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Of all the markets in all the World...

Editorial Type: Case Study     Date: 11-2015    Views: 2416      





Hungary's A4 Studio has won the World Architecture Community's Award in the Public Buildings/Community Centers category for its design of the Casablanca Market in Morocco, created using GRAPHISOFT’s ARCHICAD

Commerce transformed into community - this must be a theme that exists in all of the world’s teeming equatorial urban conglomerations. It’s certainly something that resonated with the judges of the World Architecture Community, as they awarded this year’s first prize in the Public Buildings/Community Centers category to Hungary's A4 Studio for their imaginative design for the Casablanca Market in Morocco.

A4 Studio’s design captured the essence of its setting, building on a worldwide tradition, whilst evoking the essence of local culture. Inspired by the suspended, community-designed shading structures seen on traditional Moroccan marketplaces, the building allows traffic to flow through the arcade-like marketplace.

The market design is the scene of lively commerce on the ground floor and peaceful conversations on the terraces. Designed using GRAPHISOFT’s ARCHICAD, the triangle of the site is in contact with its broader environment as the rope structure integrates the neighbouring houses.

The grey-water of the market irrigates the park in front of the school, while the stalls transform into dining tables and a stage in the evening, facilitating the start-up of new restaurants and shops on the premises of the surrounding buildings. Besides all of the facilities that you would expect of a community hub, including waste collection and toilets, the marketplace also incorporates a café, spaces for people to meet and talk, and a table game area.

The structural element of the market consists of papercrete slabs - recycled PET fibre reinforced and repulped paper fibre) 'concrete' slabs - and the chain rope structure is formed by recycled PET bottles to make rope for sun protection and for the fabric of the rain cover. The ropes are suspended from adjacent buildings, and form quite dense canopies, protecting the market-goers from the intense heat during the day, whilst allowing refreshing breezes to flow through.

Additional rain cover is provided by recycled plastic sheets that can be pulled out of the seats and draped over the market stalls.

Designed both to be a practical space, serving the local community, and to keep the costs of its construction as low as possible by using recycled materials, the Casablanca market serves as an inspiration to all architects engaged in similar projects.

Speaking about the Award, Géza Kendik, lead designer on the project, said, "We are pleased and proud to be recognised by the World Architecture Community for our creative work on this Moroccan market."

World Architecture Community is a portal aiming to provide a unique environment for architects around the globe to meet, share and compete. Founded in 2008, WAC has gathered over 20,000 members spread across all continents and benefits from the presence of over 200 prominent architects, as honorary members, to serve as part of its jury for the renowned World Architecture Community Awards competition, organised three times a year.
www.graphisoft.com

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