Following deliberations on whether to host the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in the Palais Nikaïa or build a new conference centre in Port Lympia, it has been confirmed that the city will build a structure set to last up to 15 years in the marina.
Organisers of the UN Ocean Conference 2025 have announced that a “semi-provisional” building set to last between five and 15 years will be built in Nice’s Port Lympia.
“After hesitating, the State has finally decided that both the Blue zone, reserved for official delegations, and the Green Zone, open to the public, would be brought together in the Lympia area,” said Mayor Estrosi in comments to the Nice-Matin following the reception of an official letter from Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, French Ambassador for the Poles and the Oceans and French President Emmanuel Macron’s Special Envoy for the organisation of the major event.
Initially, an idea was floated that the Palais Nikaïa would be the epicentre of the event, but after consideration, it has been decided that it would be more practical to construct a purpose-built site in the port.
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Reports indicate that a building permit was submitted earlier in July, but what the main structure and its satellite buildings will look like is yet to be officially confirmed.
According to Mayor Estrosi, the site is “intended to last” and will have a shelf-life of five to perhaps 15 years, similar to the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris, which has been home to exhibitions in the French capital since 2021 while the Grand Palais was being given a facelift for the Olympic Games.
“This main building will remain a legacy to the people of Nice after the conference,” Estrosi told the local newspaper. “We already have reservations (for future events) for September, October and November 2025.”
This type of construction is intended to be less expensive to build than a permanent facility, as well as be more practical in terms of long-term city planning. Many purpose-built sites outlive their use and become eyesores over time, whereas this type of structure can be dismantled when its best days have passed.
The cost for the site, which will serve as the main pavilion, is being estimated at €10 million, which will be paid for by the City of Nice with the potential support of the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur (PACA) region and the Alpes-Maritimes department. The French State has agreed “to take charge of all the interior fittings”.
The price tag is expected to go up to €35 million when the satellite buildings for the summit are added in.
An estimated 30,000 representatives from governments and nations across the globe, as well as members of the media and international scientific community, are expected to attend the meeting, which will seek to generate transformative action in the name of ocean protections and sustainable ocean management.
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