Located in the prestigious diplomatic district of
Rabat, the new Royal Th ai Embassy sits on a strategic
site in the country’s capital. Th ough the initial brief
was to rehabilitate an existing dilapidated villa,
we realized that with a similar investment in time
and budget, it would be preferable to demolish
the existing building and construct a new one that would be better adapted to its role as an embassy.
Based on a fl uid principle of circulation and access,
the new Royal Th ai Embassy presents an open and
welcoming presence, from its porous boundary walls
to its transparent facades. Th e building sits amidst
a tropical garden which serves as the primary event
space for the embassy’s many diplomatic functions. Th e embassy’s wooden façade is inspired by
traditional Th ai architecture and Moroccan
geometric woodwork patterns. Th e ancestral
method of weaving is utilized as a means of
construction (exterior walls, partitions, shading)
and for various traditional objects and ornaments.
Th e aim of this project is to meld Th ai and Moroccan
traditions into a harmonious whole.
Building in wood also responds to the extremely
tight time constraints, and the prefabrication of the
wooden façade facilitates a compressed construction
schedule. Th e choice of construction material is
inseparable from the building’s design and the logic
behind its implementation, which aims to be swift ,
effi cient, and ecological.