MARYEM SADEK

Selected works
2014 - 2020
Maryem SADEK
Architect EPFL
msadek.archi@gmail.com
(+33) 07 87 81 88 75

I am a 24 years old architect, originated from Grenoble in France. Besides

France, I lived in Chile, Switzerland and briefly in Canada.
I am often described as an honest and frankly-speaking person, with
a cheerful personality. I enjoy working within a team, as I am good at
negociating and making compromises. I always throw myself completely
in every task I undertake : I like putting my heart in my works.
I am very curious and always eager to discover more of the world around
me, whether it is by travelling or trying out new cooking recipes. For the
same reasons I love very much the escape and exploration that outside
sports provide, at sea (sailing, swimming) as well as on a mountain
(skiing, hiking).

Softwares 2020 Diploma of Master of

Science MSc in Architecture
Vectorworks

AutoCAD Master of Architecture at EPFL

in Lausanne, Switzerland
Rhinoceros
2018
SketchUp Six-month internship
at elton_léniz Arquitectos
Adobe Photoshop in Santiago, Chile
Six-month internship
Adobe Illustrator
in NGO « Un Techo para Chile »
in Valparaiso, Chile
Adobe InDesign 2017 Diploma of Bachelor in
Architecture
Languages 2016 Summer Chantier :
French : mothertongue Bachelor of Architecture construction workshop at
oral at the Polytechnical Federal School the Open City of Valparaiso,
writing of Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland Chile
English
oral
writing 2014 Diploma of the
Baccalaureate
Spanish
oral
2012 Three-month exchange in a
writing family in Toronto, Canada
Childhood and scolarity
in Grenoble, France
Arabic (egyptian)
oral
Projects

SPACES FOR TIME OF ONE’S OWN 5

 Research on modes of Inhabiting, 2019

« THE LIFE AQUATIC » 7

  Renovation of the Stadtbad Lichtenberg in Berlin, 2020

HOUSING IN THE CASERNE 13

  Re-interpretation of the new Moroccan house type in Fez,
 2019

LC1 - « LA CRUZ » 19
  Leaving the slum for a new neighbourhood in Chile, 2017

« DIX PETITES PIÈCES » 23

  Sustainable mixed-activity district in Lausanne, 2015

RUKOMO RAIN CHAPEL 29

  Rural chapel for the Rwandan Clarisses monastery, 2019

Construction works

BIWAK 35
  Prototype for mountain bivouacs in the Alps, 2017

SUMMER CHANTIER 2016 39

  Covering of a guest pavilion in the Open City of Valparaiso,
  Chile, 2016

« TRABAJOS DE VERANO » MESANA 43

  Construction of a public plaza in the campamento Mesana,
  Chile, 2018
PROJECTS
 5

SPACES FOR TIME OF ONE’S OWN

5 months | 2 persons
The master thesis « Spaces for time of one’s own » is a six-months
research work, opening for the master project « The Life Aquatic ».
reto
urre

It focuses on the problematic of time for oneself and on the links with
tourre

the notions of Inhabiting and emotional appropriation of a space.

While paces of life accelerate and functions are disconnected with
tourretourretourretourr

spaces, the domestic rooms – traditionally appointed to rest and inti-

macy – are invaded by the social and professional spheres. Likewise,
more and more people travel on a regular basis, whether for personal
or professional motives. The essay poses the following question : in a
society where the paces of life are speeding up and where spaces are
et o u

not defined by specific uses anymore, how does one live at home ?
rre
to

And most importantly, where and how does one inhabit spaces
ur
re
to

rre
outside the house ?
u

to
u

The thesis having a sociological focus as well as an architectural one,

the theoretical research is adjoined by an inquiry established with
twenty people revealing five distinct rhythmic profiles. The study
of those various routines shows the appearance of « long » times
(moments that are enjoyed, lived to the fullest) and of their associated
spaces, creating a subjective cartography of spaces for time of one’s
own.
The testimonies that where gathered during the interviews allowed to
put into light the great variability existing in the strategies for space
appropriation such as occupation, individualisation, sensory, hete-
rotopy, isolation and making room. The connection between those
strategies and architectural projects concerning either domestic spaces
or public ones led to conclude regarding the role of the architects in
the design process. They shouldn’t conceive a complete design for a
space, but rather offer to its future Inhabitants a potential for appro-
priation.

Subjective cartography of Elliott’s spaces, a multi-active commuting employee.

 7

« THE LIFE AQUATIC »

Renovation of the Stadtbad Lichtenberg in Berlin

5 months | 2 persons
Following the thesis « Spaces for time of one’s own », the master
project « The Life Aquatic » proposes the rehabilitation of the former
public bath institution Stadtbad Lichtenberg into a socio-cultural
centre.
The building is located in the former industrial district Lichtenberg,
in the eastern part of Berlin. Built during the 1920’s, the Stadtbad
remained open for business throughout the 20th century and its
various political regimes, until a technical breakdown due to a lack
of maintenance made the establishment close its doors in 1991. Ever
since, the building has been abandoned and left in a progressive state
of decay and ruin, right in the middle of a popular neighbourhood
on the verge of gentrification and in cruel need for social and cultu-
ral offers and structures.
« The Life Aquatic » relies on the results of a participative inquiry
carried out at the end of 2019 by the municipality of Lichtenberg,
aiming at collecting the desires of the inhabitants regarding the future
uses of the Stadtbad. This wish list forms the programmatic basis of
the proposal for the transformation of the Stadtbad Lichtenberg.

In its current state the building is unusable, mainly because of the

decrepitude of its technical installations and the decay of the roof
after thirty years of neglect. Therefore, the obsolete technical core
of the edifice is « dissected » to make room for a metallic structure
integrating the elements of service and circulation of the new
socio-cultural centre. On its top, the structure supports a saw-tooth
roof, replacing the old one and transforming the spatial and light
conditions of the interior.
The new structure acts as a generator for situations and interactions
and reactivates the original rooms in its perimeter. Their particular
atmospheres and spatialities being enhanced, they are then invested
by the various programs elected in the inquiry. The Stadtbad thus
recovers potential for becoming an inclusive space containing a new
collective memory.

The new socio-cultural centre’s facade discreetly reveals its inner mutation.
8 9

The former « Men’s Hall » is rehabilitated into a public swimming pool. New activities can flood the original spaces, transfigured by the renewed structure and roofing.
10 11

1  Superior ground floor The new technical core supporting the roof is inserted in the centre of the Stadtbad.
2  Inferior ground floor
 13

HOUSING IN THE CASERNE

Individual freedom within a collective framework

4 months | Individual
The conception of this project follows a six-months study of the city
of Fez in Morocco concerning its territorial, economic, social and
political aspects. One portion of the city that is particularly complex in
this regard are its peripherical neighbourhoods, which are expanding
constantly in an uncontrollable manner due to the auto-construction
process that prevails there. The new constructions are inspired by the
New Moroccan House model, developed in the 1950’s by the architect
Michel Écochard. However, this type is usually distorted by its inhabi-
tants at the cost of collective spaces and hygienical qualities.
« Housing in the Caserne » tackles this problematic by proposing a
new mode of constitution for the peripheries of Fez, reconciling
architectural coherence with individual freedom.

Located on a former military station, the project aims at reconnec-

ting the enclave it formed with its surroundings thanks to a park and
a continuous border of middle-rise buildings welcoming shops and
services. The central part of the district is developed in an autono-
mous manner : the urban morphology is defined by the construction
of a technical portico bringing facilities for the residents (water,
electricity, sanitation…) and along which the plots are implanted. The
houses are then progressively built by auto-construction.
A common charter defines the implantation of the houses, their
structural rhythm, the position of the accesses and vertical circulations
as well as the materiality of the facades. Within this rulebook, every
inhabitant can thereafter find the freedom to organise their home
according to their needs meanwhile being assured of a harmonious
coexistence on a collective level.

10

Articulating elements of a housing unit : structure, services and circulations.

The threshold to the inner streets is marked by the frame of the portico.
14 15

The inner section of the district is held and protected by the park and the middle-rise buildings. Progressive constitution of a block, after the implementation of the portico.
16 17

1, 2  One household lives on the ground and first floor. The courtyard, partly shaded, and the rooftop terrace provide exterior spaces for all seasons.
3   The top floor is inhabited by another family.
 CES
IÓ
AA.V N
V
19
3
CAL
LE F
UEN
ZALID
A

LC1 - « LA CRUZ »
C
C´
10 years | 5 persons
Eje d
Even
e Ca
lzada though it is considered as a « developing » country, Chile has a

CES
IÓN
C
Line fractured
a Ofi
society with great disparities within its population. To this
VIAL
Line day, there are more than 800 campamentos scattered throughout the
cial
CES a Ed
IÓ ificac
AA.V N
V2 country, ión
housing approximately 200’000 people. A campamento is
defined as a territory, public or private, illegally occupied by a popu-
lation and lacking access to at least one of the three basic facilities :

ea Férrea
Pasa
je 2
water, electricity, sanitation. These are lawless areas, segregated from

Vía Local 2

Restricción Lín
the urban life as are their inhabitants within the society.
D
For more than twenty years, the NGO « Un Techo para Chile » has
made its mission to put an end to campamentos, among other things
by coordinating social housing projects with populations that want
AVENIDA SA

CES
IÓN
to leave a slum. The NGO is charged to constitute a solid community
around a draft, then around a project, and makes the link with the
VIAL
CES
IÓN
Chilean administration. Then it oversees the construction of the new
NTA CRUZ

AA.V
V 1

neighbourhood and the installation of the inhabitants in their homes,

Pasa
which they effectively own.
je 1
The housing project LC1 « La Cruz » has been in development since
2010 and it gathers 86 families. Initiated in June 2019, the construc-
O
IENT

tion work is about to be achieved and the neighbourhood invested by

IPAM

B
SEDE
its first generation of inhabitants.
EQU

RILES
DEL ESTADO
VECINAL
IÓN

FERROCAR
CESIÓN VIA The plot, located in the remote periphery of Valparaiso, contains the
CES

Perfil de
Calle 2 E
Vía
Loc
al 1 new houses as well as a building providing an interior gathering space
L

for the community. The constructions form semi-detached indivi-

dual houses. Inside, the typology is fairly simple and minimal, though
the structure integrates the possibility for a future extension and
the addition of a room. This long-term foreseeing provides a better
CES
IÓN
adaptability to the building and aims at preventing unauthorised
VIA
L transformations that would be at the cost of its structural integrity,
hygienical conditions and the quality of shared spaces. Despite limited
Linea Ofic

Linea Edific

A economical means, a particular attention is set onto the constructive

details of the facades so that they provide the best thermic insulation
ial

ación

possible, in order to reduce heating expenses for the inhabitants.

MA
NU
EL Q
UIN
TAN
A
General neighbourhood plan.
20 21

T1

Sustrato
Superior

Solera de acero galvanizado

Lana en Rollo 92x30x0,85mm.
Aislanglass R94
d = 40 Kg/m³ ; e = 90mm

Siding
Placa fibrocemento 19cm
e=6mm.

Montante de acero galvanizado

Tornillo galvanizado 90x38x12x0,85mm.
cabeza de trompeta cada 55cm.
punta broca de #6x1 14"

1
Placa Volcanita® ST
Borde rebajado
e=10mm.

ESPACIO SECO
Tornillo autoperforante
cabeza de lenteja
punta broca de #8x12"
Sustrato
Clavos HILTI Inferior
X-C 27 P8 o X-CS 27 P8
(O SIMILAR)
C/30 EN ZIG-ZAG)

Características
Factor R100 : R188 [m².K/W] Indice de reducción acústica : 38 dB(A) Altura maxima : 240 cm
Resistancia al fuego : F-30 [min] Espesor total : 11,6 cm

Vivienda tipo A Vivienda tipo B Vivienda tipo C

Primer piso (h=2,32 m) Segundo piso (h=2,4 m) Primer piso (h=2,32 m) Segundo piso (h=2,4 m) Primer piso (h=2,38 o 3,43m)

2
12,62 m lineales 15,11 m lineales 15,19 m lineales 15,11 m lineales 18,82 m lineales

Total : 2398,48 m lineales

1  Ground and first floors of a house, with the projection of a future expansion (blue). The building system of the houses is a metallic framework, insulated in between the pillars.
2  Longitudinal and transversal sections of a housing unit (two families).
 23

« DIX PETITES PIÈCES »

8 months | 2 persons
Developed over the course of an academic year, « Dix petites pièces »
is a project for a mixed and sustainable district, ranging from the
urban form until the constructive detail.
Situated in Lausanne’s periphery, in Switzerland, the plot is posi-
tioned along a major axis in the upcoming urbanisation process of the
city. This context leads to the following question : how to plan today
the way of living of the next twenty to thirty years ? The response that
is brought here is an urban plant with a social and programmatic mix,
welcoming offices, shops, public services along with a diversity of
housing typologies fitting the situations of various populations.

Conceived as a low built mass integrated in the slope, the neighbou-

rhood is hollowed out by a street weft and pockets of parks, resulting
into ten large urban blocks. Each of them is pierced of interior cour-
tyards, with a gradient in their privacy.
The various types of activities are positioned according to their poten-
tial interactions with different levels of privacy. Along the streets
and public squares, shops and production spaces take up the ground
floor meanwhile the upper floors are shared between offices and
apartments ranging in size. Inside, the level of privacy rises between
semi-public courtyards and shared gardens. There, housing occupies
all the floors and offer either a model of cluster with shared day-spaces
and common facilities at the courtyard level, or two to three-story
urban villas benefitting from private gardens.

The constructive detail gives the possibility for experimenting the

same building technique for the whole of the neighbourhood : multi-
storey buildings with a timber structure and particularly slabs made
of wooden coffers filled with thermic or acoustic insulation according
to their position.

Elevation of the inner courtyard, facing the cluster collective housing.

24 25

Going through the district, the pockets offer a range of vegetation types, from forest to park. From the street until the meadow, housing typologies vary according to their public exposure.
26 27

Model for the three-storey urban villa, accessible on the first floor from a privative garden. Constructive detail of the outer facade of a block, at the level of the urban villa.
 29

RUKOMO RAIN CHAPEL

1 month | 2 persons
In response to the Young Architects Competition « Rwanda
Chapel », the « Rukomo Rain Chapel » is a proposal for an oratory
adjacent to one of the Rwandan Clarisse convents.
One of the most precious and vulnerable resource of the country
is Rwanda’s abundant nature. Meanwhile, the limited expansion of
networks of transportation and communication reduce the possibility
for bringing materials until remote locations such as the monastery.
For an architectural work to be deeply rooted in its context and its
reality, the design must integrate those conditions and enhance the
natural riches existing in the surroundings : earth, wood and water.

Water holds a central position within the catholic religion : it is

a sacred element, the source for baptism and the focal point of a
community. It is also a precious resource in Rwanda, especially during
its dry summers. This necessity leads to the idea of exploiting the
new building not only as a gathering place for prayer, but also as a
rainwater collector for the uses of the close-by monastery. Water
gathered on the roof flows into two canals through the chapel and the
liturgic sequence, defining a central nave and two lateral alleys. Then
it passes along the access path from the convent until it reaches a tank
located next to the cloister. Within the oratory, water generates the
mutation of a unitary space into a tripartition as the weather changes.
Abundantly present on site, earth and wood take a constructive
importance for the chapel. The walls of the perimeter and the presby-
tery are made of compressed earth blocks, a building technique that
can be easily used by the residents of the surrounding villages. As for
timber, appearing in the structure and weaved panels, it sheds a light
onto traditional works and the expertise of local craftsmen.

Longitudinal section of the Chapel, from the entrance to the presbytery.

Entering the Chapel at the end of a rainstorm.
30 31

Sequences of the liturgy     1 Baptistery     2 Altar     3 Presbytery Surrounded by earth walls, the timber structure supports weaved wood panels and a metallic roof.
CONSTRUCTION WORKS
 35

BIWAK

5 weeks | 21 persons
The « Biwak » prototype results from a commission of the Alpine
Swiss Club for the rehabilitation of the A-Neuve mountain hut in
Wallis. Open during the summer season, the cabin suffers nowadays
from the aggravated melting of the glacier above, leading to a strong
diminution of its frequentation.
Following several phases of development and selection, the sustained
proposal was to withdraw the dormitories from the inside of the hut
and to insert them into independent units outside the building.
Those summertime bivouacs can be dismantled in a few hours
and stored in the hut during winter when it is not open for visitors
anymore. Then, the interior spaces can be freed from the beddings
and turned into the main living space to share with fellow alpinists
and to exchange with the guardian, a prominent figure of Alpine huts.
The unusual character of those mountain accommodations aims at
attracting a new kind of clientele towards the cabin, one that is more
interested by a singular experience than by climbing performances.

In order to lower the costs of construction to a minimum, the unit is

entirely made from recycled materials. Assembled scaffolding poles
constitute the bearing structure ; the outer coating is formed by the
tarpaulin from a truck whilst the inner layer is made of parachute sails
furnished with sheep wool.
Light foundations and adjustable scaffolding poles allow to modify
the configuration of the bivouac according to the slope of its site. The
entrance is opened on the face below to ensure an optimal protection
against rainwater infiltration. Furthermore, cymbals protecting the
ventilation chimneys add a musical note to summer thunderstorms.

Built prototype on the EPFL campus.

36 37

453.5

215.8

220.3

125
207.3

279.8

109.8

15

110.5

Held back by straps, the bivouac hangs over the slope and leaves room for the entry underneath. The proportions of the built unit are conditionned by the specific dimensions of scaffolding poles.
 39

SUMMER CHANTIER 2016

4 weeks | 22 persons
Since 2014, the workshop « Summer Chantier » has been recruiting
architecture students from Lausanne and Zürich to participate to
the construction of a « Guest Pavilion » in the Ciudad Abierta1 of
Valparaiso.
Located 30 kilometres north to the city, the Ciudad Abierta is an
area of architectural and artistic experimentation for the students
and teachers of the Architecture Faculty of the Catholic University
of Valparaiso (PUCV). Through the years, Swiss pupils collaborate
with Chilean students to build a timber portico meant to become the
welcome desk and information space for new visitors of the Ciudad.

During summer 2016, the primary structure of the roof was covered
by a set of thin wooden boards. The fish scale mode of assembly as
well as the accuracy of the system’s dimensioning ensures a sufficient
superposition of the wood layers so that water, air and sand cannot
seep into the building. Likewise, the constructive design is conceived
to require as few material as possible.

1  Open City, in Spanish

Curved concrete columns lead the way to the entrance of the Guest Pavilion.
Upward glance at the roof cover from the inside of the portico.
40 41

Constrast between the primary and secondary structures reveals the slow construction process. The precise sizing of the boards create vertical guidelines for the rainwater to follow in its fall.
 43

« TRABAJOS DE VERANO » MESANA

Playground for the campamento Mesana

1 week | 24 persons
Alongside the social housing projects1, the non-profit « Un Techo
para Chile » works towards the obliteration of campamentos from
within those territories, by acting on their urbanisation and a better
integration of their populations inside the Chilean society.
The « Intervención2 » department collaborates directly with campa-
mento inhabitant comities by setting up training course workshops,
by organising events reuniting the communities but also by impro-
ving the districts infrastructures (street network, collective rooms,
public spaces, etc.). Their ultimate goal is for the families to obtain a
deed of property for the plots that they have been occupying some-
times for decades.
As part of the urbanisation works, Intervención plans every six
months a summer or winter construction workshop, mobilising
their volunteers during a week.

In January 2018, one of the teams was responsible for the realisa-
tion of a playground in the campamento of Mesana, on Valparaiso’s
heights. In this particularly impoverished neighbourhood with an
explosive social situation, the need for a qualitative exterior space
for children and adults to meet is vital. Located along the central axis
of the district, the long-shaped plot is extremely sloping and there-
fore poorly suited for a building. However, this configuration also
enable the visitor to overlook the city of Valparaiso and it provides a
wonderful panorama of the entire bay.
The main intervention consists in scaping the square with terraces
stabilised with retaining « walls » made of truck tyres, in order to
make it accessible. Wooden-log children games and a few benches
take place on the various levels. Using recovered materials (espe-
cially the tyres) aims at reducing the costs of construction, but also
at raising awareness among the children – and their parents – of the
upcycling of waste.
1  See project LC1, p. 19
2  Intervention, in spanish

New playground for Mesana children and gathering space for the adults.
44 45

The square oversees the whole bay of Valparaiso. The playground is taken over by kids as soon as it is built.