FROM THE FRAC TO THE SILOo

Let's take a stroll through the Euroméditerranée district, the largest urban redevelopment in Southern Europe, which, over the last decade and a half, has been transforming former port brownfields into a true 21st-century Mediterranean city. The objectives are to reconnect the port to the city, extend the downtown core northwards, and create an interface with the surrounding neighbourhoods - and the metropolis beyond. A showcase for Marseille, this area is a major site of experimentation encompassing regional and international architectural trends.



FRAC < > Silo le FRAC Le Marceau Gymnase Ruffi  Résidence Fonscolombe Résidence de tourisme Ruffi  Tour CMA-CGM Les archives départementales Le SILO
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Résidence de Tourisme Résidence de Tourisme Résidence de Tourisme Résidence de Tourisme

The Résidence de tourisme

Variations on a Facade

A reference to 1920s New York architecture, this building now stands at the entrance of Marseille from the coastline highway. Looking closer, the quality of the detailing reveals the project's mastery, The hospitality aspect is asserted, displaying a continuity that eschews mimicry. "We had to deal with the fact that the 200 rooms were absolutely identical. (…) So, we set out to create the illusion of movement" explains Stéphane Fernandez. To circumvent rigid uniformity, kinetics were invoked. The windows remain rigorously aligned, but the varying prefabricated frames blur the repetitiveness of the facade: "we sought out to express a diversity that did not exist." Light was given special attention: "we purposely put in larger opening on the lower floors". The texture of the sand-grey coated concrete cladding is also of note: "we wanted to preserve the site's identity (…) We're not dealing with the notion of simplicity. We're dealing with urban production. By choosing this specific colour, we wanted to avoid negating a past that was almost entirely demolished. The building, first and foremost, expresses the idea of industry and repetition". The Résidence's general aspect thus echoes the appearance of the port's buildings, and of the Silo, just a few metres away.
Architect:
Atelier Fernandez Serres
Year : 2013
Type : housing
Address :
118 rue de Ruffi, 13002 Marseille
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