The riad is a remarkable version of the residential palazzo that we have been studying for some time. What makes the riad unique is that it is a large family home in which several generations of a family live together. We travelled to Fez with 14 students to understand the typology.

Fatima Eloussari’s master’s thesis provided a valuable starting point. Fatima was not only our guide in Morocco; we also drew on her analyses and used her thesis as a basis for the design research that followed our fieldwork in Fez. The result is a collection of beautiful, functional and innovative residential designs.

Thanks to the students Can Terkivatan, Chanelle Hool, Chidinma Ume-Ezeoke, Eline Konijn, Huigh van Donselaar, Joost van der Maas, Leonie de Booij, de Jong, Meis Kornips, Naomi Codée, Romke Lap, Samuël Bahadoersing, Tom Ferier and Tunahan Cengizhan Kizilarslan;
to guest critics Like Bijlsma, Oana Rades and Stephen Taylor;
and fellow lecturers Theo van de Beek and Harmen van der Wilt