Located in the center of Marseille, directly facing the Porte d’Aix Plaza, the building complex is a new 12,500 sqm hub for higher education, integrating three institutions: the National School of Architecture of Marseille (ENSAM), the Marseille branch of the National School of Landscape (ENSP) and the Institute of Urban Planning and Regional Development (IUAR) of Aix-Marseille University.
The complex is articulated by three volumes, each defined by a programmatic typology: Ateliers, Forum, Experimentation and Research. By grouping the programmatic elements by function rather than by institution, the complex is designed to foster cross-pollination, promoting new relationships, exchanges and internal collaborations between the different institutions.
The three parts are:
The workshop center: This is a long building whose structural porticos allow a multitude of configurations depending on needs. This building, located to the north of the project, protects the rest of the Institute from the Marseille mistral.
The common center (forum, administrations, library, thesis room): It is the thickest building. It incorporates large spans in order to free up the supporting point platforms as much as possible to create generous (re)presentation spaces.
The experiment and research center is accompanied by a courtyard which can accommodate artistic or technical installations. The building is mainly designed for its capacity to accommodate significant loads in relation to the machines it houses.
Within the complex is a central Y-shaped void composed of three courtyards adjacent to the primary volumes. Alternating indoor and outdoor spaces, a feature typical of Mediterranean architecture, creates a soft interface with the urban context and allows for visual and functional exchange between the city and the inner life of the institute
. The courtyards have distinct but complementary characters; the central one, between the Ateliers and the Forum, is the most formal – it is aligned with the square and the Porte d’Aix and is adjacent to the main entrance. It is conceived to host a variety of programs (conferences, exhibitions, leisure, etc) with perimeter walkways and bridges that give it amphitheater-like properties with spectacular views. The second courtyard along the Boulevard Charles Nedelec, and adjacent to the Experimentation and Research wing, has a greenhouse with a retractable roof and acts as an informal workshop area, showcasing institutional activities and experiments. Finally, the rear courtyard hosts a dense, pine forest, bringing nature to the heart of the campus.
The exterior passageways, footbridges, squares, courtyards, platforms, terraces provide direct connections between the different centers at each level; they “innervate” the entire Institute.
