Plan Bleu

In recent decades, sustainability and biophilic design have gained significant attention as revived concepts in architecture, offering innovative pathways to reconnect the built environment with nature. Can these principles be characterized and assessed in vernacular architectural contexts so as to be incorporated into contemporary sustainable practices? This research seeks to answer this question by examining the vernacular architecture of Kasbahs and Ksour in southern Morocco through the lens of biophilic design. The link between the two remains underexplored, specifically in the context of southern Morocco—a gap this article seeks to address. This research analyzes these heritage architectures by combining a theoretical exploration of sustainability, biophilic design (BD), and operational BD frameworks with a practical evaluation using a Biophilic Interior Design Matrix. This analysis is particularly pertinent as the contemporary society spends roughly 90% of its time indoors and is considered to be an “indoor generation”. After examining eleven vernacular buildings spread over key areas of Ouarzazate Province in southern Morocco against 54 biophilic design attributes, the findings reveal that Kasbahs and Ksour showcase sustainability and biophilic qualities. This demonstrates that Moroccan traditional architectural values can enable heritage preservation through biophilic principles to deliver culturally contextual and sustainable architectural solutions for contemporary practice.

Sociologue et enseignante, l’auteur exerce dans un college de ZEP marque par une proportion importante d’enfants issus de l’immigration maghrebine. La renovation recente du college a entraine la creation d’une large rue, baptisee rue Mohamed V. Un nom prestigieux, generalement donne aux arteres principales des grandes villes du Maroc.On peut pourtant se demander si, dans le contexte actuel, il est pertinent de baptiser ainsi une rue qui relie la ville de Montpellier a sa ZUP de la Mosson et dessert un college essentiellement frequente par des enfants de cette ZUP. L’ecole francaise peut-elle se contenter de mesures symboliques pour retablir l’egalite de droits qu’elle affiche et qu’elle malmene, pourtant, en permanence ?Comment aborder la question de la discrimination a l’ecole sans mettre le doigt sur l’impossibilite d’une ecole egalitaire dans une societe inegalitaire, au risque de tout faire exploser ?

This article identifies the major problems currently facing our world and raises pertinent questions. The issues discussed are population dynamics, urbanization and land occupancy, water and food, energy and climate, technology and society, info‐rich and info‐poor, unchecked or uncheckable markets, affluence and poverty, and world governance or domination. Because we live in a world system, these issues are all interconnected and cannot be tackled independently. The article suggests a systemic approach using prospective studies to anticipate the future more effectively than our natural inclination to extrapolate. One of the simplest methods for this is the trend scenario which leads from the past and present along logical paths throwing light on possible futures. However, this leads to unacceptable situations in a not too distant time frame, and so a shared and sustainable development scenario is proposed which would emphasize the non‐material aspects of economic growth in order to handle natural resources wisely and establish the stable and equitable wellbeing of the human race. The main conclusion is that a real paradigm shift in current economic, social and environmental practices is necessary both at the individual level in terms of the perception of the limits, constraints and values of the world system, and at the world level with respect to the political will to build consensus around the new goals, with the major powers taking the lead.