The Morocco Pavilion at the 2020 Expo in Dubai, designed by architects OUALALOU+CHOI, showcases how traditional Moroccan design and construction techniques can find new relevance in contemporary design and urban development efforts. As a pioneering work of rammed earth construction?the building?s 4000 m² rammed earth facade will be the largest of its kind?the Pavilion aims to push the technical and creative limits of Morocco?s traditional building materials to new heights, while paying tribute to the country?s rich and varied culture and landscape.
Photography by
Marc Goodwin
Comprised of 22 stacked rectangular volumes visually resonant with vernacular rammed-earth villages in Morocco, the Pavilion encompasses 14 exhibition spaces, a traditional Moroccan restaurant, a tea room, a modern street food area, a shop, an event space, an office space, and a lounge. Arranged vertically around a deep inner courtyard?an important spatial element in traditional Moroccan architecture?each of these spaces are connected by a continuous ?inner street,? which begins at the building?s uppermost floor and gradually descends to the ground floor. Courtesy of Oualalou+Choi
The Pavilion?s street organizes a set route between sequential exhibition spaces, allowing visitors to come into contact with and experience the different regions and cultures of Morocco. Along this exhibition route, the restaurant, tea room, lounge, and ten hanging gardens offer visitors moments of pause and framed views of...