Mareterra seen as an “innovation laboratory” by BBC Afrique
Mareterra, inaugurated last December after six years of construction, represents an investment of €2 billion to create 6 hectares of additional land © Arianna Minghetti Melani via Messenger
BBC News Africa devoted a long report to the new Mareterra district, presenting the project as a remarkable technical and architectural feat.
The article focuses in particular on the innovative aspect of Monaco’s territorial extension. It describes the project as a remarkable example of maritime engineering and details the complex system of 18 ‘giant caissons’ and ‘Jarlan chambers’ that protect the area from Mediterranean storms. The media outlet places particular emphasis on the successful integration of the neighbourhood, noting that “the district blended in so perfectly with the surrounding landscape that it was hard to remember that just six months ago it was still a building site.”
BBC Afrique pays close attention to environmental concerns, in particular in an interview with oceanologist Sylvie Gobert, who explains the “innovative technique” of transplanting Posidonia oceanica.
However, BBC Afrique is also critical at times, questioning the “real necessity” for the project despite its stated “ecological ambitions.” It stresses that property prices start at 100,000 euros per square metre and that no housing has been set aside for Monegasques, questioning the real impact on the Principality’s housing problems.
The BBC concludes by describing Monaco as an “innovation laboratory” for future coastal cities, quoting Nancy Heslin, who says that “for Prince Albert II, without construction, the country would come to a standstill,” and Guy Thomas Levy-Soussan, who sees the Principality as a “laboratory for this type of innovation.” The general tone of the report maintains an Anglo-Saxon balance between technical admiration and critical questioning, and offers a nuanced outside perspective on the iconic project.