Characterizing Sustainability and Assessing Biophilic Design in Vernacular Architecture: Case of Kasbahs and Ksour in South of Morocco

Zakaria Abyaa (), Khalid El Harrouni and Robin Degron
Additional contact information
Zakaria Abyaa: The Social Dynamics and Recomposition of Spaces Laboratory—LADYSS, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 75005 Paris, France
Khalid El Harrouni: UNESCO Chair, Ecole Nationale d’Architecture, Rabat 10112, Morocco
Robin Degron: The Social Dynamics and Recomposition of Spaces Laboratory—LADYSS, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, 75005 Paris, France

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-25

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: sustainability; biophilia; biophilic design assessment; vernacular architecture; Kasbahs and Ksour; Kingdom of Morocco (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4680/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4680/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4680-:d:1659665

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().