Université Mohammed VI Polytechnic - Phase 1
Rabat

The design of a second UM6P campus began in 2020, dealing with an initial area of 10 hectares in Rabat. This first phase of the project was intended to establish a physical gateway to the university at the northeastern edge of the site, and a symbolic one for its future development. And the expansion has been rapid; during this phase alone, the university allocated a further 3 hectares to support a mixture of academic, residential, and sports facilities.

Approached from a busy main road, the campus is demarcated by a pair of buildings that flank its entrance and present an urban facade to the oncoming traffic. From there on, the masterplan is structured around a central axis – a pedestrian street sheltered by a glass pergola – that serves as both main thoroughfare and heart of university life. Along this axis, symmetry broadly governs the layout, as the architecture mediates between two registers: the urban street on one side and the landscape on the other. Each bleeds across its boundary, softening the divide between city and garden, which are physically linked by side streets and courtyards.

The most symbolically charged buildings – such as the learning centre and student centre – are set next to the main axis, while ancillary programmes such as the hotel and sports pavilion are positioned further afield. Among these buildings are a 500-seat open-air theatre, tennis and volleyball courts, and a 7-a-side football pitch. To accommodate a school for political science, for hospitality, the African Business School, an artificial intelligence centre, six residential blocks for 1,500 students, and another hotel, the campus was significantly expanded in 2021, adding 14 hectares to the sides of the original axis.