VILLA KRIAA V2
Private villa — A built architecture shaped by continuity and transformation
The Kriaa Villa, located in Sfax, underwent a significant evolution between the version submitted for the building permit and the execution phase. This second version corresponds to the architectural project developed in 2002 for construction, in collaboration with Rached Chaabani.
During this phase, the architecture shifted toward a more explicit expression of classical Tunisian architectural language. The initially abstract and restrained volumes were enriched with formal elements drawn from local references: arches, porticoes, cornices, articulated openings and more symmetrical compositions.
The execution drawings reflect a more compartmentalized spatial organization, with a stronger hierarchy of functions and a more pronounced staging of entrances, the main hall and vertical circulation. The sections reveal a deliberate emphasis on levels and heights, reinforcing the monumentality of certain spaces, particularly around the central volume and reception areas.
The façades, extensively developed in the EXE dossier, clearly express this transformation. The treatment of openings, thresholds and decorative elements anchors the villa in a more traditional reading, responding to the client’s expectations and to a familiar domestic architectural imagery.
This built version does not entirely negate the foundations of the initial project. Climatic principles, interior–exterior relationships and attention to use remain present, but are now expressed through a more referential and classical architectural language.
Documenting this execution phase makes it possible to understand the project’s full trajectory, from its founding intent to its constructed form. It also reflects the reality of architectural practice, shaped by adjustments, dialogue and transformation, particularly in the early years of atelier dada.
In its executed form, the Kriaa Villa represents an important milestone in the studio’s history: a project of learning, exchange and confrontation between architectural vision and the realities of commission and construction.
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