A new residential tower beside Tour Odéon
Monaco’s Annonciade/La Rousse district is set for a significant addition to its housing landscape. Meeting in an extraordinary session on 10 November, the municipal council approved the construction authorisation application for Les Lierres/Nathalie, a development planned at 19 and 49 avenue de l’Annonciade.
The architecture has been entrusted to Alexandre Giraldi. The scheme comprises 15 residential storeys, with state-owned housing at its core. Its location immediately beside Tour Odéon makes the relationship with neighbouring buildings an important part of the project, both during construction and once the tower is complete.
Beyond the new homes themselves, the plans include shops, offices, parking and links between surrounding streets. That combination gives the operation a role extending beyond a single residential address.
What the 60-apartment programme includes
Homes of several sizes
Municipal councillor Jean-Luc Puyo, who presented the project on behalf of the town hall, outlined a mix ranging from studios to larger apartments. The planned distribution is:
2 studio apartments;
29 one-bedroom apartments;
13 two-bedroom apartments;
14 three-bedroom apartments;
2 four-bedroom apartments.
One-bedroom apartments make up the largest category. The inclusion of larger homes means the programme is not limited to compact accommodation, although the source does not provide apartment floor areas or allocation arrangements.
The distinction between state-owned housing and private residential property is central here: Les Lierres/Nathalie was presented as a logements domaniaux programme, rather than a private apartment sales launch.
Shops, offices and underground parking
At ground level, two commercial units are planned, measuring 27 and 67 square metres. Six offices, to be delivered as unfinished shells, will be distributed across three mezzanine levels.
The development also includes six basement levels. The announced parking provision lists 112 spaces for light vehicles, alongside six spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility.
These elements add commercial and office uses to the residential programme. However, the businesses that might occupy the shops and offices were not identified in the announcement.
A changing site footprint
The project involves a change to the size of the plot as well as the construction of the tower. According to the figures presented to the council, the parcel currently measures 736 square metres and will reach 1,293 square metres following the planned land-status change.
The announced building footprint is 1,240 square metres, while the planted area is 265 square metres. These are separate project measurements and should not be confused with the combined floor area of the apartments.
Together, the figures describe a development with several components on a constrained urban site: residential floors, lower-level commercial and office accommodation, underground infrastructure and planted space.
An estimated four-year construction programme
The cost reported by the State to the municipality was a little over €78 million. This is the estimate cited in the project presentation, rather than a final construction account.
Work is expected to take 48 months, divided into three phases:
13 months for excavation and retaining works;
22 months for structural work and masonry;
13 months for finishing works.
The four-year duration is therefore a projected construction period. The source does not specify a start date or a calendar date for completion, so the council’s approval should not be treated as confirmation of when residents will move in.
New pedestrian and road connections
Linking avenue de l’Annonciade and boulevard du Ténao
One of the project’s notable features is a mechanised pedestrian link between avenue de l’Annonciade and boulevard du Ténao. New road access arrangements are also included.
The operation is intended to create access to the future Annonciade II site, serve Tour Odéon’s car parks and connect with the access road to L’Annonciade, the building at 17 avenue de l’Annonciade.
These connections help explain why the scheme is being described as a first step in a broader district transformation, rather than simply an isolated housing project.
Making provision for public networks
The plans must also reserve passage for public utility networks if needed, particularly the Larvotto seawater-based heating and cooling loop. This is a provision for infrastructure access; the announcement does not establish that every new apartment will be connected to that system.
What the project means for neighbours
Support for the new housing was accompanied by concerns about its immediate surroundings. Councillor Marjorie Crovetto welcomed the apartments while highlighting the effect of another tower in front of the windows of Monegasque residents living in Tour Odéon.
Councillor Georges Gambarini Grinda likewise supported the long-awaited project, while stressing the proximity of the works to homes and offices. Noise and the potential effects on traffic along boulevard du Ténao were specifically raised with the government.
The nearby children’s garden was another point of discussion. Councillors reported assurances that it would be retained during construction and protected from site disturbances as far as possible. That qualification matters: the commitment described was to preservation and mitigation, not a guarantee of disruption-free surroundings.
Architecture and the district’s next chapter
The tower’s brick colour was explained as a reference to the tiled roofs of villas formerly located in the neighbourhood. Georges Gambarini Grinda welcomed that connection to the area’s architectural past.
Les Lierres/Nathalie brings together a clear housing commitment and a more complex neighbourhood agenda: 60 state-owned homes, new access routes and a lengthy construction period beside occupied buildings. The council identified it as the first stage of a wider transformation planned for Annonciade/La Rousse.
For residents and anyone following Monaco’s housing development, the next points to watch are the construction timetable, access arrangements and measures to limit disturbance. Follow future official announcements to see how these plans progress from approval to delivery.
