TU Delft, Netherlands, 2009, issue # 01 - mediatheque, superposition in Casablanca
COMPLEX(C)ITIES
magazine devoted on the public (t)issue of CASABLANCA
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Subject
colofon
COLOFON. MSc 01_public building_Mediatheque in Casablanca supervisor
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ass. prof. dr. ir. T. Avermaete
tutor
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ir. S. van Dam (architecture) ir. G. Warries (construction)
editors magazine and design content: | | |
Gloria Sabate....student nr. 1536931 Linda Yap....student nr. 1212427 Tjerk Boom....student nr. 1341820
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index
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1. introduction 2. analysis medina principle location public realm approach 3. concept superposition program 4. design introduction schemes floorplans sections facades artist impression 5. technics economics of means / construction details interior render
index
Subject
introduction
introduction
In this magazine we want to show our extensive research and process on our design thesis on the Mediatheque in Casablanca (Morocco). This project is given by the chair of Public Building, led by Prof. S.U. Barbieri, at the TU in Delft, Netherlands. In the chair of Public Building there is a project which focus on the public realm of Casablanca. Next to this research on the public sphere in this country, our thesis is to design a mediatheque located on a hot spot of Casablanca. This mediatheque consist of a library, gallery, cinema and information center. This opportunity to design a mixed use building in Casablanca gives us an ultimate chance to get used to the contemporary practice of architecture in times of globalization. Architects need to be flexible and must have
a broad interest in foreign countries, with their own parameters and properties. To design in other contexts, it teaches us to be aware of every step we make. By designing in your homecountry, you make particular steps too automatically. We have seen that with designing in an unknown climate, both physical contextual as political contextual, you have to ruminate every design choice. The fact that Morocco is ready for new steps in the cultural foyer makes that this project has a rich inspiration source for a design. In the years when Morocco was colonizes by France, intelligent urban planning and housing projects were developed. After some poor decades Casablanca is ready for new steps. The harbour site is ready to be redeveloped. We are happy to be virtual partner in this chance.
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Subject
After visiting several cities in Morocco, like Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech and Rabbat, we have seen an underlaying concept in the urban planning. Next to each city center there is always a Medina located. This Medina consists of shops, bars, restaurants and housing. These zones are sometimes covered by sea lings in the corridor. The Medina is an important place where the
analysis public life is going on. People who are working and living there, often in companies assembled by members of the family, where some ‘pre’grandparents started with the tradition. In this scheme we want to show the different characters of this main theme in the big cities. It’s obvious that each city had it’s own identity.
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souk comparison
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ANALYSIS
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Subject
analysis
maroc_CASABLANCA
maroc_CASABLANCA
location
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site
harbour city_AT THE SEA
location_MEDIATHEQUE
harbour
medina
new european
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analysis
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essay
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public realm The public space, public behavior and politics A public space is a place where anyone has a right to come without being excluded because of economic, social, and ethnic conditions. When we look at the public space in Morocco, we mean the places where the Moroccans congregate, debate, exchange ideas, protest, hold court, and mourn. This more or less takes place in the paseos (promenades) of the city. Behind this superficial use of the street there are signs of repression by the state imposing their power discretionally on the public domain: “Almost all cities of the Maghreb (a region in North Africa) have besides an avenue or boulevard, a paseo, which, of masculine, became, with nuances according to the cities, rather mixed. The elderly are represented little there, the range of social categories who uses it, regularly or occasionally, is rather broad, with exclusion however from the extremes, poor or easy. One goes there to see and to be seen, find friends, meet knowledge or to create news randomly, to draw the attention of the opposed sex, to do the windows, to sit down at a terrace and to take a cup of coffee without leaving eyes on the movement of others in the
ambulatory, commenting on events of the day, sport news or national or international political problems. But beside this peaceful “paseo”, one will note the importance of new strong signals of appropriation of the street, of which demonstrations, steps and various claims, in particular Algeria and in Morocco. This appropriation of the street symbolically passes the situation where the State appears alone holder of a discretionary capacity and exclusivity on urban space with situations where various categories of urban population assert, as far as possible in an authoritarian regime, the right to express their share of truth and of comprehension of the general interest.” (Rachik, 2002) PUBLIC SPACES OF THE CITIES MAGHREBIAN, Francoise Navez- Bouchanine the Moroccan public behavior is based on Islamic values. The Islamic faith makes a society a collective one where much attention is set on sharing space. This collectiveness also makes it an intimate society. MOROCCO -> ISLAM -> COLLECTIVE SOCIETY -> INTENSIVE USE OF PUBLIC SPACE
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Subject
analysis
Subject
After analyzing the location we figure out that the site is accessible by some different strong approaches.. The site is positioned next towards an important transition point of the city, the location is a ‘point of ressemblent’ between the harbour, the old medina, the new European part and an office park.
approaches
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This varieties of typologies of urban planning is positioned as a sequence of programmatic diversity among the site. Though this quality of different strong entrances, we wanted to do research on different types of accessibility of the site. This would enable us to focus on customization of each approach of site.
APPROACHES
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Subject
concept
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superpositition
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concept
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Being in Casablanca, we have noticed how import this spot in the city is. Casablanca is ready for new big changes. We have seen that the integration of the train station could communicate with other functions in the building like the library and gallery. This is one of the first public buildings in Casablanca, we don’t want to achieve a building which is only accessible for the avant-garde of Casablanca. We want to make an accessible building, not only for the men, but even more for the women. With for example the integration of women friendly functions as the hammam. To enter the hamman by the public routing, you have to pass the complete building to arrive and relax. We hope that the women are getting in touch with the contemporary cultural environment of Casablanca.
program
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With adding the station to the program, we want to take care for a continuous occupation of the public space (plaza) in the building. This is providing a social control on the area. With the integration of a station, the type of visitors will be a range from young to old, rich and poor, black and white, and so on and so fort. With the integration of the restaurant, we want to expand the attractive viewpoints in the area. With the new development in the harbour area, there will be a lot people going to have dinner outside. With adding this extra function we think we could be flexible in the future according the new ways of media, which maybe needs more space. We can’t tell what’s going to happen, at least we want to provide some spaces for expanding.
program
Subject
study
ruminating
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considering
co
Subject
models
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STUDIES
ontemplate the urban issue searching
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Subject
design
Library
plaza hammam
gallery
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statement
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design
The concept of our project Superposition is to translate the main points from the analysis phase into a solid design. The most characteristic points from the analysis phase are dealing with the different approaches, considering the way of behaving in the public realm in Casablanca, the climatization issues and a special attention to the role of the women in the urban fabric. This points should fit in a design which is comparable in architectural language with the rich history from the 50’s. The most important part of the project is the plaza, which is partly hidden behind the solid, but inviting shapes. The morphology of the project is following the circulation paths from the city (the different entrances) till the main plaza. From each site there is a different entrance, with their own particular qualities. The main entrance is a well propo sitioned and bigger entree for the plaza
and functions. The arts and craft entrance is more hidden, and give a more exciting and unexpected experience to enter. The third approach is the business entrance, this is an efficient entrance to enter the plaza and station, while you can go for a coffee. There are some visual connections between the various entrances, in the end the plaza is visible from every approach. The volumes on the first floor are positioned to create space on the plaza to escape from the direct sun. To make the plaza a subdivision and a human scale we introduced architectural columns which have next to an architectural meaning of the plaza landscape a constructional and handrail function to guide visitors to the plaza. For the materialization we choose for a ‘in cito’ fabricated concrete. This light color concrete reflect the African heatness and provide a wealthy interior..
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Subject
design
plaza
concept
different program among a heart
In the first scheme we show the start point of our design. The different separated volumes and the approaches are visible.
approaches
In this scheme the different physical characters of the approaches are clear. After several studies we finally figure out the aim of the variety in the size of the entrance. The outline shape of the ground floor is designed, that from every corner of the building the walls led the visitor into the plaza. From the plaza you can make a decision where to go.
Subject
plaza
schemes
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plaza
movement of Superposition
open - closed glassopenings
The open-closed issue is an important theme in the design. We want to achieve a easy accessible building, but we don’t want to achieve that with the amount of glass openings. The task is to attract people from outside by some glimpse of the plaza and with a typical form language. From every approach there is more visible than the facade, in every position there are volumes visible which are further away or in side the plaza.
In this scheme we wan to show the movement of the Superposition. To create in an attractive public space, people need to explore a level of curiosity. We think we achieve this with the form language. This will give the public space every day a different sphere. Though the climate, sun, time of the year, there will be always different shadows and lights.
schemes
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routing
parking -01
public routing routing for each volume public approach
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organization
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restaurant hammam first floor 01 gallery libary cinema
station city foyer hairdresser plaza coffee bar libary
urban level 00
gallery
parking 300 cars
parking -01
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design
Subject
floorplan 00
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design
Subject
main entrance
theme. to elicit specific emotions in the spectator
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design
Subject
floorplan 01
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Section aa.
Section bb. b.
a.
a.
b.
design
Subject
sections
sections
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ECONOMY OF MEANS. After taking a direction in organization and form language, we started to try many options in physical models. The position we took was to look for advanced possibilities in shapes, while we could later try to clarify and improve the design. In the first models it’s obvious that we started with chaotic shapes. Later thought the process we worked on the optimizations of the design. The aim was not to go for an unexpected uniformities, but we try to improve as most as possible the opportunities within the concept.
design
With this point of view we expected a more extraordinary design instead of taking a box as a starting point, and try to ‘pimp’ the othogonal box. CONSTRUCTION. The construction is based on a principle of a concrete core in each volume. This core is the stabilizer of the different volumes. Next to this, all the walls are constructed as ‘in sito’ fabricated construction walls. This walls are also carrying the volumes on the first floor. The cantilevers are possible by the use of two lines of columns, which are visible in the plaza. This columns have an ambiguous meaning, both tectonic as constructive as the unexpected spectacular.
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economic of means
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construction - first floor
construction - ground floor form of the path
economics of ...
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Subject
design
COLUMN STUDY
range with 3 lines of column’s
range with 2 lines of column’s
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column study
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picture from business entrance
columns as a handrail to enter the plaza
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Subject
facade 11._main entrance
facade 22._arts & crafts entrance 1.
1.
2.
2.
design
Subject
facade
facade
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design
Subject
floorplan -01
For the parking we provide 300 parking places. This places are for the different functions. Each program has their own core for accessibility. This cores are for both circulation and stability. In the parking there’s a grid of columns, which are the translations for the upper programs. When you enter the parking, it poses already a way of explaining the superposition in this project.
parking
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technics
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Subject
technics
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details
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50 100 50 50 250
- concrete roof element 100mm - air 50mm - epoxy roof coating - insulation 2*(50mm) - system for cooling/ heating - concrete floor slab 250mm 406 96
floor cantilever construction.
100 50
250
10 50 10
- epoxy resin coating - screed 50mm - insulation 20mm - concrete floor slab 250mm - insulating 50mm - concrete ceiling 100mm
470
500
roof construction.
210
100
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Subject
The interior of the gallery is a space with on the edges of the wall a lighting system. This will provide a continous illumination of the space. Together with the semiopen glass panels, which are taking care for visual connections to the surrounding, there will we a calm level of a mix of artificial light and natural light. During the night this little openings will give an interesting pattern on the facade.
The element.
gallery
design
Subject
interior view
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technics
wall construction.
wall construction element.
- concrete wall 250mm - insulation 50mm - water proved layer - concrete 100mm
- window frame - air - element with holes for light (connected on the side)
250 400 50 100
details
Subject
details
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lightening system
roof construction. 100 50
250
50 50 50 10 0
floor construction inside.
320
10 50 10
- epoxy resin coating - screed 50mm - insulation 20mm - concrete floor slab 250mm - cooling / heating installation
250
250
500
- concrete roof element 100mm - air 50mm - epoxy roof coating - insulation 2*(50mm) - system for cooling/ heating - concrete floor slab 250mm - cooling / heating installation
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Subject
design
Subject
artist impression exterior
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Subject
design
sun study
East sun - 9h
South sun - 12h
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perspective
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North-West 17h
detail sunshades
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Subject
design
Subject
impression plaza
PLAZA
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MEDIATHEQUE
CASABLANCA
SUPERPOSITION linda yap
GLOSSY
PUBLIC SPHERE
URBAN CARPET gloria sabate
PUBLIC REALM tjerk boom
URBAN FABRIC CHALLENGE