Publications & Engagements

A reference voice on Moroccan and African architecture.

International conferences, trade press, op-eds and institutional engagements: for thirty years, the practice has been contributing to the debate on the city, raw earth and bioclimatic architecture — in Morocco and beyond.

Institutional & academic engagements.

Long-term, substantive roles serving the Moroccan architectural scene.
Exhibition curatorship

"Contemporary Morocco" — Institut du monde arabe, Paris

Curator of the architecture section of the landmark exhibition devoted to Moroccan creation (2014–2015), presented at the IMA in Paris.

Governance

Morocco Green Building Council (MGBC)

Vice-chair of the board — advocating bioclimatic construction and sustainability standards in Morocco.

Teaching

UIR · Academy of Traditional Arts · ENSAPLV

Adjunct lecturer at the International University of Rabat and teacher of craft-based design at the Academy of Traditional Arts in Casablanca — building bridges between "low-tech" craftsmanship and bioclimatic architecture. Also leads workshops at ENSAPLV (Paris-La Villette), his alma mater.

Publishing

Magazine AM — Architecture du Maroc

Long-standing collaboration promoting the Moroccan architectural scene.

International conferences

Batimat Paris 2024 — « The Mediterranean Example »

Panellist at the Mondial du Bâtiment round table, alongside architects from Italy, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, on Mediterranean responses to climate change. batimat.com

Conferences

Construmat & professional forums

Regular talks on corporate-scale raw-earth construction and urban acupuncture, in Morocco and internationally.

Press & interviews.

What the media write about the practice — Bosch, raw earth, the sustainable city.
Médias24
April 2026

"Earthen construction: is a thousand-year-old know-how under threat?"

Reference expert on the risks the 2025 REB code poses to earthen construction. Comparisons with Switzerland, Germany and France.

Read the article →
📻 LUXE RADIO
February 2026 · "Heure Essentielle" podcast

"Urban acupuncture — micro-interventions, macro-effects"

Why genuine commitment from public authorities is needed to transform the city through targeted interventions.

Listen / read →
🎙 Building Green Show
2024 · Podcast · 42 min

« Bosch HQ Built with Rammed Earth »

Leading international podcast on sustainable architecture: rammed earth, BIM and the future of vernacular materials.

Watch the podcast →
BTPNews
May 2024 · Interview

"Innovation and sustainability in construction"

Interview on building innovation and sustainability in the Moroccan construction sector.

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🎬 Immotalk by Mubawab
Video interview

Sustainable architecture in Morocco

Reference interview on Moroccan architecture, local materials and the future of African cities.

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L'Économiste
November 2021

"Germany's Bosch builds itself a new headquarters"

The Bosch regional HQ (12,600 m²) in raw earth, inspired by kasbahs — a world first for a German corporate client.

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🎥 Rencontre — Architecture du Maroc
Video round table

"Urban acupuncture! Reclaiming public space"

Debate with Martin Chenot (Institut français de Casablanca), Maria Laraki (Moroccan landscape architects) and Ismail Lahlou.

Watch the discussion →
L'Économiste
2020 · Interview

"Expensive projects are invasive surgery!"

Interview on urban acupuncture: healing the city through small interventions rather than costly grand gestures.

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L'Économiste — Sunergia
2020 · Survey

Small public facilities: what residents really expect

Contribution to the survey on neighbourhood facility expectations — playgrounds ahead of green spaces.

See the survey →

Op-eds & articles.

Texts by Jaafar Sijelmassi — a critical eye on the city, housing and the issues of our time.
Op-ed
2020

"Urban acupuncture! Reclaiming public space"

The founding manifesto: revitalising the city's ailing areas through small-scale, short, targeted interventions.

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Op-ed
2020

"Survivalism, or the business of fear"

A reflection on how an uncertain future is perceived in the face of ecological and demographic challenges.

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Profile · Magazine
2020–2022

"Reconciling past and present around aesthetics and sustainability"

Profile and career: inventing while having a positive, tangible impact on society.

Browse the magazine →
What's next?

Putting this expertise to work on your project.

Corporate headquarters, hospitality, public facilities: discuss it directly with a partner.

Discuss your project →