Azuréa: a bright tertiary program for Marseille

In the Saumaty ZAC, at 660 chemin du Littoral, the AZUREA project offers 8,060 sq.m. of office space on five levels facing the sea, with more than 1,500 sq.m. of floor area per floor. The building has 46 outdoor parking spaces and 187 underground parking spaces spread over 3 levels with a ratio of 1 space per 34 m². Terraces and balconies on all floors with a view of the harbor of Marseille, facing west, will bring well-being and comfort to future occupants.

Saumaty in search of a new urbanity

The architectural challenge was to design a structure that would harmoniously reshape without radically transforming the urban fringe in which it is located, a strip of vegetated embankment bordering the road, between small residential housing to the east and the scale of the large warehouses of the Saumaty fishing port to the west. The structure had therefore to participate in the requalification of this space by playing its role of transition. In addition, it was important that the project provide an architectural response adapted to a unique landscape feature: the site is indeed backed by the Mourepiane cliff, opening onto the bay of Marseille and offering an exceptional panorama of the coastal city.

Urban and landscape integration

Kardham's teams have therefore opted for a ground layout that clings to the slope in profile. The building thus blends into the cliff and follows its slopes from East to West, anchoring itself in the ochre earth of the site between cliff and sea. In order to optimize the surface area, to minimize ground movements and to use the slope to benefit from buried or semi-buried volumes for the parking lots in the lower part, the base of the building takes the form of a large pedestal. An architecture in reference to the theme of the cruise liner with the horizontality of the North-South building in the form of strata.

The vertical development of the building is formed of large superimposed slabs whose external extensions draw large terraces, with variable span and alignment. These terraces offer a privileged visual relationship with the sea, due west to Marseille, with a game of polarized light at sunset, which plays with the golden colored cladding. The color of the cladding helps AZUREA blend into its landscape. Finally, the building proposes to play on the variation of ambiences, colors and lights according to the hours of the day: soft light in the morning, more prominent light at midday and a wide palette of gradations at the end of the day.

Flexible, responsible offices with a view

In terms of work spaces, Kardham's teams have favored the installation of large layers in the form of strips that are superimposed on the base. The glazing between these bands offers French windows with an unobstructed view of the harbor of Marseille. Designed to accommodate 600 people, the offices are very flexible, with free interior plans designed to accommodate different types of layouts. Accessible from every floor, the terraces and balconies allow you to work in exceptional conditions and enjoy the view as well as the comfort and conviviality of the outside spaces..

Finally, the building has been designed according to a bioclimatic construction system that makes the most of the natural conditions of the site, for maximum comfort for its users. In addition, the project is part of a demanding environmental approach and plans to have a controlled energy consumption of 35% lower than the RT2012 standard.

TECHNICAL INFORMATIONS

• Location : Marseille (13)
• Project owner : LAZARD GROUP REAL ESTATE
• Partners : Kardham Ingénierie
• Mission : Complète
• Surface area : 8.060 m²
• Delivery : 2022