About the climatic adaptation of the dwellings of a historical human settlement of the seventies in Algeria. Case of the agricultural socialist village Houari BOUMEDIENE, Abadla (Algeria).

This research is about the architectural aspects of a specific historical human settlement of contemporary Algeria that of the agricultural socialist village. Bearing the name of the late president Houari BOUMEDIENE at the agricultural perimeter "Abadla", this socialist human settlement is in the south-west of Algeria (Wilaya of Béchar). This village was designed by renowned post-modernist architect Ricardo Bofill: an internationally recognized master, but unfortunately did not have the interest that it merits. Our study is focused on the residential space, mainly the central domestic space that is the open to sky inner courtyard. It aims to explore and evaluate the environmentally physical performance of the courtyard within this arid, hot, and dry climate. Two research techniques were adopted. Firstly, a spatial critical lecture has been undertaken about the choice of the open-to-sky courtyard-based house model in comparison with the traditional local house model. Secondly, in situ observations have been done to identify the occurred changes altering the original character of this courtyard and impacting its thermal and luminous physical environments.