La Grande-Motte, a seaside city on France’s southern coast, is known chiefly for its distinctive architecture. Its urban landscape includes pyramid-shaped apartment blocks, curved buildings, theatre-box-like balconies and green-lined walkways, making it a notable destination for admirers of modern architecture.

Architect Jean Balladur was the principal figure behind the city’s design and vision. La Grande-Motte’s main beach is Pointe Zéro, while a Ferris wheel in the city operates on solar power. Curving walls, sloping forms and unusual geometric features are prominent across the resort city.

Balconies at one hotel project outward from the building in a style compared with theatre boxes. French fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus published a book about La Grande-Motte in 2014. The city’s architectural character remains its central attraction, according to the source.