Africa today has a new, astonishing attraction. With retail space totaling 70,000 square meters, Morocco Mall is the ultimate destination for entertainment and shopping. Located in Casablanca, this new landmark is ranked among the top 5 malls in its class. The ambitious joint project by Groupe AKSAL and Al Jedaie Group has become a monument of national pride for young Moroccan people who see it as a symbol of rebirth and innovation of the nation. Davide Padoa, CEO of Design International architectural studio commissioned for the project, says it is “a symbol for their country’s ability to absorb global trends and developments without losing its identity.”
The Morocco Mall is based on an innovative concept that combines qualitative shopping, culture, leisure and restaurants. With over 350 shop units, an aquarium and a VIP section, the Mall brings together 600 brands from luxury, culture, consumer electronics, high street fashion, restaurants, and entertainment, and does so in such a way as to respect nature, the landscape and its elements. Project site coordinators Miguel Fernandes and Catia Zizzi from Design International commented, “Morocco Mall was officially inaugurated in December 2011, and has been awarded the best mall at the international real estate show for professionals MIPIM 2012. It will remain in the annals as the first and largest shopping mall in Africa.”
Among the many architectural aspects that distinguish the mall, one of the first that captures the attention is the structure itself which incorporates the infinity “8” symbol and harmoniously compliments the Atlantic Ocean it faces. “The site looked very long at a first glance, so I imagined something where you could see the beginning but not the end. This gave me the idea to design a long curve facade, where the center of the curve is far out in the ocean, so when you walk along the building you can’t see where it ends,” explains Padoa. The design of the Morocco Mall creates a natural bridge between the building and the sea. It is a truly ground breaking design that is setting new standards in shopping center design. The undulated architecture is the stage and playful oasis for both tranquility and shopping. It is the first building in the world which encloses another building: within one side of this infinity loop, is the Galeries Lafayette store, one of the famous French brand’s four stores world-wide. On the other loop is the VIP mall.
Outside the Mall but accessible from the main entrance, there is another element highly visible and innovative element: an enormous IMAX® cinema designed by architect Yasser Kahlaoui. The building closes the infinity symbol and acts as a natural connection between the mall and the exterior landscape. The IMAX® 3D cinemas are well known for the innovative technologies used to offer the greatest brightness and clear sound, for a unique movie experience.
The one located in the Morocco Mall has a capacity of 400 seats and offers the first digital projection in Africa. Within the building, a 550 square meter red shell-like form weighing 20 tons architecturally reflects the ties to nature and is made entirely in DuPont™ Corian®. The same techno-surface is also used for the bright red interior ceilings and some of the wall cladding. The natural solidity and ability of DuPont™ Corian® to take on any form or shape allowed Yasser Kahlaoui to create the illusion of an entire 3D structure. Each of the DuPont™ Corian® red panels have different sizes and inclination to create suggestive volumes. The panel cladding was conceived and installed by Deborel Maroc (under the guidance of Igor Desmazieres) in collaboration with technical specialists of DuPont™ Corian®.
A selection of the refined DuPont™ Corian® colour palette is expertly used to maximize visual effects: red for the IMAX® ceiling, an unusual brown for the advertising screens, black and white for the totems. The potential of DuPont™ Corian® is immeasurable, allowing architects to give free reign to their creativity.
Inside the VIP bathrooms located on the luxury floor, DuPont™ Corian® has been used to create beautiful moucharabieh style space dividers, in a white version for the ladies toilet, and in a black version for the men’s, giving a modern look to an object traditionally made of wood.
All the furnishings made in DuPont™ Corian®, for both the mall interiors and the IMAX® cinema ceiling and walls, have been fabricated by Deborel Maroc. Deborel Maroc accepted the great challenge offered by the Moroccan Mall project, and showed in its realization the limitless design possibilities offered by this techno-surface, with the aim of contributing to its use in the growing Moroccan market.
About Design International: (www. designinternational.com) Design International is based around the principle that it is the only boutique-style retail design firm that operates on a truly global scale. The group is very much about retail added value and its success is based on the ability to make it work for the long term. Design International (DI) is an Architectural Firm founded in 1972. DI, with its main office in London and other offices in Milan, Toronto, Cairo, Jakarta and Mumbai, is internationally recognized for projects realized in more than 60 countries in five continents. Design International creates spaces and architectures for people who meet in an environment that inspires them to shop and amuse themselves. Davide Padoa is the Chief Executive Officer of the group, which counts a staff in excess of 200 among talented architects, leasing agents, lighting, landscape, product designers and graphic specialists. Each project has a dedicated creative team, which includes a project leader under the direct supervision of a Design International Partner. The project site coordination of the Morocco’ Mall is led by Miguel Fernandes and Catia Zizzi, in close cooperation with a rich staff of professionals based in London: Kollin Akbar (architecture Mall), Kuncara Wicaksana and Luz Stella Pabon (architecture Galleries Lafayette), Louise Loo (interior), Neil Skinner (lighting), Antony Nelson (landscape) and, ultimately, Davide Padoa.
About Davide Padoa, CEO of Design International: Davide Padoa graduated from the faculty of Architecture in Milan. He finalized his architectural studies in California at the University of Pomona and started his career in Indonesia directing architecture design projects from master planning to high-rise buildings. Davide acquired notoriety while in Indonesia when he designed for Dharmala Bank and PSP Group the tallest skyscraper in Jakarta at the age of 25. In 1998 he moved to London where he started to work for Design International, a London-based architecture firm with offices worldwide. At the age 32, he became one of the youngest Managing Directors in the UK running an internationally-recognized architectural company. Davide passionately believes in producing human scale projects that relate to people, that are stylish, sustainable and yet economically viable. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Design International in 2006, responsible for planning significant projects spread across more than 30 countries on four continents. Under Davide’s leadership, Design International has won many international awards, including the most recent “Best Shopping Centre” 2010 Mapic Award with Odysseum in Montpellier, “Best Retail Architecture Worldwide” 2010 International Property Award with Cleopatra Mall in Cairo, ‘Future Project Award’ 2011 GLOBAL RLI Awards with Cleopatra Mall. Davide, married to an Indonesian sculptress and with two daughters, is completely devoted to his family.
About Deborel Maroc – Founded 35 years ago, the company Deborel Maroc has specialized in inputs for plastic and rubber producers. For 20 years, Deborel Maroc is an approved Corian® fabricator of DuPont de Nemours. The Company was founded by Gilles Benzaquen who decided to develop the activity around DuPont™ Corian®, investing in modern production technologies and offering solutions for a wide variety of applications such as decoration, facades, healthcare, kitchens, bathrooms, design, urban furnishing, etc. Gilles Benzaquen’s enthusiasm for DuPont™ Corian® is soon joined by that of Igor Desmazieres, project manager at Deborel who quickly understood the creative and artistic potential of Corian®. Deborel Maroc works in very close collaboration with interior designers and architects, supporting their willingness of combining the high-tech surface of DuPont™ Corian® with their innovative projects in the growing Moroccan society inspired by the best Western references. The latest successful achievement is represented by the SPA for the Sofitel Tour Blanche hotel in Casablanca…
About DuPont™ Corian® (www.corian.com, www.facebook/CorianDesign) – The continuous efforts, the investment and the creativity of DuPont in research and technology, product innovation, new applications development and marketing have made DuPont™ Corian® high-tech surface a design tool offering exceptional versatility and almost limitless possibilities for producing high quality, effective, functional and reliable solutions addressed to residential, public and commercial environments, both indoor and outdoor. From kitchens to lamps, from bathrooms to the skin of buildings, from seating solutions to home automation systems, from radiators to touch control surfaces, from tables to furnishing and fashion accessories, to mention just a few…: the “magic” of DuPont™ Corian® can be found today in an extremely wide variety of products, systems and objects that everyone uses or experiences in daily life. And the list keeps on growing…
DuPont™ Corian® (the whole range or specific types) has received important independent certifications for its environmental performance (like GreenGuard®, NAHB North American Builders Association, U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System, Scientific Certification Systems, Ecospecifier). Its hygienic performance has also been certified by prestigious independent institutions (for example, by NSF International, The Royal Institute of Public Health and LGA QualiTest).
The environmental management systems of all the plants of DuPont that produce DuPont™ Corian® have been certified according to ISO 14001. Moreover, as a result of a multi-year improvement program, all the plants of DuPont that manufacture DuPont™ Corian® have brought down to zero their impact on landfills by reducing, reusing and recycling manufacturing byproducts and waste.
DuPont – DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.
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Media contact for DuPont™ Corian®:
– Press office of DuPont Building Innovations: Melisa Lasell, DuPont_Building_Innovations_EMEA_Press@bt-media.net,
– Claudio Greco, DuPont Building Innovations, Public Relations and Media Relations Manager (Europe, Middle East and Africa), claudio.greco@dupont.com
