Pigeon racing is a sport that captivates people of all backgrounds and age groups - however, it is diminishing in popularity due to a lack of awareness. Within this sport, pigeons fly from a release point back to their lofts using their expert navigational skills and a strong sense of home. Pigeon racing is standard in Morocco, with a few lofts located in Marrakech, so this program aims to create a social hub within the heart of the medina in Marocco, for tourists and locals, to increase the popularity of the sport and heighten the sense of community within the city - hence decreasing crime rates.

In ancient Persia, pigeon excrement was collected via pigeon towers and used to fertilise crops on farmlands. Since food plays such a large role in Morrocan culture, this program aims to bring pigeon-racing viewers together through a traditional cooking school, which is powered by crops grown with pigeon waste. All the produce used in the kitchens is grown on-site in the large interior garden. The pigeons racing within this loft are sprint racers, which means that they are likely to return within a day, giving people adequate time to cook, eat and rest before the excitement of the bird arrivals.

The roof is the main component of my design. Its curves are inspired by pigeon flight paths, and break the building up into two wings: the kitchen and the café. The roof is covered in flaps that reflect solar radiation to decrease internal gains caused by the hot Moroccan sun. The roof also has sharp folds that add heightened environmental control. Load-bearing walls meet the folds to aid the structural security of the design. The kitchen is a large fluid space that is broken up by four wind catchers. This allows for flexibility in teaching methods, and class sizes and allows for collaboration between all the occupants. The wind catchers stand 5m above the roof, piercing the sky. The sport can be witnessed from surrounding residential balconies, rooftops or the terrace that spans across the building.