Spring is finally upon us and it is time for an update. I have been working on riad geometry and I have made some interesting breakthroughs. If you take a look at our Pinterest page, you will find a Geometric Principles of Design board (among many others). That board has put me on the right path to ask the right questions, which led me to an amazing book by Antonio Fernandez-Puertes, The Alhambra.

The Alhambra provides an amazing and very practical overview of how palace structures were designed in accordance with geometric principles. I have reached a point in which my central riad design has been harmonized within this system and I am close to sizing proportional door openings between the main rooms. This book illustrates methods of proportionally designing doors, windows, wainscoting (tile), and windows. A common theme is the use of x and x+x². This roughly translates to a ratio of 1 to 1.41. So if your square is 1 x 1, your next extended proportion is 1.41. Figure 1 provides the sequence of these values, below.

After reviewing The Alhambra, the floorplans for Real Alcazar, and a few riads, I developed a basic, proportioned riad main house, as roughly shown in Figure 2.

This is a picture of my rough ground floor design. The design is divided into 3 general sections (from left to right): main house with inner formal atrium, courtyard with attached apartment and spa building (below), event space (above), and lastly, the gardens. The gardens and main house are the same size, while the courtyard is a perfect rectangle based upon the inner atrium (7 x7m –> 7 x 14m). This measurement is derived from two-layers of bricks with an air gap between them. 

So, what is next? Once I finish the template design, I will transfer it into a basic floorplan program then conduct a geometric proof. I will post that proof with notes and figures, so everyone can see how the riad proportions can be derived from central design themes. Of course, one must consider financial realities. The size and extent will be subject to funding – all of this design work is aimed at developing early cost estimates and cost-control measures. Below is a quick initial geometric proof using excel and powerpoint. The ratios I ended up with are: x, x+x², 2x.

Once this core design is finished, I will explore some more ‘wandering’ designs that break away from the room symmetry outside of the main atrium. El Goute in Marrakech is a good example of where we are heading in this next design round.

-Mike