All images: courtesy of TomDavid Architecten

TomDavid Architecten from the Netherlands have won the [AC-CA] competition for a new market close to the Medina area in Casablanca, Morocco. The competition called for a contemporary, sustainable structure able to create a social space while experimenting with innovative materials. TomDavid have proposed an elevated plaza shaded by glamorous concrete canopies plated with gold tiles and resembling giant leaves. The architects cite 1950s Casablanca architecture as inspiration for the canopies’ curvilinear shapes and material. Read on to see more renderings!

The concrete canopy

The plaza is meant to revitalize the area by encouraging social interaction and providing a meeting place for both legal and black markets, which are deemed equally important to the local economy.

At plaza level

The market square seen from the street

Furthermore, TomDavid’s design combines low-tech techniques and materials with an innovative approach to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. For example, the overlapping canopy leaves ensure rainwater drainage and allow air circulation, thus facilitating water reuse and evaporative cooling. Additional features, such as chutes tucked between the columns and underground collector bins, provide an easy and carefully concealed waste handling system.

Axonometry explaining the programs of the market

Cross-section

Diagrams explaining the water collection system, evaporative cooling system, and waste collection system

by Silvia Gugu

posted in Uncategorized

tagged canopy, casablanca, Competition, market, morocco, square, sustainable architecture, TomDavid architects

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