Project 03 • Anfa, Casablanca • 2024

Invisible Store

Heated glass gallery in Casablanca

Commercial interior

Design Approach

Concept study • climate figures are illustrative design assumptions, not measured data

A retail concept that shifts the display to the digital layer and uses the building itself to regulate climate.

A store in Casablanca does not need to warehouse products to sell them. In a digital retail model, the architecture becomes the interface: the entire ground floor is a glass gallery that can shift from public showroom to private consultation room in moments. The glass envelope is designed to change state with electric current, switching between transparent and diffuse without any heavy partition system. That lets the space adapt to customer flow, privacy, and daylight without turning the interior into a fixed, box-like retail shell. The other part of the concept is thermal recovery. The servers and screens that deliver the digital products also produce heat, and that heat is not discarded. It is captured and circulated through a low-temperature radiant floor so the store remains comfortable even in cooler winter mornings.

0 m²physical storage area required

InCasablanca,retailspaceisexpensiveandthecostofstoringanddisplayinginventoryishigh.Thisconceptremovesthewarehousefromtheequation.Insteadofshelvesandbackrooms,thespacebecomesaflexibleglassgallerywhereproductsareshowndigitallyandthearchitecturedoestheworkofpresentation.

Plate 01 • The liquid cooling tower that heats the floor[Expand Plate]

12 msglass privacy switch speed

Theenvelopeusesswitchableglassratherthanpermanentpartitions.Whentheelectricalstatechanges,thepanesmovefromtransparenttodiffusedinafractionofasecond.Thatallowsthesameroomtofeelopenandpublicorintimateandprivatewithoutbuildingasecondwallsystemthatconsumesspaceandenergy.

Plate 02 • The smart glass panels switching to frosted privacy mode[Expand Plate]

100%server waste heat recovered

Thedigitalsystemsthatrunthestoregenerateheatcontinuously.Mostcommercialinteriorstreatthatheataswasteandpushitoutsidethroughfansandexhaust.Thisproposaldoestheopposite:itcapturesthewasteheatinaliquidloopandrecirculatesitintothebuildingfabric,whereitcanbecomeusefulinsteadofexhaustingaway.

35°Cwarm water loop in the floor

Thecapturedheatispushedthroughpipesembeddedintheconcreteslabsotheflooritselfbecomesaradiantsurface.Incooler,humidmorningsinCasablanca,thepublicspaceremainscomfortablewithoutanoversizedheatingsystemoraseparateenergyloadfromthestorefront.

Plate 03 • Detail of the glass fin joints and hidden cables[Expand Plate]