Typology: Residential — Housing complex · Location: Mohammed VI Avenue, El Menzeh, Rabat, Morocco · Architects: Atelier 3H + Yamé Architecture Studio (joint venture) · Site: 4.5 ha · Program: 320 high-end apartments (94–344 m²), garden duplexes and penthouses · Status: Built
On the edge of the El Menzeh forest, along Mohammed VI Avenue in Rabat, 17 Zaer Park reinvents the residential complex as a garden city. Designed by Atelier 3H in joint venture with Yamé Architecture Studio, the project places landscape — not buildings — at the centre of the composition: 320 apartments arranged around a generous planted heart, where architecture frames nature rather than replacing it.
The architectural language is deliberately calm. White stepped volumes with deep terraces and glass balustrades dialogue with accent walls in warm beige mineral render, echoing the earthy tones of the Moroccan landscape. The staggered massing breaks down the scale of the ensemble, giving each apartment a double orientation, generous outdoor space and framed views over the gardens. Ground-floor duplexes open onto private gardens; penthouses crown the buildings with wide planted terraces beneath slatted pergolas.
Circulation through the site is entirely landscaped. A central pedestrian axis — a paved promenade with grass joints, lined with palms and layered Mediterranean beds — links the residential clusters. Covered passages, treated as shaded patios planted with tropical species, mark the thresholds between street, courtyard and home, a contemporary reading of traditional Moroccan transition spaces.
Interiors extend the same serenity: light mineral floors, warm timber joinery, fluted wood panelling and a soft, layered lighting design privileging indirect warm sources. Every living room opens onto the gardens through full-height glazing.
Beyond the plot, the project incorporates the neighbouring five-hectare forest parcel, developed with walking and cycling paths and outdoor sports facilities for residents. 17 Zaer Park thus offers a rare urban condition: the density and services of the city, and the daily experience of living in a park.
