At Le Lavandou, Hôtel Les Roches is reborn under the pen of PietriArchitectes. Entirely rebuilt, the establishment blends seamlessly into the slope, the rock, and the sea—so much so that it gives the impression of having always been there. The technical complexity disappears behind the natural evidence of the site.
Built in the 1930s, the hotel was part of the rise of Mediterranean resort culture. Enlarged in the 1950s and then the 1980s, it gradually lost its unity. Left abandoned, it was acquired in 2009 by a family-owned hotel group convinced of its potential. The project was not intended to erase its history but to offer a contemporary reinterpretation, reconciling memory, hospitality standards, and architectural ambition.
Set in a bay of the Peire Gouerbe calanques, the site contained a founding element: a vaulted stone structure, almost troglodytic, descending to the sea. This mineral base inspired the design. The agency chose to rebuild around two superimposed worlds: a protective, massive base and fragmented, luminous upper volumes.
The base, dug into the slope and clad in Bormes stone, houses the rooms closest to the water. Vaulted and open to the horizon, they evoke boat cabins as much as archaic caves. This level also provides stability against the elements and supports a horizontal platform gathering reception, restaurant, pool, and communal spaces.
Above, the hotel is broken down into four distinct volumes, separated by vegetated gaps. These interstices let Mediterranean light and vegetation flow through, filtering views and linking architecture with landscape. Planted roofs and terraces extend this continuity, erasing the boundaries between building and site.
The architectural language of the upper level emphasizes lightness. Solar overhangs and balconies in ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete, perforated with rounded motifs, filter the sunlight and project shifting shadows onto the façades. As much technical as ornamental, this sculpted concrete reflects a contemporary approach to sun and privacy.
This apparent simplicity rests on great constructive precision. The steeply sloping site, constrained by topography and exposure to the sea, required a design of autonomous elements interlocked into the incline. Each volume was carefully adjusted, following a logic of assembly that avoids any sense of artificiality.
Locally quarried Bormes stone forms the foundation of the project. Raw yet rigorously crafted, this material anchors the hotel within the site’s geology and affirms its relationship with time. In contrast, the ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete lightens the façades and creates a luminous vibration. Between massive minerality and technical lightness, the structural and aesthetic dialogue unfolds throughout the entire project.
