Architect Christian de Portzamparc is a leading designer and urban planner who studied architecture in Paris and New York. Portzamparc became well known for his designs of the rue des Hautes Formes in Paris and a large-scale project for François Mitterrand called the City of Music in 1995. It consisted of music halls of different sizes and a music museum. The draw towards the arts comes from his enduring passion for music and has led him to participate in several series of music and dance-related architectural competitions prompting awards and spectacular architecture. His style is marked with distractive features such as bold designs that stem from being a watercolor painter. Most of his work is concentrated on concert halls, opera, philharmonies and urban planning.

One of the most recent projects is the Great Theater of Casablanca. It is the largest theater in Africa at 20,245 sq.m. The interior consists of a multipurpose hall with a flexible theater, an amplified music room, public rehearsal rooms, special events rooms, shops, restaurant, café, cyberspace, space for reading, a library, showroom and an art gallery. The exterior is a simple white façade with a large entry point providing shade from the sun and can be turned into an exterior stage. A fluid ensemble that is inviting to visitors and leads to a large public gallery formed from curved red staff pillars. The structure utilizes natural light from above and on the sides with open walkways. 

“Gives a complementary twist to classical composition”