Architect: Foster + Partners
Location: Vieux Port, Marseille, France
Vieux Port, photo: Nigel Young, Foster + Partners
For
many years, the harbour basin of Marseille’s Vieux-Port was separated
from the old town by a multilane street. With the redesign of the
shoreline promenade, the historical heart of the city was made more
accessible. In order to keep the quay walls free, technical
installations and small service buildings are now located on platforms
in the water. Traffic flow was also reorganized, allowing the street to
be narrowed to two lanes. The resulting generous, unobtrusive and subtly
distinctive space, measuring around 100,000 m², quickly developed into a
popular piazza.
On
the eastern edge of the harbour basin, a light roof seems to float
above the square.This 46m x 22m pavilion serves as shelter from both
sun and rain; moreover, it is a fascinating architectural folly. Clad in
highly reflective stainless steel, the underside reflects all the
goings-on and intensifies the ever-changing light.
Eight
tubular steel props 12 metres apart support a framework made of steel
profiles. The rib-like joists forming the substructure of the roof
elements are attached to this frame. The supports, which have a diameter
of only 27 cm for their six metres of graceful height, are clamped at
the foot end and rigidly screwed to the frame with a welded headpiece.
Sandwich
panels consisting of stainless steel sheets filled with XPS foam board
have been fixed to both the upper surface and underside of the roof. The
roof’s edge, perceptible only as a fine line, reinforces the pavilion’s
immaterial effect.
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