6th semester

This course examines how Algerian architecture evolved after 1962, in a context marked by 
state building, rapid urban growth, and ambitious programmes of modernisation. Through key 
debates, projects, and actors, students learn to read architecture not only as “objects” but as the 
spatial expression of political choices, economic strategies, planning tools, and cultural 
aspirations. 
A central focus is the search for an architectural identity after independence; how to innovate 
while remaining rooted in local histories, climates, techniques, and ways of inhabiting. The 
course also addresses the tensions produced by accelerated development, standardisation, large
scale housing, and urban expansion; alongside questions of heritage loss, conservation, and the 
reactivation of cultural references in contemporary design.