Since its launch 26 years ago, Euromediterrannée (to give it its full name) has completely changed Marseille’s image. The first tranche comprised a major business district with 720,000m2 of office space. The second tranche, north of the first and due for completion in 2030, will be an attractive, productive, comfortable area with excellent amenities and infrastructure and no shortage of housing. It will include more homes than offices, boasting 10,000 new housing units, 25,000 new jobs (8000 already created), a park of over 20 hectares, an international school campus from 1st grade to 12th, and more besides.
THE PROGRAMME FOR 2022
This year will mainly be tied up with paperwork and permits, but the city skyline is still changing. The last of the six Smartseille 1 buildings will be delivered thi year. Their 58,000m2 showcase the overall project’s ambition for sustainability (green design, low-carbon building methods, eco-responsible and recycled materials, low-energy buildings with a seawater-powered heating network, reduced soil sealing, grassed and wooded areas, etc.). Work is under way in several areas, promising plenty of green space, and consultations are ongoing for redevelopment of the Cazemajou area among others.
Laure Agnès Caradec, head of town planning for the Marseille metro area and boss of the Euromediterrannée development authority, knows that infrastructure is key. That includes roads, new parks, more greenery in general and new approaches to transport, energy, materials and urban services. The scale of the development gives room for experimenting. And projects are taking lifestyle changes into account: the trend to short supply chains, the spread of teleworking and reduced travel, the need for more outdoor space and flexible home design. Paradoxically, the home working trend has not reduced demand for office space: only 4.5% of office space in Marseille is vacant.
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