Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur’s (BMCE)
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Nigel Young/Foster + Partners (website) Download Original
Regional flagship headquarters for Moroccan bank BMCE
One of several branches built using a modular approach to construction that allows variations in colour and scale according to each bank’s location.
The energy efficient building envelope is comprised of a series of bays repeated on a grid. The bays are enclosed by glazed panels and shaded by 200mm-deep screens made from low-iron steel, further minimising solar gain whilst also increasing security.
The concrete frame structure is crowned by a hemispherical dome, which extends down into the main body of the building and morphs fluidly into a seating area. The interior of the dome is rendered in tadelakt, a local plaster technique, whilst the outside is clad in traditional ceramic tiles.
The environmental strategy is also evident in the use of an 'earth tube', an electricity-free cooling system which draws in fresh air, cools it subterraneously and then releases it into the building.
Data
- Begun: Feb 2009
- Completed: Dec 2010
- Floor area: 150m2
- Sector: Office
- Tender date: 2007
- Address: Casablanca, Morocco, Morocco
Professional Team 
- Architect: Foster + Partners
- Project architects: Ben Cowd, Benedicte Artault, Charles Di Piazza, David Nelson, Giuseppe Giacoppo, Ingrid Solken, Judith Kernt, Kate Murphy, Lara Thresher, Michael Jones, Norman Foster, Rana Mezher, Stefan Behling, Susana Sousa, Tommaso Franchi
- Client: BMCE (Banque Marocaine de Commerce Exterieur)
- Main contractor: TGCC
- Project manager: Cap Advise
- Structural engineer: Buro Happold
- Structural engineer: Ateba
- Mechanical engineer: Buro Happold
- Landscape architect: Michel Desvigne
- Lighting consultant: George Sexton Associates
- Collaborating architect: Karim Rouissi-Empreinte d’Architecte