La Marseillaise, a tower symbolising excellence

With its feet in the water and its head in the sun, the La Marseillaise tower embodies the architectural renewal of Marseilles. At 135 metres high, it is one of the most striking buildings in Marseille’s urban landscape and is playing an active role in the transformation of the Euroméditerranée business district.

A unique architectural signature

Conceived by world-renowned architect Jean Nouvel, La Marseillaise was designed to blend into the landscape. Its 30 shades of blue-white-red give it the unique ability to change colour depending on the time of day or the viewer’s perspective. Its designer likes to describe it as “a watercolour, a draught, a building that’s a bit of a chameleon”.

Its shades of colour conceal an innovative fibre-reinforced concrete framework designed to withstand considerable stress. Its clean lines and lightness contrast with the dark colour and clean lines of the CMA CGM tower.

La Marseillaise offers modern, innovative office space. Its 17,000 m² of glass roofs let in plenty of natural light, providing optimal working conditions. The 3,500 brise-soleils maintain a pleasant temperature and limit the use of air conditioning. The green roof terrace, planted with Mediterranean species, offers one of the best views of Marseille.

The building is also based on eco-responsible construction principles, optimising its energy consumption and limiting its carbon footprint.

A pillar of development for the Euroméditerranée district

The La Marseillaise tower, a key component of the Euroméditerranée urban redevelopment project, is a vital part of the drive to modernise Marseille’s coastline. In just a few decades, the Joliette district, once characterised by its port activity, has been transformed into an attractive economic hub where offices, housing and cultural facilities rub shoulders.

As the city’s second skyscraper after the CMA CGM tower, La Marseillaise has contributed to the emergence of an emblematic skyline, complemented by other major buildings such as the Porte Bleue and the Mirabeau tower.

In addition to its architectural role, the building also contributes to the economic influence of the city. It is home to major companies and institutions, consolidating Marseille’s appeal to investors and the business community. Haribo, Sodexo, Orange, the Caisse d’Épargne, the World Trade Center Marseille Provence and Constructa, among other companies, were among the first occupants of the premises.

The offices can be opened up and laid out to suit individual needs. La Marseillaise also offers excellent services to its tenants, with several restaurants, a crèche and a concierge service providing services to employees.

A tower in the image of Marseille

La Marseillaise is not only a remarkable building, it also embodies the identity and soul of the city. Its name, a tribute to the national anthem, symbolises Marseille’s dynamism and openness to the world. Its shades of colour reflect the diversity and effervescence of the city, evoking the blue of the sky and sea, the white of the sea foam and the red of the roofs in the Panier district.

Its innovative architecture reflects a desire to bring Marseilles into the 21st century without denying its heritage. A true link between tradition and modernity, the tower is an essential landmark in Marseille’s urban landscape and a strong marker of the city’s architectural renewal.

Synonymous with environmental excellence, La Marseillaise also underlines the commitment of France’s second-largest city to a sustainable, eco-responsible approach to the challenges of the 21st century. In particular, the premises are heated and cooled using marine geothermal energy, an innovative technology that uses water from the Mediterranean as a clean, renewable source of energy.

The building designed by Jean Nouvel was voted the second most beautiful skyscraper in the world at the 2019 Skyscraper Awards. Emporis, the organiser of the awards, was impressed by the building’s aesthetics and environmental performance. A well-deserved accolade!

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