Apr. 5 – The opening ceremony of La Villa Méditerranée will be held Sunday in Marseille. Thanks to the visionary architecture of Italian architects Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra, the Villa is located along the docks of Marseilles. The opening ceremony, attended by Stefano Boeri, involves the cutting of an Italian and a European ribbon as well as the unveiling of a plaque. It will be led by Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament and President of the Parliaments of the Mediterranean and Michel Vauzelle, President of the Region Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur. The inauguration will take place during the Summit of the Presidents of the Parliaments of the UfM (Union pour la Méditerranée) hosted at La Villa Mediterranée from Sunday until April 9. The “Villa Méditerranée, Centre International pour le dialogue et les échanges en Méditerranée” is a 2004 project developed by Stefano Boeri, Gianandrea Barreca and Giovanni La Varra (now in separate studies) and is a multifunctional building of about 9000m2, situated on the banks of the historic French port city. It will host cultural events, research and documentation spaces on the Mediterranean. The new building is reminiscent of the concept buildings developed by SBA – Stefano Boeri Architects – in La Maddalena, built on the occasion of the G8.
