The Architect who built the unique building of COP22 is OUALALOU CHOI

USPA NEWS - Tarik Oualalou is the architect who was chosen, through a tough competition, for conceive the building of the next COPP22, to be held from 7 to 18 November in Marrakech. Tarik Oualalou a talented, passionate, humanist gentleman answers to my questions about how he realised this huge challenge

Tarik Oualalou is the architect who was chosen, through a tough competition, to be in charge of the building of the next COP22, to be held from 7 to 18 November in Marrakech. His office, OUALALOU+CHOI is an architecture firm based in Paris and Casablanca and has won numerous awards, including the “Architecture of Expo 2015“ mention award, and the “Rice Alliance Spotlight Prize 2015“.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tarik Oualalou a talented, passionate and very humanist gentleman answers to my questions about how he realised this huge challenge, a prestigious burden on his shoulder, that he carries with humble pride. " The COP21 has changed the profile of the next COP, as new milestone. It is now understood not only by technicians or climate diplomats but also everybody who have fell concerned about the climate challenge." introduced Tariq Oualalou----------------------------------------------------- "And now here comes the COP22, Morocco will send 3 signal headlights, to enforce the agreements of Paris, in a frame of serenity and terminus. COP 22 will be as important as COP21, although this one was spectacular at Le Bourget. The implementation of the Paris Agreement and the great compensation for balancing the injustice in favour of the Southern countries as far as ministerial transfer and financial flows are concerned." keeps explaining Tarik Oualalou

I sat and had a candid conversation with Tarik Oualalou who explains, debates, and answers my questions regarding the way he and his team, built the "Bab Igli" site of the COP22, since the very moment where he won the competition, till the inauguration of yesterday, as he gave the keys to the United Nations, according to the regular process, under the framework, of UNFCCC.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ QUESTION RAHMA SOPHIA RACHDI : You are French- Moroccan, so how would you describe Morocco in ne sentence? ANSWER TARIK OUALALOU : Morocco is the intersection between the perfect opulence and scarcity------------------------- ---------------------------QUESTION RAHMA SOPHIA RACHDI : Do you think this COP 22 will be as important as COP21 ? ANSWER TARIK OUALALOU : The perfect intersection between opulence and rarity means that everything is possible in Morocco in many ways, and this is why I had the very first intuition not to fall into the trap of "Moroccan Folklore". Morocco has more to show than that, this is why I'd rather go for highlighting Morocco's entity throw a prism of observer . We, I mean with my team, we managed to use our know-how with very little, and try to reach a balance with society and culture of opulence and tap into the rich civilisation and heritage of Morocco. The COP22 to be held in Morocco is a wise choice because Morocco is one of these rares countries where everybody can relates to.“---------------------------------------------------- The rest of this interview will be released shortly after visiting the site itself built by OUALALOU+ CHOI, so that the publication will make more sense. And this will enable me to better transcribe how looks like this "Tower of Babel" (As named it Tariq Oualalaou himself) which is horizontal, as a long canopy, green and ocher in the ocre city, Marrakech. Tariq Oualalou is very passionate and inspiring in the description of his approach and moves towards a book: "Fundamentalism" is a reconstruction of what a territory has caused in a radical approach, was experimental. Morocco is "a land of welcome our nascent modernity, Morocco has been mostly an exploration territory and a laboratory for the modern project.“ It is always about building Moroccan, Tarik calls it "Fundamental(ism)s" in his book, which means "The historical trajectory that is built on a building or fabric, to illustrate the transformation of the habitat, focusing in both conditions that fact develop projects, although their absorption was their contemporary presence ."explains Tarik Oualalou in his book "Fundamentalism," excerpts explanations about the Moroccan Pavilion further being awarded at the 14th Architecture Venice Biennale in 2014. The choice of building the new Moroccan Cultural Centre in Paris, was unveiled last February by HH King of Morocco Mohamed VI at Word Arab Institute. Indeed the winner choice went to OUALALOU+ CHOI studio, among many other candidates in this architect competition, because their construction project seduced his Majesty the King of Morocco and also the members of the jury. During that celebration of the launching, all the guests also seemed to agree with the architectural proposal OUALALOU + CHOI.

OUALALOU+ CHOI IS A HARMONIOUS COUPLE OF TALENTED CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTS------------------ OUALALOU+CHOI is an architecture firm based in Paris and Casablanca. Questioning the limited scope of the architect´s traditional role, OUALALOU+CHOI has developed its practice upon the theory that architectural strategies should be integrated into a project, long before and after the conventional intervention of architects. Working closely with clients during site determination, programming, and the economic development of the project, the office engages in the definition of the architectural project from its very inception. OUALALOU+CHOI believes that playing an integral role in the non-architectural aspects of a project results in a stronger design solution.------------------------------------------------------------------ OUALALOU+CHOI has worked on a vast range of programs and scales encompassing museums, luxury hotels and resorts, social housing, sports complexes, and master plans for both existing and new cities.------------------------------------------------- The office has won numerous awards, including the “Architecture of Expo 2015“ mention award, and the “Rice Alliance Spotlight Prize 2015“. OUALALOU+CHOI has been named finalist for the 2014 AFEX award, for an outstanding project undertaken by a French architect outside France. In 2012, OUALALOU+CHOI has also won the Young Arab Architects competition, WA Awards and the EMAP Award for emerging architecture. OUALALOU+CHOI´s work has been published internationally and exhibited in Paris, Casablanca, London and Copenhagen“¦/ To be continued... See also : http://www.oualalouchoi.com