Coeur Mediterranée / Jean Paul Viguier Architecture

Architects: Jean Paul Viguier Architecture
Location: Marseille, France
Project Manager: Andres Larrain
Project Leader: Edwige Caumont
Associate Architects: Atelier 9
Structure Consultant: SETOR
Landscape: Alep
Safety Consultant: Cabinet Casso
Technical Inspection: SOCOTEC
Coordinator: Euro Pacte
Project Area: 21,000 sqm
Project Year: 2008
Photographs: Philippe Ruault

floor plan

Situated in ‘la Joliette’, between the docks and l’avenue de Dunkerque, the project is the first building in a new generation of buildings, which undertake the renewal of the ‘Euro Méditerranée’ district.

The Coeur Méditerranée building is organised round a U-shaped plan and consists of an Ibis Hotel to the south wing, a Suite Hotel to the north wing, office and commercial space on the ground floor and an underground parking providing 387 parking spaces. The building skin is wrapped around the face of the building like a continuous ribbon, which is pierced on the south facing facades by a trapezoidal motif that evokes the maritime character of the town. The north facing facades are for the most part glazed and each bedroom contains a covered loggia with a sea view. A large covered entrance links l’avenue de Dunkerque with an internal garden and allows pedestrians to freely cross the building to go down to the Docks behind. This edifice, with its pure lines is characterised by the smooth white of the concrete and the softness of its material.