8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

1/6

http://www.archi-mag.com/aintemouchent.php

Ain Temouchent: Resuscited city

Abdellah MezianeLandscape architect, Lakhdaria, Algeria.

An Tmouchent: Created there is more than 15 000 years, it is a city and a Prefecture of theAlgerian west. The city draws its name from the Arab ayn (source or fountain), and fromBerber Ouchent or touch (the chacale) giving in Arabic (An El-Diba); in Latin, one called itAlbulae. An Tmouchent occupies a privileged geographical situation because of its proximityof three large cities (72 km in the east of Oran, 65 km in the north of Sidi-Beautiful-Abbs, 63

km in the east of Tlemcen. An Tmouchent is to 504 km in the west of Algiers).

1. The account of a project:

Wednesday December 22, 1999, with 18h 36 mn 55s, a seism of an amplitude of 5.5 on thescale of Richter struck the town of Ain Temouchent and the villages surrounding of Sidi BenAdda, Ain Tolba and Ain Lalem making 28 dead and 150 wounded from which 50 in a stateengraves, Following this seism, a program of rebuilding was implemented in September 2000,to deal with the construction of the new city "Akid Othmane", with its 3400 residences, itsparks and its equipment public, in several sections lasting three years.

The rebuilding of this new city was followed by the experts of the World Bank, who required

the presence of landscape installations within the framework of the programme ofimprovement of the framework of life of the citizens.

It is with an aim of making a success of the landscape aspect of the new city, that the person

in charge concerned for the wilaya (Prefecture) of Ain Temouchent, called upon our singleknow-how in Algeria, as regards architecture of the landscape and of landscape design,following the installation of the engineering and design department "the Green Print".

2. The central garden of the new city "Akid Othmane":

Following our analysis for the authorities of Ain Tmouchent and the World Bank, in February2003, on the need for creating a landscape park of one (1) ha, within the new city "Akid

Othmane", that the decision was made to give us the green light to begin the study ofinstallation of the central garden.

In July 2003, after the studies of the project of installation of the two parts of the centralgarden were completed, the starting of the building site started, under our responsibility, witha local company of building (URMC), accustomed to build residences of dwellings and withoutany experiment in the field of landscape installations of the parks or of plantations.

As our engineering and design department had taken all the initiatives necessary for thesuccess of the project of installation of the central garden of the new city Akid Othmane,this Temouchent company succeeded in taking up the challenge to complete this project oflandscape, single installation in Algeria, within the deadlines.

This central garden was visited by the president of the Algerian republic Abdelaziz Bouteflikain December 2003 and was congratulated by the World Bank like it at summer presented atthe following international contests:

ASLA award 2005. UNO-Habitat - Dubai Award 2006. Dubai Cityscape Architectural Review Awards 2006. The price Agha-Khan d' Architecture 2007.

8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

2/6

The central garden of the new town of Ain Temouchent is composed by three different parts,the first two parts constitute phase 1 of the project of installation and the third partconstitutes phase 2 of the installation of the central garden.

2.1. Phase 1:

Constituted by the low part and the high part.

The low part:

8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

3/6

Is conceived according to broad outline's stylistics of an Islamic garden, in order to makecontinuity with the architectural style of the apartment buildings of the new city.

This part of phase 1 of the central garden has like paramount functionality, the role of a parkof approval and also the educational role of a botanical garden because it contains almost thetotality of the decorative plants used in the parks in Algeria.

8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

4/6

B. The high part: is in height of the low part and in its continuity.

This part high is characterised by building materials identical that those used in the low part,which makes this high part, an indisociable unit of the low part, while being completelydifferent in term from functionality, because it plays the part of drill urban with its trees of

poplars, which make benefit its visitors, of the freshness of its shade lasting the hot estivalperiods of Ain Temouchent.

8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

5/6

2.2. Phase 2:

The Third part of the central garden, which constitutes phase 2 of the project of installation, isconceived in order to give continuity to the first phase of the garden, with a completelydifferent functionality.

8/14/2019 Internet-Central Garden of Ain Temouchent

6/6

This phase of the central garden is intended primarily to give the inhabitants of the new city, aplace, of recreation and entertainment, thanks to the equipment of plays for children and oldpeople.

3. Objectives carried out by the installation of the central garden of the new town of AinTemouchent:

To create with the citizens of the new city, a better framework of life in their urban

environment.

To allow the inhabitants of the new city, to find a place of relaxation, rest, of recreation andalso a space of meeting for the families, with the feet of their houses.

The introduction of the strategic position of the site and its relief into the style of design

inspired of the data topographic, geographical and history of the area, to succeed in to makecentral garden in particular a model of landscape installations in Algeria and in the Maghreb ingeneral.

To show with the authorities concerned the capacity of integration of the concept of theIslamic garden in the modern context of landscape installations in urban environmentsIslamic.

Meziane Abdellah. Landscape Architect.

Member Of ASLA and QALA.