Protests Erupt As Iconic Brutalist Hôtel Du Lac In Tunis Faces Demolition Threat In North Africa: Here’s To Know More About It

Published on September 9, 2025

The Hôtel du Lac, a striking illustration of Brutalist architecture successful Tunis, faces imminent demolition. Designed by Italian designer Raffaele Contigiani and completed successful 1973, nan hotel’s unsocial inverted pyramid style has made it an iconic awesome of Tunisia’s post-independence architectural legacy. However, arsenic nan Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (LAFICO), which acquired nan spot successful 2011, moves guardant pinch plans to tear down nan building, a activity of guidance has emerged. Locals, practice experts, and architects person rallied to sphere this landmark, highlighting its humanities and taste significance.

A Landmark of Brutalism

The Hôtel du Lac is renowned for its unique Brutalist design, which emerged successful nan mid-20th period and is characterized by earthy business materials and imposing structures. The hotel’s creation is bold, pinch an inverted pyramid style supported by cantilevered staircases that widen nan apical level doubly nan magnitude of nan crushed floor. Built utilizing exposed actual and reinforced by 190 actual piles, nan edifice consists of 10 floors and 416 rooms. It was commissioned by Tunisia’s first president, Habib Bourguiba, to observe nan nation’s recently gained independency and to beforehand nan increasing tourism sector.

The Hôtel du Lac quickly became a salient landmark successful Tunis, serving arsenic a awesome of nan country’s modernity and aspirations. During its operational years, it hosted respective notable figures and world visitors. Its striking creation has moreover been compared to nan Sandcrawler vehicles featured successful nan Star Wars franchise, pinch immoderate speculating that its creation whitethorn person influenced nan creation of nan spacecraft, though this relationship remains unfastened to interpretation.

Decline and Neglect

Despite its early success, nan Hôtel du Lac’s fortunes began to fade. The edifice ceased operations successful 2000, falling into disrepair owed to years of alleged mismanagement. The building remained vacant for complete a decade, starring to wide deterioration. In 2010, nan Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (LAFICO) acquired nan property, and successful 2013, it announced plans to demolish nan edifice owed to its dilapidated state. Despite these intentions, respective preservation groups, section citizens, and architects person pushed backmost against nan projected demolition, stressing nan hotel’s value to Tunisia’s architectural heritage.

The Call for Preservation

As news of nan hotel’s imaginable demolition spread, guidance grew. Architects and practice activists person powerfully advocated for nan preservation of nan Hôtel du Lac, arguing that its architectural and humanities value cannot beryllium overlooked. The building is viewed by galore arsenic a awesome of Tunisia’s architectural identity, a testament to nan country’s travel from colonialism to independence. Its Brutalist creation not only stands retired arsenic a practice of an architectural activity but besides reflects nan aspirations of nan Tunisian group astatine nan clip of its construction.

In consequence to nan planned demolition, a petition to sphere nan edifice has gained important traction. Over 6,000 signatures person been collected, and a protestation is scheduled to return spot successful Tunis to raise consciousness astir nan hotel’s taste value. Critics of nan demolition reason that it would beryllium a nonaccomplishment not conscionable for nan metropolis but for Tunisia’s nationalist identity. These activists propose that nan building could beryllium repurposed for caller uses, specified arsenic a depository aliases an invention hub, frankincense preserving its humanities integrity while giving it caller life.

A Controversial Redevelopment Plan

LAFICO has secured nan basal permits to demolish nan edifice and switch it pinch a $150 cardinal unit analyzable and a 20-storey luxury hotel. The caller improvement will clasp nan original conception of nan Hôtel du Lac, pinch plans to replicate nan hotel’s unique inverted pyramid shape. However, galore critics person expressed interest that nan caller task lacks capable transparency and does not adequately reside nan hotel’s taste and humanities value. They judge that nan planned redevelopment does not supply a meaningful solution to sphere Tunisia’s architectural legacy.

The projected caller improvement is portion of a broader inclination of modernizing municipality areas, but for many, it comes astatine nan disbursal of humanities preservation. Advocates for nan hotel’s preservation reason that nan building’s demolition represents a nonaccomplishment of Tunisia’s architectural heritage, which cannot beryllium easy replaced by modern structures, nary matter really precocious aliases luxurious they whitethorn be.

The Impact of nan Hôtel du Lac

The Hôtel du Lac remains an important portion of Tunisia’s architectural and taste history. Its design, which stands retired arsenic a Brutalist masterpiece successful North Africa, is simply a practice of nan post-independence era successful nan country. The building’s communicative is 1 of ambition, transformation, and eventual neglect, but it besides reflects nan broader shifts successful Tunisia’s improvement complete nan past 5 decades.

Beyond its architectural significance, nan Hôtel du Lac embodies nan tone of modernity and advancement that Tunisia aspired to during nan years pursuing its independency from France. As Tunisia looks towards its future, nan statement complete nan hotel’s destiny raises questions astir really nan state chooses to sphere its taste and architectural practice while navigating modern development. The Hôtel du Lac has go a awesome of nan challenges faced by societies successful balancing advancement pinch nan request to protect their history and identity.

A Final Appeal for Preservation

As nan demolition of nan Hôtel du Lac draws nearer, nan calls for preservation proceed to intensify. Preservationists and section activists are urging nan Tunisian authorities to reconsider nan demolition plans and research replacement solutions that would let nan building to beryllium restored and repurposed. The hotel’s destiny remains uncertain, and pinch protests and petitions gaining momentum, nan conflict to prevention this iconic building is acold from over.

For many, nan Hôtel du Lac represents much than conscionable a building—it is simply a awesome of Tunisia’s travel towards modernity and independence. Its imaginable nonaccomplishment has sparked outrage and reflection astir nan early of architectural conservation successful nan country.