Tangier – MED port complex

  • Tangier, Morocco
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The monochrome palette

 

The project is a eulogy to the horizontal and to the white, a way of taking possession of the area which aims to be unitary, harmonious and in tune with the geography of the site. Here, the style of the area follows rules which are, above all, ones of perceptibility: white rhythms on a natural background, pure volumes under the harsh light of Tangier, massive shapes, strong contrasts, developing whiteness, the protection afforded by shade. These give the port an eternal nature, like a reminiscence of the town of white, providing modernity, providing all possible contemporary technological attributes and providing it with a soul; a powerful identity which makes it stand out. This is the new port of Tangier and nothing else, made in the image of Tangier and its strategic position on the strait of Gibraltar, straddling Europe and Africa, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, the heat and the cold.

 

It is a way of echoing the blue expanse of the sea in its whiteness, its regularity, its ordered warehouses, extending out in a controlled phasing, an intelligent, constructive system that is recurring and modular, that respects the topography and the constraints that come with it; all in all, rules of composition that adapt themselves to any logistical mechanism, that transcend such things.

 

The harbour station, like a wall and a block that welcomes boats from all over the world.

 

The multimodal station has been designed as a large open space, a dantesque forest accommodating areas for relaxation (restaurants, shops) and both road and rail transport systems; a world of people beneath a thick, white, solid, herculean block, which is taken up by offices in its outlying areas (a total of 35,000 m² by 2022) which form recesses (opening up the patios to the sky and the daylight). Its centre is entirely given over to parking (2,500 spaces on a grating system that has an openwork design and that is beneath a pergola) save for a few holes here and there that are random and cut into it, making it possible to see the sky outlined in blue rectangles from the lower level. the idea is to liberate the natural ground and to alter it as little as possible, to give port officials a raised view from their work stations and maximum accessibility by bringing cars up to the same level.

The harbour master’s office, which also exists within this vast space, no longer spreads out horizontally, but vertically, like a square in space, a signal in white concrete reinforced with an intricate skin, providing a moucharaby interpretation.

It is made up of two 400 m² decks and was designed on the basis of the harbour master’s office at algeciras and placed in a strong strategic position.

 

 

Jean Nouvel