Studio KO's Musée Yves Saint Laurent is easy to admire for its facade, its material choices, and its relationship to the city around it. What is less discussed is what happens once a visitor is inside, how the plan holds up against the confidence of the entry sequence. This piece takes both questions seriously, moving from the building's concept to…
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Casablanca's former Anfa airport, once located at the city's edge, has been gradually engulfed by urban expansion. In 2007, its 350-hectare site became available for redevelopment: an opportunity to reinvent the city from the center outward. Urbanist Manuel de Solà, reflecting on the competition shortly after its conclusion, describes the project as part of a broader international phenomenon in which…
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On December 11, 2026, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will open its doors twenty years after it was first announced. That gap between announcement and opening, and the fact that its architect did not live to cross it, is worth pausing on before getting to the building itself. Twenty years is long enough for an architectural "brand" to be tested, refined,…
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At 250 meters, the Mohammed VI Tower is now the tallest building in Morocco. Rising above the Bouregreg Valley between Rabat and Salé, it is reportedly visible from as far as 50 kilometers away, a presence designed by Rafael de la Hoz and Hakim Benjelloun that dominates the region's skyline from nearly every angle of approach. The instinct, faced with…
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In the Maârif district of Casablanca, a small public garden occupies a plot of land with an unusually loud history. For nearly fifty years, the site held an arena hosting bullfights, boxing matches, and international concerts, before its demolition in 1971 that left the land vacant for decades. Today, following a 2024 renovation, it holds a quiet public garden. What…
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Museums often possess an intimidating quality. The simple act of occupying space can feel strangely self-conscious. Rather than welcoming visitors, some museums remind them that they are guests. My experience at Musée la Photographie et des Arts Visuels (Museum of Photography and Visual Arts) was remarkably different. From the moment I entered, the building projected an unexpected sense of warmth. …
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The kitchen is often described as the heart of the home, yet its place within the house varies greatly across cultures. In some homes, it is integrated into everyday family life; in others, it occupies a more secluded position. These differences are not merely functional choices but reflections of broader ideas about privacy, hospitality, and domestic labor. By comparing Moroccan…
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Across Morocco, new cities were planned as ambitious responses to uncontrolled urban expansion and speculative land development. Presented as alternatives to congested metropolitan areas, these projects promised self-sufficient communities, social diversity, sustainable growth, and a higher quality of urban life.Despite these aspirations, many of these urban projects continue to struggle with weak economic activity, declining property values, and a persistent…
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The case of Avenue Royale in Casablanca, Morocco. Urban development projects are often conceived from a strategic, institutional perspective. Planned by public authorities and urban professionals, they aim to improve the city through objectives such as modernization, mobility, or economic development, and are typically justified in the name of the public interest.Yet cities are not only planned, they are lived.…
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Thermal comfort in Moroccan housing is often treated as a secondary concern. Something addressed only through air conditioning, heavy curtains, or personal adaptation rather than intentional design. As a result, many dwellings experience pronounced thermal discomfort; interiors that overheat by midday in summer, grow uncomfortably cold in winter, and depend increasingly on mechanical systems to remain habitable. In this context,…