Walking the city, it seems at first like another jumble of material, colour and scale; material choices are, however, quite systematic. Along the main shopping streets the ground floor of each building is decorated individually, usually with large-format, often marble, tiles. The upper floors are then rendered and painted. In this way, while the overall street might seem a random mix, each building has a clear distinction between public ground floor and private above. This detailing also serves to keep your eyes on the ground floor, providing a level of privacy to dwellings overhead.
Away from the main streets, it becomes more common to see stonework in the place of tiling. The Portuguese Royal Walls, where original, are built from mixed-scale rough stonework (below top-left). Elsewhere, stonework of varying scales and qualities is used.
The colour palette throughout the city is generally limited to warm yellow-red tones, with the occasional pop of bright colour. Ceuta differs here from other Moorish Andalusian cities in that the tiling is much less detailed with very little intricate pattern, giving a somewhat functional impression. This, combined with the harsh sunlight, renders buildings quite two-dimensional. Even the junctions between tile and render have minimal relief.
Similarly, entirely blank walls are not uncommon. The theatre (below left) presents a tall, imposing facade, completely devoid of windows. Interestingly, very little adornment is used to fill gaps such as this one. At most, a functional pattern will be used, like the pattern of air bricks on this government office (below right).
The overriding impression is an odd mish-mash of styles and detailing. Although this presents a challenge when trying to fit my design within its context, it also provides a level of freedom which cities with a more coherent scheme might not.