Port Of Sainte – Maxime | 2024

Fabien Tran Nguyen, the lead architect of Mind Architecture, works through his projects on the envelope of buildings and especially its use on interfaces to mix different things such as public and private spaces, urbanscape and seascape, port and cities, and different materials according to their relevance on climate change.

In Sainte-Maxime, the operation program consists of restructuring the port building which includes the harbor master’s office, the commercial gallery and the restaurant within the port.

Located in the heart of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, the port once protected the city thanks to the construction of the Tour Carrée in 1520 and then regained its commercial activity. The development of the seaside resort of Sainte-Maxime led to the creation of a quay and a dike facing the Tour Carrée then, at the beginning of the 1970s, to the creation of the northern jetty to and the southern jetty. The old dike was transformed into a central mole, first hosting a parking lot then the building of the present project designed in the 1980s by architects Frédéric and Maxime Moreau. Its concrete architecture imagined in a concentric manner recalls the shape of shells.

Various needs led to the program of the operation: the harbor master’s office currently lacks space and visibility, the shopping mall lacks visibility and additional space and it is desired that the restaurant move upmarket. The building lacks legibility, waiting areas for the public and shaded spaces.

In order to bring singularity to the building so that it is a signal but also integrated into its environment, the proposed architectural approach is to create a contrast between the existing building in heavy concrete and immaterial glass extensions to seem immaterial. The architect wanted to unify the city and the port through an architecture that tells a common story, by joining both existing and new parts with a steel enveloppe.

This surface acts as a unifying mesh which fades on the sea side in order to further assert the presence of the harbor master’s office and its yacht club elevation. However, it is more present on the town side with an awning for the entrance to the restaurant and a kind of invitation to stroll along the shopping mall side.

A special pattern has been designed and laser cut in the steel. This pattern was inspired by the Art-Deco style of the city and the shape of the port (see video).

At night, the building plays the role of a lantern on the port. As a landmark, it guides the night and its warm and welcoming light invites users to wander. In a setting of midnight blue light, the building stands out and sparkles in the reflection of the water of the port. During the day, the sun reflects on the surface and provides a golden light to the building.

The architects claims that, in this under construction project, the envelope architecture constitute a game changing solution to climate change and the port-city interface issue.

Category:Mixed Use BuildingsLocation:Var, FranceArchitect: Fabien Tran Nguyen, FranceDesign Team: Fabien Tran Nguyen, Clélia NaudEngineering:Project Ingénierie Conseil, Latérale, VenathecPhotographer: Fabien Tran Nguyen, Mind Architecture