Located in the heart of the Parc National des Calanques, the Camargo Foundation is currently exploring the key issues of diversity, inclusivity and our relationship with living things. These are the questions that inspire new ways of inhabiting our planet and thinking together about ecological and social change. The heritage that shapes the Camargo Foundation is both its resource and its point of reference, supporting the writing of a new page in its history. By combining conservation and enhancement, the Foundation reveals the deep links between thought, creation and the built, natural and human environment, affirming their essential cultural dimension.

In 2018, the Camargo Foundation was awarded the 'Maison des Illustres' label by the French Ministry of Culture. Today, its four buildings include thirteen apartments, a 400-seat amphitheatre, a 5,000-volume reference library, a music conference room, a music studio, a visual arts studio and several indoor and outdoor spaces for meetings and workshops.

Natural heritage: an innovative approach to gardens

Overlooking the Mediterranean, Cap Canaille and the port of Cassis, the gardens are omnipresent and link the spaces together. They offer a balance between open esplanades and contemplative corners, emphasising the harmony of the site and its inextricable link with the landscape. As part of this approach, the Foundation also takes climate change issues into account, notably through collaborations with the Parc national des Calanques, such as the Invisible series by photographer Nicolas Floc'h, which will explore the park's underwater landscapes in 2018.

Since 2015, the Camargo Foundation has been committed to the ecological management of its gardens, in harmony with the Mediterranean landscape and its natural environment. With the expertise of Gilles Clément, landscape designers from the Coloco agency and botanist Véronique Mure, a gradual transformation has begun. This partnership took on a new dimension in 2020 : an overall diagnosis of the gardens defined key principles such as reducing external inputs, phasing out irrigation, composting and moving towards a gardening approach focused on supporting living things. Every spring and autumn, collective gardening projects bring together residents, staff, gardeners and landscapers, reinforcing a shared vision of the garden as a living, central element of the Camargo Foundation. Since 2021, this approach has transformed the way the site is used and perceived.

• Read (in french) the interview with Mathieu Régent, general manager of the Camargo Foundation, for the Arsud website, Référentiel Écolo, which lists a range of innovative initiatives linking art and ecology.
• Watch (in french)  the presentation of the Calanques National Park Underwater Landscape Plan organized at the Camargo Foundation, in partnership with the French Landscape Federation and the Calanques National Park.

Intangible heritage: initiating an architectural and cultural approach.

The Camargo Foundation places the intangible heritage at the heart of its project, in order to preserve and transmit the rich history of the site, from Jerome Hill to the present day. The Foundation maintains a collection of works and archives that is regularly updated thanks to a major effort to collect testimonies, stories and archives involving residents, visitors, the people of Cassis and partners. This approach documents both the past history and the present residency in order to stimulate creation and research.

A tangible heritage: architecture in harmony with the land

The buildings, gardens and spaces of the Camargo Foundation are at the heart of its mission. Over the decades, certain architectural lines have faded and adaptations are needed in response to climate change, the new needs of residents and current regulations. A process of reflection began in 2014 and was recognised in 2018 by the Maison des Illustres label, which acknowledges the legacy of Jerome Hill.
In 2020, an in-depth analysis and management plan was drawn up with the architectural firm Fabrica Traceorum and the landscape design team Coloco. They highlighted the need to rediscover the spirit of Jerome Hill: sobriety and quality of spaces, with the use of local materials and including consideration of furniture, lighting, accessibility and adapted facilities, particularly for the oldest elements of the site, dating from the 19th century.