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In the historic city of Casablanca, a bustling 21st-century financial district named Anfa Place has risen. Groupe3 Architectes, a practice based in Rabat, Morocco, realized a headquarters for BCP Bank that is both rooted in the country’s traditional architecture and projects an image of modernity. Mitigating the harsh Moroccan sun to create comfortable office spaces drove many of the design decisions. The 258,000-square-foot, 21-floor tower rises from a four-story podium and is encased in white concrete and glass. The latter material predominates on the north elevation, with its ocean views, and reduced solar exposure. It is further protected by a double skin of kinetic motorized sunshades. The south facade is composed of an intricate, deep concrete screen, inspired by mashrabiya—Moorish carved latticework window and balcony enclosures. The pattern accentuates the tower’s height by expanding in scale as it ascends. The east and west facades are narrow and opaque; they are composed of fiber-reinforced concrete panels debossed with a similar mashrabiya-inspired pattern.

Photo © Doublespace Photography, click to enlarge.

“Through its obsessive exploration of the grid, the BCP Tower manages to seamlessly blend the International Style and local architectural details, to arrive at something wholly new and unexpected both inside and out. The brise soleil and cladding’s overall effect is atmospheric, almost painterly in its play of light and shadow and framed views.”

- Bina Bhattacharyya