Marrakech City Council invited us to reflect – as part of a competition which we won – on the future of a prestigious urban plot that formerly hosted the Gueliz market. The result is an exemplary building, the Carré Eden, that associates density with a mixed use programme composed of a 1,000-vehicle car park, a shopping centre, a hotel, a market, and a number of residential units. Located in Marrakech, the building fulfils two functions; it is at once an expression of urban modernity and a piece in an integrated puzzle. The structure gradually builds in height by means of a number of staggered terraces planted with an abundance of flora, creating the impression of a series of hanging gardens. A complicity with traditional architecture is easily established by the use of zellij tiles on different parts of the walls. An example is provided by the monochrome tiles, decorated with a classical motif, on the arcades along avenue Mohamed-V. The hotel’s windows, its shutters, the guardrails of the residential units, and the footbridges host louvers in the style of traditional moucharabies made out of cast iron cut with water jets. The traditional spirit of the streets and passageways of the market areas of Moroccan towns is also a source of inspiration for the shopping centre’s mall. Sun protection is similar to that found in such areas, creating a subdued ambiance in what is a resolutely contemporary space.