Before founding Manmade Studio, Jassim AlNashmi studied Urban Design at ETH Zürich, where he worked on Inclusive Marseille, a team project developed under Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, within the program chaired by Marc Angélil.
The project challenged Marseille’s Euroméditerranée masterplan by asking a broader question: Can a city truly be sustainable if it isn’t socially sustainable?
Our research examined existing arrival neighborhoods such as Noailles and Belsunce, comparing their density and urban character with the proposed development. We studied European urban blocks, housing typologies and alternative ways of accommodating people who often fall outside conventional social-housing systems.
The resulting masterplan proposed a dense, mixed neighborhood organized around existing industrial buildings, emergency housing and the market. Rather than erasing what was already there, these became anchors for a new urban fabric combining five housing typologies, pedestrian routes, productive spaces and courtyards of different characters.
Existing industrial halls were given new roles as shared cooperative facilities and workshops, while housing was intertwined with everyday productive uses—from bakeries and small businesses to spaces for work and community life.
The project explored an idea that continues to influence Manmade Studio today: architecture is not simply about buildings. It is about creating the conditions for communities, livelihoods and everyday life to flourish.
