Market Square in Casablanca Architecture Competition, Moroccan Design Contest, Canopy Building Images

Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca

Morocco Architectural Competition – Design Contest won by Tom David Architects, The Netherlands

26 + 21 Nov 2012

Casablanca Design Contest News

Tom David Architects wins 1st prize in international architecture competition [AC-CA] Casablanca

Sustainable Market Square Casablanca
pictures from architect

Casablanca Architectural Competition Winner

With their design for a durable market square in Casablanca, TomDavid Architects brings sustainability to an unexpected context.

Sustainable Market Square Casablanca shade canopies

The Rotterdam office received the first prize in the prestigious [AC-CA] competition for their design.

Market Square in Casablanca Casablanca Market Square

The Jury for this International Competition comprised of the following professionals:

– Ahmed Belamine – Architect (Moroccan)
– Christina Yessios – Architect (American)
– Alan Flood – Architect (Irish)

Market Square Casablanca – WINNER
Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square
pictures from [AC-CA]

Tom Van Odijk, Alexine Sammut, David Baars
The Netherlands

SECOND
Monique Bastos Nunes Hervé, Pierre-Henri Baudar, Guillermo Lumbreras
France
Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square
pictures from [AC-CA]

Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square
pictures from [AC-CA]

Casablanca Market Square
picture from [AC-CA]

THIRD
Florent Chagny, Soufia Louzir, Thomas Sponti, Florian Chazeau
France
Casablanca Market Square Casablanca Market Square
pictures from [AC-CA]

EVALUATION AND JUDGING PROCESS

The Jury reviewed the submitted proposals based on the competition objectives and from the shortlisted competition entries selected the competition winners with an [AC-­‐CA] consultant overseeing each stage of the process.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals were evaluated based on the following 5 main criteria:
– Intelligent and appropriate use of all design principles.
– Use of space and perceive traffic flow within the space.
– The Design’s aesthetics and originality.
– The use of sustainable material.
– Clarity and comprehensibility of the design.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS

268 proposals submitted.

[AC-CA] Casablanca Sustainable Market Square – Winning entry by TomDavid Architects

Context

The site is situated right next to the Medina and in consequence interwoven with the indispensable social and economic structures of the Old City.

Both legal and illegal markets dominate the streetscape and are vital to the local economy. The downside of this density of commercial street business is the pollution and the decay of the public space. The design will have to serve as an example on how to improve the practical aspects of the market but leaving the existing social economic structures intact.

Concept

We combine indigenous techniques for shelter and heat control, the accountability of it’s residence and innovative low-maintenance materials. In this way, we create an efficient and pragmatic icon for the next generation market which serves as a catalyst for improvement.

Design

The shape of the canopy refers to nature, providing shade and shelter like a tree. The overlapping of the canopy-leaves ensures the cascading drain of the rainwater and allows air circulation.

The curved concrete forms of the design are both a tribute to modern Casablanca architecture from the 50s as an endorsement of the beauty of the female form, as a nod to the dominant male culture on the street.

Sustainability / Positive development

How to define sustainability in the broader context of the reality of Casablanca?

Besides solely as a design-tool, in this case sustainability should be a societal journey. This journey brought about by acquiring new awareness and perceptions, by generating new solutions, activating new behavioural patterns and, hence, cultural change. This process must be seen as a positive development under the responsibility of the local residents to increase economic, social and ecological capital.

In our design proposal therefore, our sustainable contribution is twofold. First by using low-tech techniques to collect and reuse rainwater to flush the toilets, clean the market-floor and applying evaporate cooling by using the heat of the sun and the wind to freshen the air under the roof.

Second, to be sure sustainability will be a collective agenda, negative environmental impact must be eliminated. By implementing a refuse and waste handling system for the market and using low-maintenance materials, liveability and durability will be improved.

12 + 11 Jul 2012

Casablanca Architectural Competition

Casablanca Design Contest

[AC-CA] Architecture Competition

Location: northwestern Morocco, north west Africa

New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca
picture from competition organisers

[CASABLANCA 05]

A Market square is a public open area where market stalls are traditionally set out for trading, commonly on particular days.

Sustainable Architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture.

Casablanca is a young and dynamic city in Morocco with a population estimated at approximately 4 million habitants. It is the largest city in the Maghreb and the fourth largest in Africa.

Being an important economic centre, its architecture is a combination of different styles which gives it a unique architectural beauty.

The aim of this International Competition is to design a New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca.

This is an open international competition hosted by [AC-CA] to generate progressive contemporary design ideas.

New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca Competition
picture from competition organisers

Casablanca is an important business hub with 60% of the country’s economic activities.

The center comprises of some interesting buildings from the 1930s, a Medina and a collection of narrow streets. There is also the Hassan II Mosque which is the largest in the Maghreb and one of the finest example of Islamic Architecture.

Casablanca has a very mild cool Mediterranean climate and is strongly influenced by the cool currents of the Atlantic Ocean with little seasonal temperature variation and a lack of extreme heat and cold. Rainfall is negligible from May to September.

New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca Architectural Competition
picture from competition organisers

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.

Total Proposed Area: 790m2

Market Square in Casablanca Architecture Competition Awards

Winning participants will receive prizes totaling US$ 6,000 with the distribution as follows:
1st PRIZE: US$ 3,500 (THREE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
2nd PRIZE: US$ 1,700 (ONE THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
3rd PRIZE: US$ 800 (EIGHT HUNDRED US DOLLARS)
There will also be 7 honorable mentions.

PUBLICATION

1st Prize, 2nd Prize and 3rd Prize will be published in a number of magazine press and blogs as well as on the [AC-CA] website.
Please see the list on [AC-CA] website.

Market Square in Casablanca Competition Schedule

Competition Officially Announced – 10 Jul 2012
Start of Competition and Early Bird Registration – 15 Jul to 31 Aug 2012
Late Competition Registration – 1 Sep to 31 Oct 2012
Deadline for Questions – 18 Oct 2012
Closing Date for Submissions – 5 Nov 2012
Jury Evaluation – 09th November – 16 Nov 2012
Announcement of Winners and Publication at www.ac-ca.org – 20 Nov 2012

New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca Architecture Competition
picture from competition organisers

There are no plans for the Sustainable Market Square to be built.

New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca Architectural Competition images / information from [AC-CA]

Location: Casablanca, Morocco, Northwest Africa

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Comments / photos for the New Sustainable Market Square in Casablanca Architecture Competition page welcome

[AC-CA] – Morocco Architectural Competition – Website: www.ac-ca.org