A Bridge Through Design
The architecture of a Moroccan house accommodates a public space within a private one: the livable patio and the indoor space; both are designed "to live in and look at". Pacing the space is integral to the architectural experience.

The houses have inverted personalities. Clustered together to respond to the long hot summers, from the street, one sees only the door, which can have elaborate ornamentation. Inside, the living quarters surround a courtyard with a mosaic-zellije-fountain in the middle and maybe some trees. The interaction between indoor and outdoor is of crucial design. Luis Barragan, a Mexican Architect (Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate) referred to the Moroccan house as "the walled-in garden".

The Medina means a town or a city. It is the historical area where most Moroccans still live. The Medina's fabric is a repetition of squares within squares joined by arteries and narrow streets. This morphology of individual living units lives in harmony with the cosmos.

The concept of repetition regulates the philosophy of design just as the repetition of the days regulates human life. Filling and organizing the empty space gives meaning and rhythm to life.