Fury as iconic Brutalist hotel in Tunisia faces demolition

The start of demolition work on an iconic Tunisian hotel has sparked strong opposition from citizens, architects, NGOs and heritage experts in the North African country and around the world.

Hotel du Lac, located in the capital Tunis, was built in 1973 by Italian architect Raffaele Contigiani.

It is considered a masterpiece of Brutalism, an architectural style that emerged in the middle of the 20th century and is characterised by monumental, unadorned forms magnifying the use of industrial materials with a functionalist aesthetic and social message.

Recognisable by its inverted pyramid structure, the hotel is said to have inspired the creators of the cult film saga Star Wars - some scenes of which were filmed in Tunisia - for the design of a spaceship.

Commissioned by Tunisia's first president, Habib Bourguiba, during the tourism boom, it was one of the first big hotels built in the country after its independence from France.

It became a symbol of a country seeking modernity and international openness, as well as a testament to post-independence African aspirations.

The 416-room hotel, spread over ten floors and made of concrete and steel, hosted artists such as American musician James Brown in its heyday, before closing in 2000 due to legacy issues and mismanagement.

While rumours of its demolition had been circulating for weeks, the decision was officially confirmed to AFP at the end of August by Hadi Alfitory, director of the Libyan public investment fund Lafico, which bought it in 2010.

Alfitory said various expert reports showed that the building is "a ruin" and should be demolished, and that his group had obtained all the necessary permits from Tunisian authorities for the demolition.

In its stead, Lafico is proposing the construction of a $150m shopping centre and a new 20-storey luxury hotel that will retain the same concept and form as the old building.

Architectural symbol

Since the demolition work began in mid-August, numerous comments surfaced on social media denouncing the authorities' “inability to preserve the urban architectural heritage” of Tunisia and its “collective memory”.

While a hashtag against the demolition was created and a major mobilisation is expected in September, an online petition to save "a very important Brutalist architectural icon" and "one of the architectural symbols of the capital" has gathered more than 6,000 signatures in a few days.

Translation: "Save the Hotel du Lac. Symbol of Tunisian modernity = heritage in danger. Identity in peril."

Many architects and urban planners have also criticised the lack of restoration, with a possible view to turning the hotel into a cultural attraction, while others have denounced the complete lack of transparency surrounding the final project, hindering any legal challenge.

International media outlets have echoed these concerns, warning, like the French daily Le Figaro, of a "great loss for world heritage".

After escaping demolition twice between 2010 and 2020, Hotel du Lac was saved again in the summer of 2022 thanks to a civil society campaign that pushed the Tunisian Ministry of Culture to place it under temporary protection.

However, the measure expired in April 2023 and, despite the submission of an expert report showing that it could be restored, the ministry withdrew the protection, according to AFP, which also reported that proposals providing for an extension while keeping the original structure were not retained.