The villa Méditerranée < > the docks

From the J4, "Marseille's new cultural centre" to the Place de La Joliette, at the heart of the new Euroméditerranée business centre, this tour provides an understanding of the difficulties of opening the commercial port up to the city, and the solutions that were implemented.



villa Méditerranée < > les docks Villa méditerannéee la station sanitaire aménagement de la place de la Major l'évéché Villa d'Este siège de la SNCM le J1 Les docks de la Joliette
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villa Méditerranée

The Hovering Building

A"My proposition was to construct a building that would welcome the sea in, open up to it, and serve as an entrance rather than as a barrier," said Stefano Boeri about his construction, which stands on the J4 pier a stone's throw away from the MuCEM, also inaugurated in 2013. As such, half of the building is located below sea level. The other half is a gigantic cantilever hovering 40 meters above the water. Four thousand tonnes of suspended concrete and steel thus make up the world's longest inhabited cantilevered construction! The radical use of white as a cladding colour dialogue with the sea's overwhelming and diverse blue hues: the two quintessential colours of the Mediterranean are thus magnified. The reflection of the building, the cathedral, Saint-Jean fort and the Tourette, whether in the water or in the MuCEM's glass facade make for a day-or-night urban catharsis. In a bold move to bring the city's immemorial history back to the core, the building will soon house a reproduction of the famous Cosquer Cave, a remarkable paleolithic site discovered in 1991, which is inaccessible due to its entrance being 37 metres under water.
Architects :
Stefano Boeri - Ivan Di Pol
Year :2013
Type : cultural space
Address :
Quai de la Tourette - 13002 Marseille
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