In an impoverished, remote area of south-western Morocco, the cultural centre contains a library, a multimedia centre, a gallery, and workshops for children. The architect successfully fought the widespread use of concrete block to instead employ traditional materials - readily available loadbearing stone and palm-tree timber - and this model is now being adopted for other government-sponsored projects in rural Morocco, including housing. The central, covered foyer also serves as an exhibition area; slatted-palm screens form a narrow bio-climatic gallery on the south and south-east facing sides of the building to temper solar radiation. A limited use of concrete was employed for ring-reinforcement above the stone foundations and at the roof; steel beams form the principal structural elements of the flat roof.
Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture
