Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne's firm Morphosis has completed an all-white finance tower in the Anfa District southwest of the historic city center in Casablanca, Morocco. 

Named Casablanca Finance City Tower (CFC), the 25-storey project is the studio's first project realized in Africa. 

Built in a transformative new business district - currently being developed in the Anfa District, the 121-metre tower includes offices for the Moroccan Financial Board and Bank-Al-Maghrib Central Bank, conference space and visitor center. 

The completion of project marks a significant milestone for Casablanca as it expands on its historical role as the gateway to Africa. CFC was developed as a government-endorsed initiative and invites global firms to establish their regional headquarters in Morocco within this special economic zone.

Image © Lorem Studios

Mophosis' project plays a critical role for the CFC project, located in the Anfa District, the district was home to the Anfa Airport until it closed in 2007. With the completion of the project, the project "symbolizes Morocco’s vision for the future and sets precedents in building performance, scale, and technology for a part of the city that is yet to be fully realized," as Morphosis emphasized. 

Covering a total of 21,000-square-metre area, the all-white tower has been conceived to work in harmony with the site’s climate and designed to minimize ecological impact, the tower sets a new standard for future projects in the region and beyond, according to the studio.

Taking cues from traditional geometric patterned mosaics and intricate wooden latticework screens characteristic of Moroccan architecture, the tower is wrapped by a brise-soleil system, protecting against the sun while still allowing the building to harness external elements to regulate natural light, air, and temperatures internally.

In addition to its climate-controlled interior, the tower offers unprecedented views towards the city, ocean, and the iconic Hassan II Mosque. 

"The Casablanca Finance City Tower and its innovative design was conceived to have long-lasting impact and to signal a new era of economic prosperity for Morocco," said Pritzker Prize-winning architect and Morphosis Founding Partner Thom Mayne. 

"This tower brings together a range of global industries in the heart of the country, galvanizing international investment in North Africa, while also providing a template for the future development of the district as it continues to grow," Mayne added.

Morphosis Partner and Project Principal Ung-Joo Scott Lee added: "We are immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to contribute to this historic turning point for Morocco, through our collaboration with the visionary leaders at Casablanca Finance City." 

"Working closely together, we were able to push the boundaries of design and construction, transforming a blank satellite site into a dynamic development that sustainably engages with its surrounding environment."

As the team highlights, "the design for the Casablanca Finance City Tower draws on the unique openness of the surrounding area, which afforded the designers the unusual opportunity in an otherwise dense city to highlight the relationship between the building and the natural environment."

The tower's energy efficient system and the building as a whole meets all LEED Gold requirements of the World Green Building Council.

On the top of the tower, there is a tapered crown capping the structure and realizes the tower’s function as a new icon for the city. At the street level, a mirrored portion of the tower engages the lower urban landscape with exterior public programming that invites the community into adjacent public spaces.

"This double crown allows the building to simultaneously serve as a symbol of the city’s development and as a social hub that nurtures an active street life in the district," added the studio.

Ground floor plan

Plan level 1

Plan level 2

Plan level 23

Section 1

Section 4

East elevation

South elevation

Tower morphology diagram

Tower morphology diagram-2

Programmatic section 

Morphosis was founded by Thom Mayne in 1972 in Los Angeles and New York City as an interdisciplinary practice involved in rigorous design and research that yields innovative, iconic buildings and urban environments. 

In the practice, Thom Mayne works in tandem with Partners Arne Emerson, Ung-Joo Scott Lee, Brandon Welling, and Eui-Sung Yi, and a team of more than 60 years. Morphosis has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Shenzhen.

Morphosis is currently working on Lululemon's Headquarters in Vancouver, a conference center and hotel in Nanjing and Korean American National Museum in Los Angeles.

Project facts

Project name: Casablanca Finance City Tower

Architects: Morphosis 

Location: Tour CFC, Quartier Casa-Anfa, Hay Hassani, Casablanca – Morocco

Size: 226,042 gross ft2 / 21,000 gross m2

Height: 398 feet / 121 meters

Program: Offices for the Moroccan Financial Board and Bank-Al-Maghrib Central Bank, conference space and visitor center

Design: 2013-2015

Construction: 2015-2019 (completed April 2019)

All images © Jasmine Park unless otherwise stated. 

All drawings © Morphosis

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