Port Gallice
After being substantially refurbished, Port Gallice – the marina at Juan-les-Pins designed in 1968 by the architect Guillaume Gillet – now sets an example from ecological and technological perspectives and features a promenade between town and sea.
Lucas Monsaingeon, Project director
Germaine de Bazelaire, Project manager
OGI, Civil engineering
Alto ingénierie, MEP engineering
Atelier Masse, Structural engineering
Tout se transforme, Landscape architect
Mazet et associés, Economist
Intégral Ruedi Baur, Signage and wayfinding
Les Éclaireurs, Lighting design
New construction of two pavilions
Redevelopment of the outdoor spaces
756 linear metres
378 linear metres of pontoons
436 mooring berths
Areas: Quay / jetty: 4,000 sqm
North building: 2,500 sqm GFA
Roof terrace: 3,200 sqm
43°33' N 07°06' E
A BLUE, WHITE AND GREEN PORT
Located on the Cap d'Antibes, Port Gallice faces the Lérins Islands across the bay of Golfe Juan.
Created from scratch by the architect Guillaume Gillet, the marina was built in barely a year (1967–1968) at a time – the Trente Glorieuses period – when development projects moved forward at a relentless pace. The site’s right angles feature highly regular placements of both buildings and harbour-related infrastructure and links them to each other; only the main jetty deviates this angular plan, instead featuring a protective curve that provides sailors a peaceful, permanently calm body of water separated from the sea. The result is a port that showcases a distinctly Mediterranean modernity. Its white, spare, horizontal architecture and regular rows of trees and exotic plants integrate seamlessly into the topography of the site.
The goal of the Port Gallice project was both simple and robust: to move forward on the path laid out when it was built and further develop a contemporary port focused on sailing for pleasure.
Port Gallice now sets an example in many ways. From an ecological standpoint, it gives precedence to planted spaces over mineralised ones. Newly greened flat roof terraces help insulate the buildings; ground surfaces have been de-waterproofed; trees were planted to provide shade and cooling in the car park; and rainwater is being reused. From a technological standpoint, new technologies for leisure sailors make it a hub for innovation. It sets an example for the celebration of its twentieth-century heritage, which has been substantially refurbished. And is exemplary for the straightforward pleasure you get when you arrive and walk through it, with pedestrian and vehicular uses coexisting harmoniously.
Port Gallice is now the most complete “blue, white, and green” port on the Riviera: blue for the quality of its water, white for the colour of its architecture, green for the ubiquitousness of its Mediterranean plants.