Marseille, European Capital of Culture 2013, justifying its title, continues to delight with significant projects: the construction of Cuma complements the Norman Foster Old Port Pavilion, Stefano Boeri's Villa Méditerranée International Center and Rudy Ricciotti's MUCEM Museum, which opened this year.
The new building on rue Vincent Blanc is intended for the Regional Foundation for Contemporary Art (FRAC) of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. This organization exists in all regions of France and is engaged in collecting, promoting and educational activities in the field of contemporary art. The state fund manages the third largest and most important collection of works of the 20th and 21st centuries in the country.
The construction of the new museum building took about 5 years and cost 17.5 million euros. It is indicative that in the conditions of a not very favorable economic situation, local authorities went to such expenses in order to demonstrate their support for young artists.
A relatively small building - its area of 5750 m2 - consists of two connected volumes. The larger one stretching along the street contains areas for permanent and temporary exhibitions, an information center, artists' studios and administrative offices.
The small, angular and therefore “wedge-shaped” tower contains an experimental stage and a children's educational center. In the middle of the tower, there is a terrace open to the urban space, where you can have a snack, drink coffee or just take a break.
Between the two blocks there is a connecting link in the form of a complex system of suspended pedestrian bridges, which form a kind of single "path", eventually leading to the roof-terrace. Also, both parts of the building are connected by a common lobby.
This entire structure is wrapped over the concrete facades with a "blanket" of 1,500 panels located at different angles. These panels of recycled glass (63x126 cm) give the building a trendy “pixelated” look.
