Dazzling BMCE Dome Building Is Foster & Partner’s Very First Completed African Project

<a href="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/434/Default.aspx">Foster &amp; Partners</a> have built sustainable projects all over the world - they have designed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-wing-shaped-zayed-national-museum/">buildings in Saudi Arabia</a>, a moving elevator gallery in New York City, and a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/foster-partners-unveil-huge-carbon-neutral-park-for-hong-kong/">carbon-neutral park China</a>. But the internationally-renowned architectural firm has never before completed a project in Africa. Until now. The first two of three projects commissioned by Morocco's BMCE (Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur), were built in Rabat and Casablanca and feature plenty of sustainable goodness: energy efficiency, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-washington-weaving-studio-is-a-daylit-dream/">locally-sourced materials</a>, and even an electricity-free cooling system. Step on in for more glimpses of this unbelievably beautiful building based on traditional Arabic design.

The building has a concrete frame, entrance colonnade, and a series of bays based on a modular grid.

The contemporary interior is wrapped with a low-iron stainless steel lattice frame.

The lattice design is based on traditional Arabic architecture, and helps to keep the interior cool.

Local craftsmanship was used to create a stunning building that lights up the Moroccan neighborhood in which it appears.

The design allows a flood of soft lighting

Both black granite and grey limestone were sourced locally.

The dome swoops down to create a structural bench

The dome is rendered with tadelakt - a local plastering technique - and clad with zellige - traditional ceramic tiles.

Energy efficiency is also maintained with the earth tube, an electric-free cooling system.