Cité de Réfuge
Cité de Réfuge is a project that was developed within the context of the 2007 Rotterdam
Architecture Biennale, the theme of which was ‘Power’. Ceuta is a Spanish enclave on
Moroccan soil. The project gives a face to the politicized border crossing at Ceuta: a
refugee city in the no-man’s-land between two cities (Ceuta and Tangier), between two
countries (Spain and Morocco), between two continents (Europe and Africa). This city
is formed by a large square of 482 x 482 metres that is surrounded by a colonnaded
structure, like a thick rampart. Within this wall all the infrastructure elements of a border
crossing are to be found: offices, hotels, stores... The walled plaza is left undisturbed,
without a programme. It is a market square, a reception space, like a quay. In this way
the Cité de Réfuge reflects the powerlessness to achieve solutions to the problems
occurring on this border. At the same time the project investigates the city in its most
radical, concise form: as a deliberate act, a political decision.
Location: Ceuta, Morocco / Spain
Project for Architecture Biennial of Rotterdam, Special Mention Award
Year: 2007
