The project by Letoublon Dupouy is located at Marseille Campus Luminy, in the National Park area, and includes the rehabilitation of a building of the late 60s, the creation of an extension and its landscaping. Made for the metropolis and destined for an advanced scientific research activity, design objectives include the complete transformation of the existing buildings to laboratories, offices, technical rooms and rest areas. The composition of the existing facades, a legacy of the 60s with its oblique louvres and sunscreen elements, imposed a strong rhythm, made of shadows, reflections and elements diffusing the dazzling light. The coronation lines and these “vertical, horizontal, oblique” rhythm effects make it possible to attenuate its massive morphology, drawing singular facades on each orientation.
MI-mAbs, Marseille, France
Program: mixed use
Architect: Letoublon Dupouy – Laure Létoublon, Christophe Monge and Sébastien Dupouy
Engineering: Sarlec
Area: 2,090 sqm
Completion: 2017
The translucent outdoor panels reinforce this desire for integration with the site. They consist of 110 different composite resin panels, hand-made in the workshop according to specific techniques, designed with abstract and plant motifs. The use of wood is very present in the project, specially in the choice of joinery, clear facades of extensions in douglas fir on the underside of the awning. The wood extends inside and accompanies the user to enter the building. It is found in floor, ceiling and furniture.
The building is largely open on the outside and offers interesting interior framing on the distant landscape, this way the nature of the park is staged. On the ground floor, nature is framed by the orthogonal lines of the building. These previously dry gardens have becomed condensed hills, set abyss of the vegetation of the park: plants adapted to heat and summer drought. The extensions are semi-buried, their extensive plant roof allows to maintain a plant continuity and to ensure a good hold of the plants. The creation of these premises is accompanied by a modeling of the slopes of the garden, in order to manage a harmonious balance between garden and building.
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