The architecture of the Iconic Quarter
Jean-Michel Wilmotte designed the entire Iconic Quarter: four circular towers, a pedestrian promenade, a congress centre, a landscaped courtyard and a marine geothermal system. Completed between 2019 and 2022.
Jean-Michel WilmotteWilmotte at Cap d'Agde: an exceptional commission
In 2015, Kaufman & Broad and the Town of Agde commissioned Jean-Michel Wilmotte to design the future Iconic Quarter. Wilmotte is one of France's most internationally recognised architects — author of museums, public spaces and mixed-use urban projects across Europe and Asia.
For Cap d'Agde, Wilmotte proposed a coherent vision: a fully pedestrianised quarter, organised around a central promenade, with buildings featuring contemporary Mediterranean architecture. Mediterranean references are present in the materials (stone, white), the colours (beige, ochre, off-white) and the spaces (inner courtyard, terraces, fountains).
Key architectural elements
The four circular towers
The Iconic Quarter's visual signature. Four cylindrical buildings in natural stone and white, between 8 and 12 storeys tall. Their circular form gives each apartment an optimised orientation with unobstructed views of the sea or the landscaped inner courtyard.
The landscaped inner courtyard
At the heart of the architectural composition, a courtyard planted with Mediterranean trees (olive, tamarisk, oleander) houses the communal pool and relaxation areas. A protected breathing space at the heart of a dense neighbourhood.
The Rambla du Soleil
The neighbourhood's central public space, designed by Wilmotte as a Mediterranean-scale pedestrian promenade: wide avenues, regularly planted trees, steel and stone street furniture, fountains. All commercial activity opens onto this space.
The Congress Centre
Inaugurated in April 2019. Sober architecture in off-white and glass. Panoramic room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Mediterranean. One of the landmark buildings of the project.
Marine geothermal energy
One of the least visible but most innovative aspects of the Iconic project: the neighbourhood is equipped with a marine geothermal system. Thermal exchangers installed at sea supply energy to part of the buildings — one of the first applications of this type at this scale in Mediterranean France.