International Site and Master Planning
Morocco’s Ministry of Interior held an open design competition in 2018 for the Marrakesh Cite des Arts. This “City of Arts” will be a 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) mixed-use cultural complex built on a 14-acre (5.5 hectare) site.
In an effort to strengthen the country’s cultural and artistic identity, the goal of the Ministry was to commission a new physical environment to highlight the relevance of traditional art in the realities of contemporary life. The program for the campus includes an art museum, multi-purpose theater, academy for arts and theater, and incubator studios. Visitor amenities include a hotel, restaurant, conference hall and underground garage parking. The master plan also called for an outdoor sculpture garden and amphitheater.
Placemaking at Various Scales
The A359 team began the effort with the desire to provide visitors and artists with a place that would encourage gathering, understanding, and social growth. We envisioned a place that was contemporary and global, yet clearly influenced by local cultural heritage.
Our solution to the master planning challenge was the strategic layout of functions around a large central garden. This layout would encourage encounters and relationships in a welcoming atmosphere. We referenced an urban medina, the old walled cities of North Africa, for the primary program elements. A large adjacent space transcends the scale of a confined city. It takes on the role of the central gathering space featuring landscaped areas and performance spaces. Set below the primary building facades, this sunken garden is the connector for the site, linking all the programming components with a variety of stairs and ramps that provide views and vantage points to the site’s multiple complexes. The elevation of the garden provides a respite from the more intense activity above, and provides daylight and fresh air to the underground parking.
Above the garden, a warm “village” atmosphere completes this cultural complex. Given the variety of programmatic functions and uses, one challenge was to synthesize all the various building types into one harmonious whole. This conversion needed to take into account the specificities of each planned facility. The smaller-scaled plazas and patios create a denser labyrinth of pedestrian areas. Within each of the separate zones; academy, hotel and conference, and museum, the design promotes connections to the large communal garden where students, museum patrons and hotel visitors mingle.
Architectural Design Details
A359’s architectural design for the center featured a large trellis serving as an iconic sculptural feature. This trellis shades outdoor spaces and extends the amount of time people can spend comfortably outdoors during hot months.
As part of the master planning, the sunken garden features indigenous plantings designed to recall traditional Moroccan weaving patterns. Water features, trees and ground-plane textures add variety to the space and create defined zones for musical and theatrical performances. The large amphitheater includes seating on wide grassy terraces. These visually connect to the museum’s indoor art collection. Large outdoor murals and sculpture reinforce the center’s role in art promotion. Glass panels enclose ramps and elevated walkways. This transparency allows for unimpeded views across the campus.
Our multinational interdisciplinary team worked intensely on the project, leveraging each other’s expertise. A359 collaborated with Moroccan architect Zouhair Chanoui and French landscape designer Matthieu Maniaci on this international competition entry. Our collaborative design was awarded second place by the Moroccan Ministry of Interior.
An International Architectural Collaboration in Georgia
A359 Partners in Architecture was invited to participate in an international design competition for a new public service hall for the country of Georgia. Upon review of the design submissions, A359 was awarded the commission for architecture and interior design for the Poti branch on the western coast of Georgia near the Black Sea.
A359 principals Brian Coffman and Robert Rich traveled to Georgia to tour other public service halls in the country with the Ministry of Justice. They visited the site and met with local government officials who would share space in the facility.
Architectural Design for a New Approach
The Government of Georgia envisioned these halls as providing “one stop shops” in each region where citizens could access essential public services. The buildings and their interior design were to embody the transparency and care in processing legal documents.
In the country’s public service halls, residents can tap into key government services, such as access to public records, issuing of passports and IDs and business registration. Because these services are housed in one building, there is no longer a need to visit different governmental offices. Putting services under one roof provides a much needed service to residents while saving the government operational costs.
The country’s first public service hall in Georgia was opened in May 2011 in Batumi. A design and construction program was undertaken to introduce service halls in towns and cities throughout Georgia. The design competition for the Poti branch originated from this program.
Design Follows Function
In A359’s design, Poti’s 20,000-square-foot public service hall sits at the city center, north of the Poti Cathedral. The building greets visitors with a covered entrance. This covered space provides shade and shelter for a steady stream of visitors while embracing the plaza beyond. As part of our plan, staggered elevated terraces create outdoor rooms oriented toward the plaza and the new State Theatre. These terraces allow natural light to fill all of the building’s occupied spaces.
In the plan, large expanses of patterned glass create an engaging translucency at the upper level offices. The openness and transparency of the ground floor echo the Ministry of Justice’s innovative concept of providing citizens with transparent, customer-friendly services all in one place. Passports, marriage certificates and driver’s licenses are examples of the diverse services available on the ground floor of the planned building.
The design for the lobby area contains a multi-level space that filters visitors to these service areas through embedded technology. Waiting spaces and a children’s area accommodate visitors. A communicating stairway, visible from the exterior, provides access to the prosecutor’s office, regional archives and mayor’s office.
A359 developed an illustrated detail rendering package for the local Georgian architectural team to finalize construction drawings. This project tapped into our experience in working with international consultants. Hylke Bleeker of Technical Design Studio served as the local architect. Giorgi Chikvaidze of Progresi Ltd. was the structural engineer. Using web tools, we collaborated consistently with the team in Georgia to ensure a finished product that met client and design team goals.
Construction began on Poti Public Service Hall in August 2012. Unfortunately, contentious elections that followed halted this public project. It is currently dormant.
This project was exhibited in Cincinnati Builds the World: Local Designers, Global Territory. This gallery featured international designs envisioned and executed by Cincinnati-based firms. It was displayed at The Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati Gallery.