Located in the prestigious diplomatic district of Rabat, the new Royal Thai Embassy sits on a strategic site in the country’s capital. Though the initial brief was to rehabilitate an existing dilapidated villa, the architects realized that with a similar investment in time and budget, it would be preferable to demolish the existing building and construct a new one that would be better adapted to its role as an embassy.

Based on a fluid principle of circulation and access, the new Royal Thai Embassy designed by OUALALOU+CHOI presents an open and welcoming presence, from its porous boundary walls to its transparent facades. Th e building sits amidst a tropical garden which serves as the primary event space for the embassy’s many diplomatic functions.

The embassy’s wooden façade is inspired by traditional Thai architecture and Moroccan geometric woodwork patterns. The ancestral method of weaving is utilized as a means of construction (exterior walls, partitions, shading) and for various traditional objects and ornaments. The aim of this project is to blend Thai and Moroccan traditions into a harmonious whole.

Building in wood also responds to the extremely tight time constraints, and the prefabrication of the wooden façade facilitates a compressed construction schedule. Th e choice of construction material is inseparable from the building’s design and the logic behind its implementation, which aims to be swift, efficient, and ecological.