On Boulevard du Larvotto, a new silhouette is preparing to take its place in the skyline. Its name is Sakura, a whisper of Japan carried into the geometry of concrete.
The Deal Before the Design
Before the sketches, before the demolition dust, before the cranes, there was an exchange.
In April 2025, Monaco’s National Council approved the reallocation of a 305 m² public parcel along Boulevard du Larvotto. The land passed into private hands, entrusted to J.B. Pastor & Fils, unlocking the future “Sakura” development.
In return, the State reclaimed the plots where the former Le Prestige building once stood in the Jardin Exotique district, along with eight parking spaces attached to the Patio Palace complex. These assets will serve a future state-owned residential project.
The Numbers Behind the Blossom
Estimated at €30 million, the Sakura project is far more than a simple residential block.
Developed by SCI Esperanza and represented by Patrice Pastor, the operation replaces the now-demolished Villa Larvotto No. 1 with 10 floors above ground, 4 mezzanine levels, 3 underground levels and 12 apartments, primarily four-room residences.
There is also 1 office space and 39 underground parking spaces.
Total built area is approximately 11,152 m² with a Construction timeline of 38 months
Every level is a negotiation with light, sea, and neighboring façades.
Concrete, Light, and Silence
The architectural signature comes from Lola Rozewicz, partner at Tadao Ando Architectes & Associés.
The aesthetic direction is described as Raw concrete, Clean geometry, Large openings and Deep terraces softened by integrated planters.
Rather than ornamental this is relatively restrained.
The building will not shout in marble and gold. Instead, it will rely on texture with exposed concrete catching the Riviera sun, shadow lines carving depth into its façade. The terraces, punctuated with greenery, promise a vertical garden rhythm against the coastal backdrop.
Even the street-level approach has been reconsidered. A public, landscaped forecourt will open the building toward the boulevard, maintaining sightlines and pedestrian flow. The footprint at road level will remain intentionally restrained, preserving views along the boulevard.
A Construction That Breathes With the City
For 38 months, machinery will occupy part of the public roadway along Boulevard du Larvotto. Temporary inconvenience, permanent transformation.
But the project does not isolate itself. It anticipates the future redesign of the neighbouring public garden, integrating its ground-floor space into a broader pedestrian and green framework.
Why “Sakura”?
Cherry blossom symbolizes fleeting beauty, a reminder that even the most solid forms exist in time.
Expect an architectural bloom overlooking the Mediterranean.
Sakura represents another chapter in Monaco’s vertical evolution: precise, strategic, and quietly ambitious.
Soon, along Boulevard du Larvotto, the skyline will adjust almost imperceptibly to make room for a new blossom in concrete.
