Architect and Builder Magazine South Africa September/October 2013 | Page 81

Rabat-Salé Urban Infrastructure Project, Morocco
Architect: Marc Mimram Architectes
Client: Agence pour l’Aménagement de la Vallée du Bouregreg
Arches of the bridge

Linking Rabat and Salé to form an urban hub, the project was born
out of a new vision of large-scale regeneration, one in which improved
transportation and mobility were to be priority components of the
larger urban plan. The project combines exemplary bridge design,
infrastructure improvement and urban planning. As a result, the
Hassan II Bridge has become a new icon for Rabat-Salé, reinforcing
a modern, progressive, twin-city identity. The Master Jury remarked
that the project was “a sophisticated and cohesive model for future
infrastructure projects, especially in places of rapid urbanisation”.
Below view of the access viaduct

viaduct

Islamic Cemetery, Altach, Austria
Architect: Bernardo Bader
Client: Municipality of Altach
Congregation space

Until recently, some Muslims in Austria would send their dead
back to their countries of origin for burial. But the desire of Muslims
to be buried in the countries of their birth led to the creation of a
multi-faith, multi-ethnic group of actors, including local authorities
and an NGO, to create a cemetery where funeral rites could be
administered locally.
The design was lauded by the Award’s Master Jury for the way
it realised “the wish of an immigrant community seeking to create
a space that fulfils their spiritual aspirations and, at the same time,
responds to the context of their adopted country”. Inspired by
garden design, it features roseate concrete walls, five staggered,
rectangular gravesite enclosures, and a structure housing assembly
and prayer rooms. The principal materials used were exposed
reinforced concrete for the walls and oak wood for the ornamentation
of the entrance facade and the interior of the prayer space.
OVERALL VIEW OF THE CEMETERY

Aga Khan Awards

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