Contemporary architecture
A journey between history and modernityExploring the contemporary landscape
In Toulon as in La Seyne-sur-Mer, wherever you look, architecture bears witness to major historical events, to a change in the art of living, to a desire to modernize everyday life and technology. From yesterday to today, here’s an overview of buildings and sites with remarkable contemporary architecture, ideal for themed visits during your stay.
The frontale
Toulon, the port
Bombed by the Allies in 1944 and declared a disaster area, Toulon undertook extensive reconstruction work after the Second World War. As early as 1950, urban architect Jean de Mailly proposed an architectural project in line with the innovative Modern Movement of the time. With its four blocks of six-storey buildings set on stilts, the frontage gives a view of the harbor quays and the harbor from the Avenue de la République that runs alongside it. A real architectural curiosity, it allows strollers to stroll along the port and enjoy the terraces of cafés and restaurants in complete peace and quiet.
The media library
Toulon, Chalucet district
In the heart of the Chalucet district, in the extension of the Alexandre1er garden and adjoining the Chapelle de la Charité – both listed historic monuments – the ultra-modern mediatheque is one of Toulon’s leading cultural venues. Spanning five levels, the light-filled, uncluttered spaces invite you to enjoy the tranquility so conducive to creativity, reflection and reading. Designed by architect Corinne Vezzoni and inaugurated in 2020, the new multimedia library houses the Beaux-Arts library, a cinema, a video games room, a cultural café, an auditorium and year-round cultural events.
Port Marchand swimming pool
Toulon, Mourillon district
Built between 1970 and 1972 by the architect Alfred Henri and awarded the “Patrimoine du XXe siècle” label, the elegant Port Marchand swimming pool overlooks the Toulon harbor. The nautical complex houses a diving pool and an Olympic-size pool, whose large windows open onto the sea. Its slender appearance, earthenware decorations and mix of vaulted ceilings and strict lines make it a seventies architectural jewel, a real eye-catcher when you see it from the sea.
“In the heart of the city, the Port Marchand swimming pool is more than just a facility, more than just architecture, it’s a poetic place where you can find a piece of Toulon’s soul and culture. Source : C. Dupla – French Ministry of Culture
The former Caisse d’Épargne building
Toulon, downtown
Located in the upper town, overlooking the Place de la Liberté, the former Caisse d’Épargne building, erected between 1965 and 1969, has been awarded the “Patrimoine du XXe siècle” label. It consists of two superimposed volumes: one housing the OKKO hotel since 2020, and the other, a nine-storey tower with glazed peripheral balconies, dedicated to private housing. With its remarkable physiognomy, the building embodies a Mediterranean modernity that blends harmoniously with the surrounding Haussmann architecture.
Galeries Lafayette building
Toulon, downtown
Located at the corner of rue Pastoureau and boulevard de Strasbourg – which marks the architectural boundary between the historic heart and the contemporary city – the Dames de France building was inaugurated in 1912, in the tradition of the department stores in vogue at the time. Completely destroyed during the Second World War, the store was reborn in 1951: with its liner-like appearance and curved façade covered in marble and beige tiles, it is a symbol of Toulon’s history and modernity.
Institut Ingémedia
Toulon, downtown
The centerpiece of the Porte d’Italie campus, combining the buildings of the Faculty of Law and the Maison du Numérique, inaugurated in the 90s, the Ingémedia Institute opened its doors in 2014. Designed by the Nicolas Michelin et associés agency, the architectural complex, built as an extension of the city’s ramparts, comprises a two-storey base topped by three five-storey cubic blocks. Topped with solar chimneys and linked by a system of aerial walkways, the transparent volumes open onto hanging gardens in the heart of the city.
Levant Bridge
La Seyne-sur-Mer, the port
The Pont Levant is a vestige of La Seyne-sur-Mer’s shipbuilding past. Built in 1917 by the Daydé company, its clever tilting system allows it to cross the harbor, linking the station to the site of the former shipyards and facilitating the supply of goods. Listed as a Historic Monument, this metal giant is now stabilized in a vertical position. A veritable panoramic belvedere (40 meters), you can admire Europe’s most beautiful harbor from its summit.
Villa Sylvacanne
La Seyne-sur-Mer, Tamaris
In the Tamaris district, overlooking the Bay of Lazaret, the Villa Sylvacanne is a residential villa with a Modern Movement aesthetic. It was built in 1939 by Robert Rougeul, an arts et manufactures engineer and director of the Port-de-Bouc shipyards. With tiered roof terraces, a cubist garden, controlled geometry and, at the rear, a wind tower designed to pump groundwater, this house with its white facades takes on the shape of an ocean liner. Privately owned, this house is not open to the public. You can see it as you stroll along the Tamaris corniche.
The hamlet of Les Sablettes
La Seyne-sur-Mer, Les Sablettes
After the bombardments of the Second World War, only a few buildings in Les Sablettes, such as the Grand Hôtel and a few villas, were preserved. In 1950, architect Fernand Pouillon was chosen by the government to breathe new life into the hamlet. Construction began on housing, stores and hotels, as well as public amenities such as the Charcot promenade and stairways to the beach. Its neo-Provençal style, based on stone and noble materials, was the very opposite of the architectural trends of the day, and served as a model for many of the Mediterranean seaside resorts built thereafter.
Les Beaux-Arts
Toulon, Chalucet district
A “totem” building in the Chalucet district, designed by architect Corinne Vezzoni as a great contemporary sculpture, this white concrete vessel is distinguished by its two volumes. Its slender, pointed base runs along avenue Rageot-de-la-Touche and supports a sloping 10-storey building at the corner of rue Chalucet and boulevard Toesca. Now an iconic building in the Toulon landscape, it is immediately visible from the station and surrounding streets: its façade, incised with strips of glass, perfectly masters the interior light of the site. This mineral building, offering an atypical view of the city and hills, is home to the École Supérieure d’Art et de Design, TVT Innovation and a business incubator.