Mediterranean architecture inspired by local tradition.
Located between the historic town and the port, the Marenda-Lacan district occupies a strategic urban location in Antibes.
Over time, the Place des Martyrs de la Résistance and its extension had become a poorly used area, occupied underground by a vast parking lot that gave an impression of incompleteness, of a missing link.
The urban proposal made it possible to reweave the various nearby contexts, reconnect the road network, and restore coherence and continuity to the whole. It also includes many different places: from the fast city to the slow city, from the mineral to the vegetal, multiplying the routes between public spaces and the heart of the block. The different scales of the project are based on those of the neighborhood, addressing passersby as much as residents, with both close-up and distant views.
The large central block contains a secret garden with palm trees and lush vegetation at its heart, an island of calm and coolness awaiting residents and visitors who want to escape the heat and hustle and bustle of the city.
However, any new building must be in harmony with the poetry and character of the place, particularly when it is marked by a strong but fragile historical identity. A clumsy architectural intervention can destroy this picturesque continuity. As architects, our role is to know when to step back, to refrain from making a rash gesture that will have lasting consequences on the balance and beauty of the site.
We therefore opted for a layout and a choice of volumes, architectures, and materials drawn from the local and vernacular culture and context.
Based on surveys of typical buildings in Antibes, we created a catalog of architectural components that includes proportions, rhythms of openings, shutters, lime plaster, colors, frames, baseboards, tiles, cornices, balconies, railings, metalwork, storefronts, signage, etc.
All these elements constitute a rich vocabulary of possibilities and combinations that can be adapted to contemporary design.
At the heart of the block, another world emerges—one shaped by contemporary uses, especially the fluidity between indoor and outdoor spaces, expressed through large, continuous terraces protected by sliding shutters.
These architectural expressions reveal familiar silhouettes and evoke a sense of timelessness, as though they had always been part of the site.
