On Thursday, September 12, 2019, the Phosboucraa Foundation was granted international HQE™ (High Quality Environmental standard) certification in Angers for its urban development project, the Technopole Foum El Oued. The certification was given by the international organization Cerway during a workshop called “The HQE approach works in warm climates, too.” The event was held in the context of the 8th Cities to Be International Congress, the industry event for professionals in sustainable construction.
For the Phosboucraa Foundation, this HQE™ certification is an acknowledgement of the high quality of the Technopole Foum El Oued project, while also providing recognition for the efforts at integrating the initiative into its physical environment, the sound management of natural resources, and the inclusion of the local population through a participatory approach.
HQE™ Aménagement certification covers the complete life cycle of the project. In obtaining it, the Phosboucraa Foundation aims to organize and ensure a high-quality approach that meets international standards, while involving stakeholders at every stage of the technology cluster project, from planning and design to implementation and handover.
Note that the Technopole Foum El Oued is a major development project in the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region in Southern Morocco. Covering a total of 600 ha, the technology cluster is a knowledge and innovation hub located 20 km from Laâyoune. It represents an investment of MAD 2 billion .
The ambitious project is part of the Phosboucraa Foundation’s general mission of contributing to the sustainable development of the Southern regions and the well-being 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 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 cluster will include a museum, a commercial and artisanal village, and social and environmental infrastructure aimed at improving the region’s attractiveness.