Earlier this year, project ideas about Morocco that have circulated around the Internet have been more in the realm of science fiction than reality, from the bacteria-and-sand settlement in the Sahara desert, to a vertical city of glass, also in the desert.
But Thom Mayne's Morphosis Architects released designs for a building that will be constructed in a more hospitable part of the kingdom—the Casablanca Finance City tower, named after the nation’s chief port and most populous city in which it will be built.
The design involves a crown-shaped pinnacle that is mirrored by the tapered, asymmetrical base. The ground level will offer public space, which the designers hope “will serve as [a] social symbol and meeting place,” ArchDaily reports. The building will have a total of 226,042 sf. Ground broke in December 2014, and the project is slated for a 2017 completion.
According to ArchDaily, the tower will anchor a new business district being planned, Casablanca Finance City, similar to the glass and concrete business La Défense section at the outskirts of Paris, which towers over the city’s historical quarters from a distance.
“The first tower planned [for the Casablanca Finance City] has a critical role in the development, symbolizing Morocco’s vision for the future and setting precedents in building performance, scale, and style for a city that does not yet exist,” the firm said in a statement.
Related Stories
| Dec 31, 2013
BD+C's top 10 stories of 2013
The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com.
| Nov 13, 2013
New AISC Guide for Stability Design of Steel Buildings Now Available
Design professionals now have a valuable new resource on practical applications for stability design
| Nov 4, 2013
Historic shape producer catalogs added to AISC ePubs
The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) has added more historic documents to its online ePubs collection for AISC members. The latest addition is a collection of shape producer catalogs dating back to 1885. The collection is available at www.aisc.org/epubs in the historic shape producer section. This collection is part of AISC's effort to preserve unique industry documents before they are lost to age-related deterioration.
| Oct 22, 2013
World's tallest twisting tower added to Dubai skyline [slideshow]
The 75-story residential building, designed by SOM, features a dramatically rising helix shape for a distinctive addition to the city’s skyline.
| Oct 1, 2013
13 structural steel buildings that dazzle
The Barclays Center arena in Brooklyn and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., are among projects named 2013 IDEAS2 winners by the American Institute of Steel Construction.
| Sep 17, 2013
World's first 'invisible' tower planned in South Korea
The 1,476-foot-tall structure will showcase Korean cloaking technology that utilizes an LED façade fitted with optical cameras that will display the landscape directly behind the building, thus making it invisible.
| Sep 11, 2013
San Francisco expected to drop firefighter air tank refilling station rule for skyscrapers
San Francisco is poised to drop a requirement that skyscrapers have refill stations so firefighters can recharge their air tanks during a blaze. The city has required that new high-rises have the air refill systems for about ten years.
| Aug 26, 2013
13 must-attend continuing education sessions at BUILDINGChicago
Building Design+Construction's new conference and expo, BUILDINGChicago, kicks off in two weeks. The three-day event will feature more than 65 AIA CES and GBCI accredited sessions, on everything from building information modeling and post-occupancy evaluations to net-zero projects and LEED training. Here are 13 sessions I'm planning to attend.
| Aug 2, 2013
Design of world’s tallest wood skyscraper would be more sustainable than steel alternative
Architecture firm C. F. Møller has proposed building the tallest wooden building in the world in Stockholm, Sweden.
| Jul 10, 2013
World's best new skyscrapers [slideshow]
The Bow in Calgary and CCTV Headquarters in Beijing are among the world's best new high-rise projects, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
