MUCEM

Located at the prow of the J4, this emblematic development of the Cité de la Méditerranée is the first time the French government has created a large national museum outside Paris. The museum is home to the collections from the former museum of folk art and the museum of man. It will be dedicated to portraying the similarities and differences of what is shared and what is unique among the civilizations and cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean.

A new museography has been created, based on a permanent reference exhibition, temporary exhibitions addressing major societal concerns, a Forum and a cultural centre in relation to the other public facilities of the Cité de la Méditerranée.

An international architecture competition was launched by the Minister of Culture in June 2002; the jury selected the project by Rudy Ricciotti’s / Roland Carta’s teams.

The building is characterised by a parallelepipedic volume, with a 72 m side square footprint. It is surrounded by a perforated concrete mesh, on the model of a marine rock.

The MuCEM comprises two buildings: Fort Saint-Jean, rehabilitated and which houses temporary exhibitions, and the new building on the J4 esplanade which houses permanent and temporary exhibitions. These two buildings are linked by a pedestrian walkway perched above the dock.