HIBAPRESS – Abdelatif Baraka
This week of November, the renovation works for Salam Cinema in the city of Agadir began, marking the start of a new phase in the journey of this building, which is one of the few survivors of the February 29, 1960 earthquake.
The project comes within the framework of a comprehensive rehabilitation program aimed at valuing the city's urban memory and equipping it to host the upcoming continental events. The first phase of the works includes the rehabilitation of the urban spaces surrounding the building, in addition to the rehabilitation of the exterior facade with its distinctive design in the shape of a "horse saddle." An estimated financial envelope of approximately 5.81 million dirhams has been allocated to this project, within the framework of a series of ongoing urban projects in preparation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, including the rehabilitation of Al-Amal Square, the "Al-Massira" bus station, and a number of squares and symbolic facilities in the city center. Reviving a rare architectural memory. Salam Cinema has special importance as it is part of the urban fabric that survived the earthquake, which makes it among the buildings that are subject to a special protection system according to the sectoral planning schemes for the city. Engineering studies confirm that its structure is still solid, which enables its reuse without affecting its architectural character. The citizen consultations launched by the territorial community also showed the residents' desire to preserve the cultural function of this space, and to enhance it as a landmark that combines the historical memory and artistic life of the city. Agadir… an open workshop for modern architecture. The rehabilitation of Salam Cinema comes within a broader vision to revive the landmarks of Agadir after the earthquake, which were designed by the pioneers of modern architecture in the sixties and seventies of the last century. These landmarks include "The Memorial Wall", prominent buildings in the city center, the central post office, the municipal market, and a group of public spaces that formed a laboratory for experimenting with new urban trends adopted by the state at the time.
