Land is becoming scarce and existing buildings are aging. The city of Marseille, which has embarked on a vast plan of action, is seeing some of the most emblematic buildings in its landscape rehabilitated. In particular, this has led to the emergence of the complex operation, led by the private project owner VIRGIL, of the pedestrian Rue Saint-Ferréol for CARI Méd, a historic shopping street in the heart of the city where building a new building complex would have been unrealistic. The constraints of access, size and timetables in this district necessarily led to the complete renovation of a building complex.
PROJECT DELIVERED IN MARCH 2020
The project consisted in the creation of 7 levels with shops, apartments and a rooftop restaurant in the former “Galeries Lafayette”. The project included refurbishing the existing steel structure to bring it up to standard, illuminating the heart of the building by creating a central patio and large glass roofs, and enhancing the building's architectural signature by refurbishing the art deco facades under the supervision of the Architectes des Bâtiments de France.
The site took a logistical gamble by installing: suspended decking under the R+6 framework (enabling work to be carried out simultaneously on the renovation of the R+7 framework and on the structural work/demolition of the lower levels), a central lift (in place of a tower crane) under the decking, a self-contained concrete pump offering great production flexibility, hoists for evacuating cable-cut concrete structures (widening of the patio) and demolition robots to meet site deadlines.