Wikipedia

Abdelouahed Mountassir

Abdelouahed Mountassir (born 3 January 1956 in Casablanca, Morocco) is a Moroccan architect and urban planner. He is mainly known for his designs of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (2008), for the future Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat and for urban development projects in Rabat and Casablanca.

Abdelouahed Mountassir
Born (1956-01-03) January 3, 1956 (age 68)
Casablanca, Morocco
NationalityMoroccan
Alma materUniversity of Lille, France
OccupationArchitect
AwardsMoroccan Architect of the Year, 2008
PracticeAWM Architectes Urbanistes
BuildingsNational Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, future Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat
Websitewww.awmountassir.com

Life and career

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Mountassir studied architecture at the University of Lille, France, and graduated as architect with a government diploma (D.P.L.G.) in 1983. In his biography, he mentioned Cuban architect Ricardo Porro, whom he met at the school of architecture in Lille, as an important inspiration for his understanding of contemporary architecture. Before he became an architect, Mountassir was active as painter and participated in several exhibitions in Morocco and abroad. Back in Morocco, he worked as director and lecturer at the training centre for technical professions of the Ministry of the Interior.

 
National Library of Morocco, designed by Abdelouahed Mountassir and Rachid Andaloussi

In 1983, he founded his first architectural practice AWM in Casablanca, that has since designed and built several private and public buildings in different Moroccan cities. One of these was the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat-Agdal, designed together with the Moroccan architect Rachid Andaloussi. It was inaugurated by King Mohammed VI on 15 October 2008.[1]

In 2008, Mountassir was distinguished as "Architect of the Year" by the National Order of Architects of Morocco, and from 2014 to 2017, he served as president of the same professional organization. He was included in 2001 in the humanities project ArchNet by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture with his social housing project Nassim in Casablanca[2] and has collaborated in projects with internationally renowned architects such as Norman Forster[3] and Jean Nouvel.[4]

Apart from public and private projects,[5] Mountassir has designed buildings for hotels,[6] railway stations and various educational institutions from kindergarten to primary and secondary schools as well as for a professional training centre.[7][8] On 5 May 2022, the King of Morocco officially launched the construction of a new complex of modern buildings and medical departments for Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat. This future complex of 1000 beds and with a budget of approx. DH 6 billion (c. €537 million) is expected to take four years of construction and accompanying urban developments, including installations for environmental sustainability. AWMountassir studio is in charge of general design and planning, working in cooperation with French company AIA Life Designers, specialised in urban planning for medical installations.[9][10]

In Mai 2022, the Université Internationale de Rabat (UIR) announced the construction of buildings for their new Faculty of Medicine, a Faculty of Public Health a School of Medical Engineering and an associated hospital. As for the new Ibn Sina University Hospital, AWMountassir studio and AIA Life Designers have been appointed for the design and planning. Both hospital complexes have been designed to include state-of-the-art medical, architectural and environmental features.[11]

The projects of Mountassir's studio for urban planning as part of the Groupement Confluences[12] include the Bab Al Bahr development with the Saphira Marina as part of the Bou Regreg Valley Development project[13][14] in Salé, as well as the upscale building projects of the Casablanca Marina.[15][16] Further, he has given interviews and published on the history of architecture in Morocco.[17]

Apart from his activities as painter and architect, Mountassir has published two volumes of poems in Arabic and French.[18][19][20] Due to his close relations to Germany, he was nominated Honorary Consul of Germany in Casablanca in 2010.[21]

Selected architectural projects

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  • Centre Tertiaire Intermodal (CTI) Tanger Med), with Groupement Confluences and the studio of Jean Nouvel, 2006
  • Technopolis, Rabat, 2007
  • Bab Al Bahr urban development of the Bou Regreg Valley Development project, 2007
  • Royal Air Maroc Academy, Casablanca, 2008
  • Headquarters for the Istiqlal Party, Rabat, 2010
  • Khouribga Media Centre, 2012
  • New railway stations in Meknes, 2013 and Oujda, 2018
  • New design for Rabat Central railway station, 2015
  • future University Hospital Ibn Sina, Rabat, under construction
  • future Faculties of Medicine and Public Health for Université Internationale de Rabat

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc - Historique de la BNRM". www.bnrm.ma (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  2. ^ "Archnet - Nassim Zone D, Casablanca". www.archnet.org. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  3. ^ "La Marina Morocco – MAGESPRO Africa". Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  4. ^ "Abdelouahed Mountassir". Zak World of Façades. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  5. ^ "Projets et Réalisations". www.awmountassir.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  6. ^ "Projets et Réalisations". www.awmountassir.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  7. ^ "Projets et Réalisations". www.awmountassir.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  8. ^ EFI-Casablanca. "EFI Casablanca - École Française Internationale de Casablanca". www.eficasablanca.org (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  9. ^ "Nouveau CHU de Rabat, par AIA Life Designers". Chroniques d‘architecture (in French). 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  10. ^ "Architecture. La conception du nouveau CHU Ibn Sina expliquée par Abdelouahed Mountassir". Médias24 (in French). 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  11. ^ "UIR : le premier coup de pioche de l'hôpital universitaire et des facultés de la santé prévu en juillet". Médias24 (in French). 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  12. ^ "Groupement Confluences". next.archnet.org. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  13. ^ "Description Du Projet: PAG Vallée du Bouregreg". www.awmountassir.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  14. ^ "Agency for the Development of the Bouregreg Valley". www.bouregreg.com. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  15. ^ Alillouch, Rachid; Mansour, Majid; Radoine, Hassan (2019-12-24). "Le Projet d'aménagement de la Vallée du Bouregreg. Contexte et modalités de conception et de mise en œuvre d'un projet urbain pour un site vulnérable". African and Mediterranean Journal of Architecture and Urbanism (in French). 1 (2): 60–78. doi:10.48399/IMIST.PRSM/amjau-v1i2.18885. ISSN 2665-7953.
  16. ^ Barthel, Pierre-Arnaud. "Casablanca-Marina: un nouvel urbanisme marocain des grands projets". www.cairn.info (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  17. ^ "M. Abdelouahed Mountassir : «Faraoui a marqué l'ouverture de l'architecture marocaine sur le monde". Le Matin (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  18. ^ Mountassir, Abdelouahed (2012). La ville heureuse (in French and Arabic). Casablanca: Archimedia. ISBN 978-9954-8349-4-7. OCLC 1187095125.
  19. ^ Muntaṣir (2014). Villes-périphéries : journal à bord du train = al-Mudun al-ḍawāḥī : yawmīyāt ʻabir al-qiṭār (in Luxembourgish). Casablanca, Belvedère, Maroc: Editions Toubkal. ISBN 978-9954-511-70-1. OCLC 900568161.
  20. ^ العلام, عبد الرحيم. "حين يكتب المهندس المعماري". ضفة ثالثة (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  21. ^ Addam, Rida. "Abdelouahed Mountassir, nouveau consul honoraire d'Allemagne à Casablanca : "Il faut créer une plateforme d'échanges, de savoir-faire et de compétences dans les différents secteurs d'activité"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-28.

Further reading

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  • Akhrīf, Almahdi (2011). Abd al-Wāḥid Muntaṣir: al-muhandis al-insān (in Arabic). al-Dār al-Bayḍa: Dār Tūbqāl. ISBN 978-9954-511-22-0. OCLC 719630751.
  • Mountassir, Abdelouahed (2012). La ville heureuse (in Arabic and French). Casablanca: Archimedia. ISBN 978-9954-8349-4-7. OCLC 1187095125.
  • Mountassir, Abdelouahed (2014). Villes-périphéries: journal à bord du train = al-Mudun al-ḍawāḥī : yawmīyāt ʻabir al-qiṭār (in Arabic and French). Casablanca, Belvedère, Maroc: Editions Toubkal. ISBN 978-9954-511-70-1. OCLC 900568161.
  • Muntaṣir, ʻAbd al-Wāḥid; منتصر، عبد الواحد.; Akhrīf, al-Mahdī; Bannīs, Muḥammad; Zakārī, Usāmah (2018). al-Miʻmār wa-al-shiʻr : ʻashr sanawāt min al-ḥiwār (in Arabic). [Aṣīlā]. ISBN 978-9954-722-82-4. OCLC 1114257904.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Oualalou, Ṭāriq (2014). Résistances résignations: architectures au Maroc 2004-2014 (in French). Bruxelles: AAM éditions. ISBN 978-2-87143-297-5. OCLC 953073472.
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