Casablanca is a young and dynamic city in Morocco with a population estimated at approximately 4 million inhabitants. It is the largest city in the Maghreb and the fourth largest in Africa. Being an important economic center, its architecture is a combination of different styles which gives it a unique architectural beauty.
The aim of this International Competition was to design a New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca.The design had to create a new contemporary social space where locals can meet and shop and generate the discussion and ideas about the functionality of community and street commerce.
The site is strategically located a manageable distance from the Medina along Boulevard Tahar El Alaoui and the Hassan II Mosque. The proposed Sustainable Market Square will be situated off Driss El Jay Avenue across the road from a school.
The project proposes a vertical garden for the public square which hosts a market and a congregation space. The plan was inspired from Moroccan tile designs which created a planning grid for the site.
The design also accounts for a future sub-way system in Casablanca, and speads the market to an underground level as well.
Inverted Trees - The tree structures are the focal point of the market. They act as verticals for vegetation to travel upwards and form the structural system for the upper and lower level of the market.
The inverted domes act as rain water collection pits and purified drinking water can be accessed by the public at the base of the stem.
