UfM workshop in Ouarzazate explores solutions to strengthen the resilience of local heritage in the face of future earthquakes
1 March 2024, Ouarzazate, Morocco – In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Morocco in September 2023, the three-day “UfM Workshop on Traditional Building Skills for an Earthquake Resistant Reconstruction” held in Ouarzazate, Morocco from 28 February to 1 March 2024, took on particular importance. National and international experts came together to discuss how to strengthen the resilience of local heritage in the face of future earthquakes. Experts closely examined the use of traditional construction in the context of post-earthquake reconstruction, and explored solutions that take advantage of traditional construction, with particular emphasis on the use of local materials and vernacular techniques.
The workshop, organised with the German Development Cooperation financing and in cooperation with the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy of Morocco, is part of a series of workshops entitled “Traditional Building Skills in the Southern Mediterranean Region: Know-how in the South Mediterranean”. The objective is to identify and promote good practices in raising awareness, preserving and promoting vernacular architecture and traditional construction techniques. In addition, it aims to strengthen the cultural embeddedness of traditional solutions and their capacity to adapt to the climate, to promote a sustainable local economy and to create useful and qualified jobs linked to traditional materials and techniques, as well as to protect urban heritage.
On 6 July 2023, the inaugural meeting of the project was held in Barcelona, Spain, with the participation of representatives of the national governments of the countries participating in the project (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia), as well as experts from national and international organizations. Following this first meeting, a series of workshops are being organised in each of the participating countries. The first of these workshops took place on 5-7 December 2023 in Tunis, Tunisia.
Related information
- UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040
- Webinar series – Towards more liveable and healthy cities in the Euro-Mediterranean region
- UfM Student Competition on Urban Design 2023: Urban Solutions to Climate Change in the Mediterranean
