The Moroccan Jewel

The 2009’s 5 Stars Architecture Award Morocco in the Arabian Commercial Property Awards was given to the Morocco Mall, located in Casablanca. The giant curved shopping mall, likened appropriately to a shell, sits on the waterfront in an idyllic setting on the North African coast.

The mall was designed by Design International, approached by property developer Al Amine, and is set to open officially in late 2010. The project is made to look as if it naturally protrudes form the deep blue ocean waters, as it stands just on the promenade.

The sheer size of the structure is spectacular occupying an estimated 200,000m2 with over 250 shops, restaurants, and houses Africa’s first ever Galérie Lafayette, plus a vast one million liter aquarium and an IMAX cinema.

The largest mall in North Africa, Architect Davide Padoa, the Chief Executive of Design International, has received one of the top recognitions in the real estate sector for his avant-garde vision. One of the primary points of attraction will no doubt be the Lafayette store, which sits in the centre of the mall, using 100,000m2 of space and surrounded by trees and lights, forming a microcosm of the entire structure.

The store is designed to represent the gem, or ‘the pearl’, at the heart of the mall, embodying intimacy while managing to retain its chic Parisian style. In conjunction with the oceanic theme, within the outer shell will therefore reside this elegant ‘glass bowl’, referred to by Padoa as a fashion museum.

Lafayette will involve a three storey long facade that uses printed glass skin, dazzling visitors with the sight of a traditional nom connu, with a visionary Casablanca splash.

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by Albertine Fox
Gloobbi Architecture

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