After the complex bureaucratic procedure to obtain all the authorisations and permits required, construction could finally begin. I had already had many similar experiences but “laying the first stone” is always an exciting moment for me. The atmosphere of the Medina is special: it is like going back to ancient times. Its inhabitants spend their days mostly engaged in the round of traditional religion and customs that are thousands of years old in a vivid and surreal ambience.

The entire construction was built by hand, without the aid of construction machinery, making use of the typical methods of Moroccan labour. So carts pulled by mules were used to transport the construction material along the narrow little streets of the old city and manual execution techniques were used, skilled Arab labour based on centuries of expertise.  I decided to give fundamental importance to the use of construction materials, finishes and furnishings that were local and traditional: in fact, in the Riad, typical metal working, the traditional ‘ted lakt’ wall finishing, carved plaster, materials such as cedar wood and terracotta can all be seen.