zaha hadid plans rabat grand theatre for morocco
zaha hadid architects have signed an agreement to design a new multi-purpose theater in morocco with the bouregreg valley development agency. with a dedicated land area of 47,000 square meters and a gross floor area of 27,000 sqm, the ‘rabat grand theatre’ will be equipped with a number of cultural facilities, including a 2,050-seat theater, a smaller 520-seat theater, creative studios and an outdoor amphitheater with a capacity to hold up to 7,000 people. the cost of the project is estimated at around 163 million USD.
rendered in context
image by methanoia (also main image)
the site for the projects is the geographic center between the twin cities of rabat and salè; the historic kasbag oudayas to the northwest, the ancient city of salè and airport to the north-east, chellah and the royal palace to the south-west and the proposed sequence III of amwaj development to the east.
entryway
the design takes off from the adjacent bouregreg river: in a similar dynamic manner, the landscape of the park is generated in a single gesture to engulf the amphitheater. the ground extends to the sky, resulting in a sculpted envelope over the two auditoriums and arches back down to the ground level to melt into the landscape. the form is a seamless structure, creating a spatial experience that directs the visitors intuitively through the main foyer and programs.
alongside the bouregreg river
image by methanoia
project info:
program: grand theatre, multi-purpose theatre, amphitheatre
client: agence pour l’aménagement de la valléè du bouregreg
design: zaha hadid with patrik schumacher
associate: nils peter fisher
project leader: william tan
project team: torsten broeder, martin krcha, hoda nobakhti, rafael contreras, yevgeniya pozigun, michal treder
structure engineer: adams kara taylor
MEP engineer: maxfordhamacoustics & theatre: artec consultant
facade: donnell consultants incorporated
lighting: office for visual interaction inc
site area: approx. 47,000 m2
gross floor area: approx. 27,000 m2
architecture in morocco (18 articles)
building beyond borders works with local community to create 'the women's house' in morocco
silvio d'ascia architecture covers high-speed train station in traditional arabian pattern in morocco
the 'bank of africa tower' will be the continent's tallest skyscraper
interview with aziza chaouni on the renovation of morocco's 'sidi harazem' bath complex
lush greenery in the wifaq sports club reflects rabat's agricultural past, by groupe3 architectes
masterplan proposal for rabat's beach in morocco blurs the boundaries between city and sea
theaters (56 articles)
curved brick façade links gallery, performance hall + garden in sydney's phoenix central park
PARC architects restores the auditorium of versailles with waves of blond wood
iotti + pavarani architects designs europe's largest open air venue located in italy
zaha hadid (321 articles)
zaha hadid architects unveils the roatán próspera residences in honduras
zaha hadid's 'opus' building in dubai photographed by laurian ghinitoiu
zaha hadid architects to build CECEP's new shanghai headquarters
architecture news
transparent volume of NITAPROW's patom cafe in thailand reveals expressive, folding roof
#architecture
NITAPROW finishes the roof with terracotta tiling, leaving the material's beautiful and intricate underside exposed.
NITAPROW finishes the roof with terracotta tiling, leaving the material's beautiful and intricate underside exposed.
kazuyo sejima-designed library at japan women's university photographed by vincent hecht
#architecture
glazed façades allow natural light to enter, while carefully positioned mesh screens ensure privacy and protection from direct sun.
glazed façades allow natural light to enter, while carefully positioned mesh screens ensure privacy and protection from direct sun.
shigeru ban's tokyo toilets feature an exterior glass that turns opaque when locked
#architecture
shigeru ban's tokyo toilets have been designed with two key points in mind — cleanliness and security.
shigeru ban's tokyo toilets have been designed with two key points in mind — cleanliness and security.
MAD architects unveils plans for 'wormhole library' on the coast of hainan
#architecture
the monolithic design is cast from white concrete, which ensures that the building's interior ground, walls, and ceiling read as a continuous surface.
the monolithic design is cast from white concrete, which ensures that the building's interior ground, walls, and ceiling read as a continuous surface.
Just aweful. No consideration for it’s surroundings at all. It may be meant to be an iconic structure, but imagine the silhouette. It would look like a shapeless mound, unlike the sydney opera house or any of the other buildings mentioned by toski. They have distinct forms that are recognisable.
What a surprise – a new nice, big, white, sh*t-shaped architectural piece by Zaha Hadid |-( It has nothing to do with the actual scale and characteristics of the city surrounding it. Better place it in the middle of an ocean or a desert… Preferably under the surface of the ocean or desert.
she actually designed the theatre and opera buildings in abu dhabi and dubai that are similar if not close to identitical to this one. the question is not whether or not this could be built anywhere. the real problem is that she’s applying generic design produced with generic design processes & tools & people!
All this without even having started to talk about whether or not the form of the building is appropriate for its function!
Zaha’s been criticized a lot lately, and i’m not going to defend her… i actually think that most of the things people say about her are true!! HOWEVER… to say that this building could be anywhere… that’s just not true. The forms, the way she bends this surfaces they all relate to the sites geometry, the vehicles access, etc. You can’t say something is out of context solely because it contrasts with its surroundings. The building is MEANT to be an icon. Probably not the typology i would’ve adopted, but definitely this building is well contextualized. And if you really come to think about it… Farmsworth’s house could be anywhere, so could The Villa Savoye, so could bilbaos Guggenheim, Sydney’s Opera House, and pretty much every other building. Globalization is here and it gets harder and harder every time to talk about the architectural identity of a country. At least in a formal – technological point of view.
Appropriate. It’s like a cobra rising out of the Bou Regreg River. Would have liked to have seen the interior plan included. I like it d;-)
wake up zaha
This could be everywhere…..Not just Morocco.
Are the 90’s over yet?
cool banks for a future sk8park – but not more!