The docks in the Joliette area were built in the middle of the 19th century by the architect Gustave Deplas. The four buildings stretched out in one line are exactly 365 meters long, according to the number of days a year. Their four courtyards represent the seasons, 52 doors represent the weeks, and each of the 7 floors represents one day of the week. The administration building, more intricate in its design, forms the front facade of the entire complex. In 1991, as part of a large-scale urban renewal program, the buildings, used mainly as warehouses, were reconstructed by the architect Eric Castaldi for office and retail space. The project for the first time provided for the formation of a single internal "street" from the main entrance, the expansion of window openings and the creation of skylights.
In 2009, Italians Alfonso Femia and Gianluca Peluffo won the competition to create an attractive public area in the renovated complex. According to their project, the basement and ground floors of the former docks, together with the courtyards (about 21,000 m2 in total), have been transformed into shops, cafes, restaurants and various recreation areas. A series of bright and varied spaces, strung on a long main axis, spills out into the city in two open squares. Thus, the necessary intra-city connections are created and an important interaction between the city and the sea is ensured. The project cost was 22.5 million euros.
The architects opposed the historic ornate facade of the former port administration with a metal stencil mesh from the opposite end of the complex. Light green atriums, where the architects "settled" the figurines of lizards and dragonflies, as a result, become links in a whole "chain" of squares. The abundance of natural stone, wood, mosaics and ceramics, as well as the active use of color, are intended to emphasize the undeniably Mediterranean character of the new spaces.
