US Consulate

KCCT is the architect of record in a design-build partnership to deliver this new 12-building campus on a 2.8-hectare site, with a program that includes a new office building, a Marine Security Guard Residence, parking garages, a support annex, and other ancillary facilities. The Consulate features shaded exterior sky gardens carved from the structure, which create places for respite, for conversation, and for controlled views of the surrounding neighborhood. Each sky garden is unique and inspired by a distinctive aspect of Moroccan culture.

The defining design concept is the utilization of upper-level setbacks as outdoor amenity areas. These spaces, referred to as “sky gardens” because they are enclosed on four sides and open to the sky, offer unique outdoor spaces accessible from the interior with views of the surrounding neighborhood. The second-floor sky garden is adjacent to the interior gallery and is an extension of the Consulate’s representational spaces. The gallery is strengthened and expanded by the sky gardens to the north and south, allowing daylight and activity to coalesce at the heart of the Consulate.

Each sky garden has its own unique character defined not only by the presence of brightly colored tile, but also by the plantings, layout, and program adjacencies. While the north sky garden will be a shady refuge on hot summer days, the south-facing sky garden receives more direct sunlight and provides staff with a warmer outdoor option on cooler days.

The facility’s exterior envelope is composed of a concrete backup wall and thermal / moisture layers clad with stone units, acting as a rainscreen assembly. At upper levels, the opaque wall is clad with heavy-gauge perforated stainless steel metal panels, also in a rainscreen configuration. These metal panels are supported by a steel substructure that is attached to the concrete superstructure at each slab edge. Patterns on the exterior screen draw inspiration from traditional Moroccan crafts, inspiring the materials chosen and the manner of material application on the interior.

Exterior materials, in harmony with Casablanca’s white building exteriors, are light in color, monochromatic, and defined by texture and pattern.

Hints of these saturated hues are perceptible from outside the building through windows and the perforated metal screen facade, elevating the experience of the exterior representational spaces.

The interior color palette is inspired by traditional Moroccan approaches to color, including Moroccan brass lanterns with stained glass in sapphire, ruby, and emerald. Thinking of the whole building as an enlarged mosaic, significant spaces in the building are saturated with different hues. Color is integrated into traditional zellige tiles, concrete floors, and terrazzo floors. The same white aggregate ties the terrazzo together throughout the building, and the color-rich approach in select materials balances neutral tones in paint, ceiling, and other background finishes. Walnut wood ceilings add natural warmth to important spaces.

The design of the new Consulate evolves from high-performance design principles. The new office building provides a comfortable workplace for consular employees and a positive experience for visitors, featuring state-of-the-art building systems and an architectural design that highlights the beneficial aspects of the weather condition. The site showcases a weather condition-appropriate landscape design and employs stormwater and wastewater management strategies that help sustain the local hydrologic cycle.

This new campus meets the functional aspects of the program and provides operational adaptation through growth strategies, redundancy of critical systems, low-water usage, and renewable energy that supports 25% of the energy use of the new office building. The project provides secure, functional, and adaptable facilities that enable US foreign policy through building technologies, art, and culture.