Oasis Street Train Station

Casablanca, Morocco

This new station in Casablanca marks a clear break with the Moroccan railway's colonial past. The 'wall' and the 'roof' are the key themes of the design, one providing maximum transparency, the other protection (against both rain and sun, since the programme did not include air-conditioning). Three principal materials are used in the construction: local (Salé) stone, glass and metal. Generally urban railway lines are placed in cuttings lined with concrete retaining walls. Here instead the walls are of Salé stone, which is carried into the cladding of the entry facade to establish a continuity between station and topography.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture