Casablanca is a city in western Morocco with a population of over four million inhabitants. The eighth largest metropolitan area on the African continent, this seaside city is Morocco’s primary business hub with over 60% of domestic economic activities passing through its borders. The competition in question concerned itself with the design of a new public market located near the center of the city, a historic district comprised of buildings dating back to the 1930s. The building program called for a structure covering the site, with the majority of the interior space dedicated to the market and carved into 5 specific zones: meat, fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, flowers, and spices. Additional space was to include a cafe, social area, and required waste facilities.
Primarily responding to the ventilation requirements of a public market, and taking into consideration the request for a contemporary, sustainable, and innovative architecture, I proposed the use of green walls as a foundational concept for the design. Since the mild Mediterreanean climate of Casablanca is conducive to open-air ventilation, the proposed design of the green walls allows for an open, porous building envelope that utilizes natural cross-currents of air and subsequently reduces the mechanical and electrical demands of the building.
A public garden in the city center, the design would provide a visual contrast relative to the surrounding environment of the neighborhood. As pedestrians, market-goers, cyclists and automobiles happen upon the public market, the discovery of a ‘living’ structure in the narrow streets and alleyways of the city would offer visual relief in the midst of the bustling urban context.
