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Ain Temouchent: Resuscited city

Abdellah Meziane
Landscape architect, Lakhdaria, Algeria.

Aïn Témouchent: Created there is more than 15 000 years, it is a city and a Prefecture of the
Algerian west. The city draws its name from the Arab ayn (source or fountain), and from
Berber Ouchent or touch (the chacale) giving in Arabic (Aïn El -Diba); in Latin, one called it
Albulae. Aïn Témouchent occupies a privileged geographical situation because of its proximity
of three large cities (72 km in the east of Oran, 65 km in the north of Sidi-Beautiful-Abbès, 63
km in the east of Tlemcen. Aïn Témouchent 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 ampli tude of 5.5 on the
scale of Richter struck the town of Ain Temouchent and the villages surrounding of Sidi Ben
Adda, Ain Tolba and Ain Lâalem making 28 dead and 150 wounded from which 50 in a state
engraves, Following this seism, a program of rebuilding wa s implemented in September 2000,
to deal with the construction of the new city "Akid Othmane", with its 3400 residences, its
parks and its equipment public, in several sections lasting three years.

The rebuilding of this new city was followed by the expert s of the World Bank, who required
the presence of landscape installations within the framework of the programme of
improvement 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 single
know-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 Témouchent and the World Bank, in February
2003, 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 of
installation of the central garden.

In July 2003, after the studies of the project of installation of the two parts of the central
garden were completed, the starting of the building site started, under our responsibility, with
a local company of building (URMC), accustomed to build residences of dwellings and without
any experiment in the field of landscape installations of the parks or of plantations.

As our engineering an d design department had taken all the initiatives necessary for the
success 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 of
landscape, single installation in Algeria, within the deadlines.

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

• ASLA award 2005.

• UNO-Habitat - Dubai Award 2006.
• Dubai Cityscape Architectural Review Awards 2006.
• The price Agha-Khan d' Architecture 2007.
The central garden of the new town of Ain Temouchent is composed by three differen t parts,
the first two parts constitute phase 1 of the project of installation and the third part
constitutes 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:

 Is conceived according to broad outline's stylistics of an Islamic garden, in order to make
continuity 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 park
of approval and also the educational role of a botanical garden because it contains almost the
totality of the decorative plants used in the parks in Algeri a.
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 completely
different 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 estival
periods of Ain Temouchent.
2.2. Phase 2:

The Third part of the central garden, which constitutes phase 2 of the project of installation, is
conceived in order to give continuity to the first phase of the garden, with a completely
different functionality.
This phase of the central garden is intended primarily to give the inhabitants of the new city, a
place, of recreation and entertainment, thanks to the equipment of plays for children and old
people.

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

• 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 and
also 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 make
central garden in particular a model of landscape installations in Algeria and in the Maghreb in
general.

• To show with the authorities concerned the capacity of integration of the concept of the
Islamic garden in the modern context of landscape installations in urban environments
Islamic.

Meziane Abdellah. Landscape Architect.

Member Of ASLA and QALA.