ABSTRACT
The traditional residential buildings in the Medina are mostly courtyard houses. They have one or two levels. The entrance is either through a transition area or straight into the courtyard, which is connected with all the surrounding rooms of the house. In case of a second level, the staircase starts from the courtyard and leads to one or two rooms. All the windows of the house open to the courtyard, with the exception of a few small ones turned towards the street. Therefore, the façades are blind, with neither openings nor ornaments except on the
1 INTRODUCTION
In Algeria, as soon as the theme of earthen construction is approached, it is systematically to the South that one turns. It is true that the ksour of the desert are a beautiful example on the matter, but this should not eclipse another reality with a patrimonial dimension equally important. The fact is that earthen construction is very present in traditional architecture of northern Algeria. Earthen construction is an ancient heritage. Alack of studies about constructive typologies and the existence of this know-how in the northern cities of Algeria, has led to nearly its extinction.
