Kingdom
Youssef Melehi, An Expressive and Luminous Architecture
His works stand out for the fluidity of forms and especially the emphasis on natural light. As if to reflect a creative Morocco looking towards the future.
Born in Madrid to artist parents, Youssef Melehi grew up in Assilah. In 1983, he earned his DPLG architect diploma from the École des Beaux-Arts d’Architecture in Paris, followed by a master’s degree from Georgia Tech University in the United States.
In 1989, he received the Young Arab Architect Award and was nominated for the Aga Khan Award for his patio houses in Assilah. After collaborating with architect Henri Tastemain, he opened his own firm in 1990 in the administrative capital of the Kingdom.
Heir to an artistic sensibility, the son of the late renowned painter Mohamed Melehi grounds his work in expressive and luminous architecture. His projects distinguish themselves by fluid forms and especially by the place given to natural light. As if to mirror a creative Morocco oriented toward the future.
The Architect of Railway Stations
Essential aspects subtly present in his works, particularly in his favored domain: railway stations. The new Rabat-Ville station (250 million dirhams) serves as a locomotive in his long list of projects.
The future LGV station in Hay Riad (187 million dirhams), which will serve the Moulay Abdellah sports complex, also bears the marks of his firm Melehi Architectes. The LGV stations in Rabat-Agdal, Tangier, and Marrakech likewise bear his signature.
Sanitary infrastructure is also within his expertise. On the list is the Mohammed V military hospital in Rabat, which earned him the Grand Architecture Prize of Morocco, hospitals in Marrakech and Oujda, as well as the future University Hospital Center (CHU) of Laâyoune (910 million dirhams). The Grand Theater of Agadir (365 million dirhams) also carries his signature.
