Alae El Ouazzani

Alae El Ouazzani is an architect born and raised in Morocco, and a graduate of the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture of Paris (ESA) in France. Her main research interest revolves around Pre-Islamic influences on North African Contemporary Architecture with a focus on the impact of the colonial period. In exploring this thesis, Alae aims to develop a more expansive understanding of North African heritage beyond the prism of orientalism and other Eurocentric biases. Past research projects include examining the urban history of Moroccan cities, taking into consideration the impact of popular beliefs in urban morphologies. During her field work she traced and documented the evolution of historical sites in Rabat, such as Sidi Yabouri Saint Evora cemetery, home to handcrafted stonework, on the deserted tombs of the first inhabitants of the city. The research revealed her life-long commitment to become a researcher in the field of historic preservation, hoping to have an impact on the becoming of cities in emerging countries such as her own, Morocco. Language is an important part in the way she approaches research, asare the way Arabic, French, English, and Spanish shapes her work and her sensory exploration of spaces and temporalities.