Dean Keynote Speaker At Conference to Commemorate American Presence In Morocco

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Bruno B. Freschi, dean of the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning, was the keynote speaker at the Tangier American Legation Museum Society conference last month that marked the 200-year anniversary of American diplomatic presence in Morocco.

The celebration, entitled "The Legacy and the Promise," was based on an attempt to establish a future new city on the Moroccan end of the Gibraltar Strait.

The address by Freschi, an advocate of urbanization and expert in urban planning and architecture, was titled, "Restoring the Great Cities: Lessons I Have Learned and How They Apply to Tangier."

The conference was organized by the Tangier American Legation Museum Society in cooperation with the Morocco-United States Council for Trade and Investment under the patronage of Moroccan Prince Sidi Mohammed. It celebrated the prospect of Moroccan-American cooperation in the preservation and development of Morocco's northern region, while seeking to expand further collaborations to bring new economic life, technology, trade and investment to the region through American-Moroccan cooperation.

A Canadian citizen from British Columbia, Freschi was appointed to the Order of Canada, the highest honor awarded by the Canadian government, in 1987 for his outstanding contributions to architecture, scholarship and education.

He is renowned as the award-winning chief architect of Vancouver's $1.5 billion Expo '86 and designer of the $15 million Jamatkhana mosque in Burnaby, both in British Columbia.

Most recently, Freschi joined Cannon, an internationally recognized, Grand-Island based design firm, as a principal to provide leadership on a variety of architecture projects. He also is working with the City of Buffalo on the waterfront redevelopment master plan.

Freschi holds fellowships with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the World Academy of Art and Science.

He resides on the West Side of Buffalo.