A visit to Athéna-Port and Athéna Residence in Bandol, France

In the beginning of the sixties Setimeg called upon the architect Jean Dubuisson (1914-2011) to design a seaside resort : Athéna Residence and Athéna Port. Dubuisson was more used to work on social housing projects such as Les Basses-Terres in Pierrefitte-Stains (1954-1966) or La Caravelle in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (1959-1967). It took more than ten years to finish the Athéna Residence and Athéna Port due to his hesitation about the project. Dubuisson’s architecture is ascetic, but the inhabitant’s comfort remains one of his priorities. The ground floor of the building that is now known as “Athéna Residence” used to be a hotel, with a restaurant and a large lobby designed by the interior architect Pierre Guariche (1926-1995). Even though spartan, the studios are well furnished. Today, many people live there, and the residence gets busier during summer. The residence includes several tennis courts, access to the sea, pools, and even a small port.

Text and photo Clovis Bataille