Rocket-like skyscraper becomes Morocco's tallest building
The 250-metre-tall Mohammed VI Tower designed by architecture studios Rafael de La‑Hoz and Hakim Benjelloun has opened in Morocco as the country's tallest building and the third tallest in Africa.
Named after Mohammed VI, who has reigned as King of Morocco since 1999, the skyscraper is situated along the Bou Regreg river between the Moroccan capital Rabat and the historic city of Salé. The skyscraper has a rocket-like shape and rises 55 storeys.
Its gently curved form contains offices, apartments, exhibition space, an observatory and a Waldorf Astoria hotel.
The skyscraper stands atop a ground-floor base that houses a reception lobby and hall, restaurants, an additional exhibition space and a bank branch.
Construction on the skyscraper began in 2017, launched by Moroccan billionaire and Bank of Africa CEO Othman Benjelloun. It was developed by O Tower, an offshoot firm of Benjelloun's holding company O Capital Group.
Madrid-based Rafael de La-Hoz and Moroccan studio Hakim Benjelloun designed Mohammed VI Tower to have a rocket-like shape sitting on a launch pad, referencing a visit Benjelloun made to a NASA flight simulation in 1969.
The skyscraper's south-facing facade is made up of a photovoltaic double skin, designed to generate solar energy and provide thermal protection.
Interiors were designed by French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, who aimed to create elegant and timeless spaces using a material palette of white marble, bronze, brushed brass, Cordoba leather, ceramic zellige tiles, and wood panelling.
At 250 metres tall, Mohammed VI Tower surpassed the 210-metre-tall Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca to become Morocco's tallest building.
The building is the third tallest completed skyscraper in Africa, after Algeria's Great Mosque of Algiers Tower and Egypt's Iconic Tower.
The Alamein Iconic Tower in Egypt, which is scheduled for completion this year, will also overtake Mohammed VI Tower when it is completed.
Dezeen recently investigated the mini-boom of skyscraper construction in Africa, asking experts if the recent uptick of towering developments is a symbol of progress or whether they are merely vanity projects.
Elsewhere in Morocco, Oualalou + Choi and Populous are working on the 115,000-seat Grand Stade Hassan II stadium for the 2030 World Cup, which is planned to be the world's largest football stadium.
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