Photo exhibition on architect Fernand Pouillon’s works opens in Algeria

A photo exhibition by Myriam Maachi-Maiza, devoted to the works of French architect Fernand Pouillon in Algeria, opened Saturday At Algiers’ French Institute. Entitled “Fernando Pouillon’s architecture in Algeria,” this street exhibition presents, through about fifteen posters covering the institute’s sides, a panorama of Pouillon’s works omnipresent in the Algerian architectural landscape. The exhibition’s first part is devoted to the constructions of the colonial era in Algiers, the housing estates of Diar El Mahçoul, Diar Essaada and Climat de France, emphasizing the architect’s concern to build “quickly, properly and at lower costs, without neglecting comfort and aesthetic.” On the institute’s sides, other posters are devoted to the major project of Fernand Pouillon who, after his exile in Algeria in 1965, set out to build about forty tourist complexes to give a boost to this sector. The complexes built along Algeria’s western coast, like those of Zeralda, Sidi Fredj and Tipasa, show a plural architectural inspiration drawn from the architectural styles of Casbah of Algiers, Andalusia and Italy. The exhibition “Fernand Pouillon’s architecture in Algeria” is to be held till June 15.