VILLA CALIFORNIE-Contemporary private villa in Casablanca, Morocco
ATELIER MZ
ATELIER MZ • Architects
VILLA CALIFORNIE
Contemporary private villa in Casablanca, Morocco

Short description
VILLA CALIFORNIE is a contemporary private residence designed by ATELIER MZ in Casablanca, Morocco. Completed in 2022 on a 1,300 m² plot, the project is defined by a strong horizontal roof, white monolithic volumes, vertical timber cladding, a perforated screen and a mineral landscape composed of cacti, agaves and natural stone.

Project description
VILLA CALIFORNIE is a contemporary private residence designed by ATELIER MZ, a Casablanca-based architecture studio, on a 1,300 m² plot in Casablanca, Morocco.

Completed in 2022, the project is conceived as a low and strongly horizontal composition in which architecture, materiality and landscape are developed as a unified whole.

A large projecting roof defines the identity of the house. Extending significantly beyond the façade, this thin horizontal plane visually connects the different volumes while creating a continuous shaded threshold around the entrance.

Beneath the roof, smooth white rendered walls form a restrained and abstract base. The entrance is recessed within a wall of vertical timber cladding, introducing warmth and texture in contrast with the mineral character of the surrounding surfaces.

A dark entrance door reinforces the depth of the composition and creates a precise focal point within the timber façade.

One of the distinctive elements of VILLA CALIFORNIE is the white perforated screen that extends along part of the front elevation. Its regular geometric grid filters views and introduces a degree of transparency while maintaining privacy between the house and its exterior spaces.

The architectural palette is deliberately limited to white render, timber, dark metal, glass, concrete and mineral landscape elements.

This restraint allows proportions, shadow, texture and material contrast to become the principal means of expression.

The landscape follows the same minimalist approach.

Cacti, agaves, gravel, natural stone paths and large rocks create a dry, sculptural garden adapted to the architectural language of the house. The vegetation is intentionally sparse and carefully positioned, reinforcing the geometry of the building rather than obscuring it.

The relationship between architecture and landscape is particularly important to the project. The long roof, perforated screen, entrance sequence and mineral garden are conceived as parts of a continuous composition.

At dusk, the recessed entrance and landscape lighting reveal the depth of the façade. Warm timber contrasts with the white rendered volumes, while the dark openings reinforce the horizontal character of the house.

VILLA CALIFORNIE reflects ATELIER MZ’s approach to contemporary residential architecture in Casablanca, based on clarity of form, material restraint, natural light, privacy and a close relationship between architecture and landscape.

The project demonstrates how a limited palette of materials and a precise horizontal composition can create a distinctive contemporary villa without relying on excessive formal gestures.

Project information
Project: VILLA CALIFORNIE
Architect: ATELIER MZ
Architecture Studio: ATELIER MZ — Casablanca, Morocco
Location: Casablanca, Morocco
Country: Morocco
Typology: Private Villa / Private House / Residential Architecture
Status: Completed
Completion Year: 2022
Site Area: 1,300 m²
Architecture: ATELIER MZ

https://atelier-mz.com/