Brutalist thermal spa complex nestled in an oasis of ancient mineral springs in Sidi Harazem, near the city of Fez, Morocco. Built short after Moroccan independence according to the designs of the Moroccan-born French architect Jean-François Zevaco. He created various imaginative forms with concrete. The entrance, for example, is marked by a sculpture of towering structured blocks. On the site there is a big square with a public fountain of gushing spring water surrounded by orthogonal colonnades, pergolas, and planted inner courtyards reminiscent of Moroccan medinas. There is also a hotel building in shape of a modernist slab supported by eight v-shaped pilotis, a market covered by a roof composed of twenty-five triangular concrete pyramids, as well as various types of bungalows and swimming pools. One characteristic feature is the round outdoor pool, which is shaded by a seemingly floating concrete disc.

The Sidi Harazem Thermal Bath Complex is a very early example of an expansive, expressive concrete landscape.

The popularity of the thermal baths waned in the 1980s. Decaying from then onwards. Only limited parts have been still open to the public—other, important ones like the market, bungalows, and central courtyard remained closed. In some places vegetation has taken over.

 

Over time, there have been attempts at renovation and expansion. Around 2000, the complex was partially painted and clad with new materials such as green tiles and carved wooden panels. The design coherence within the complex got lost.

 

On the initiative of the complex owner CDG, Fondation CDG and Moroccan-born structural engineer and architect Aziza Chaouni, the complex is being reactivated and renovated. With her team of architects, engineers, researchers and photographers from North America and Africa, the project received a grant of 150,000 dollars from the Getty Foundation in 2017 as part of the "Keeping It Modern" program. The conservation management plan not only provides for the restoration of the brutalist concrete works of Zevaco, but also incorporates a high degree of economic and social aspects through a participatory process with the local population, so that the revitalization of the thermal bath complex can be realized sustainably. The renovation work is expected to be completed by 2029. Cultural activation of the complex has started in 2021 led by Aziza Chaouni and the Association MADI.