Michel Pinseau

Michel Pinseau was a French architect who spent much of his career in Morocco and designed the country's most iconic modern building.

Morocco Connection

Pinseau designed the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca (1986–1993), the largest mosque in Africa and the third-largest in the world. Its 210-meter minaret — the world's tallest — fires a laser beam visible 30 kilometers out to sea, pointing toward Mecca. The retractable roof opens in three minutes. Built on a promontory over the Atlantic, it employed 6,000 master craftsmen working traditional techniques at industrial scale. The building is a tour de force of engineering and craft, proving that traditional Moroccan artisanship could operate at a scale previously unimaginable.

Key Works

Hassan II Mosque (Casablanca, 1986–1993)

Buildings on This Site