A higher learning and innovation center for the Southern regions of Morocco
The Phosboucraa Foundation is leading a major development project in the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region in Southern Morocco. Covering a total of 600 ha, the Technopole Foum El Oued is a knowledge and innovation hub located 20 km from Laâyoune. It represents an investment of USD 200 million.
The ambitious project is part of the Phosboucraa Foundation’s general mission of contributing to the sustainable development of the Southern regions and the wellbeing of local communities. Beyond being an innovative urban project, the technology cluster is also a laboratory for research and experimentation, as well as a knowledge transfer platform promoting socio-economic development, both regionally and across the African continent.
To support its role as a knowledge hub, the Technopole Foum El Oued is built around three key components that take into account the local particularities shared by the Southern regions and the rest of the continent.
- The first component is the knowledge and research cluster driven by the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and its Research Center dedicated to the sub-Saharan environment.
- The second component is the business cluster, which will be home to an incubator for supporting project leaders and start-ups.
Finally, the cultural clusterwill include a museum, a commercial and artisanal village, and social and environmental infrastructure aimed at improving the region’s attractiveness.
An exceptional natural site with many assets
Nestled between sea and desert in an exceptional 600 ha site, the Technopole Foum El Oued project was designed with an approach that accounts for the site’s natural constraints and banks on these unique assets. The project was also designed to integrate into and make the most of the natural site by encouraging interaction between the building and its environment, using the climate, winds, sand, and specificities of the sub-Saharan coastline to achieve the best environmental performance.
A development powered by renewable energies
The Technopole Foum El Oued is intended to be supplied by renewable energies using resources that are immediately available on the site. Among the infrastructure to be built, there are photovoltaic panels for solar energy, a water treatment plant to recycle water for agricultural irrigation, and an organic waste recovery plant for energy generation. The site will also have vegetation suited to the environment.
Architecture incorporating expertise and respect for the environment
The buildings of this new urban center will be designed using architectural expertise and innovation while respecting and integrating into the natural environment. As an example, the architecture of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University is strongly inspired by the morphology of sand dunes while integrating cooling components to ensure natural thermal comfort. Its inner streets are aligned with the desert dunes, creating corridors that carry winds. Its interior spaces, covered by a canopy, leave room for natural greenery and make for a nice meeting place for users.