You are now in front of the Colisée, a round complex of offices, homes and shops, on Rue du Colisée, in the south of the town. Its designer was not from Nîmes: he was the Japanese architect Kishō Kurokawa, founder of the movement known as Metabolism. In the early 1990s, at the entrance to the town, he built a deliberately contemporary building here, in glass and reinforced concrete. But look closely at its shape: this circle echoes the Roman arena, two thousand years apart. The name itself is a nod to the amphitheatre in Rome. It has a history in Nîmes: from 1927 to 1988, the Colisée was a large cinema with a thousand seats, on Place Gabriel-Péri, where audiences discovered talking pictures in 1929. Today, the name mainly refers to the headquarters of Nîmes Métropole, housed in Kurokawa’s building. Walk around the square, observe the curve of the glass facades and compare it with that of the arena you may have seen in the town centre.
History
The Colisée was built in the early 1990s to plans by the Japanese architect Kishō Kurokawa (sources give 1991 or 1995, depending on whether they refer to the design or the completion). The complex combines offices, homes, shops and businesses. Today it houses the headquarters of the Nîmes Métropole urban community.
Art and architecture
Kurokawa was the founder of Metabolism, a Japanese architectural movement. In Nîmes, he created an imposing, futuristic profile, with glass facades and reinforced concrete, placed at the entrance to the town. Its circular shape deliberately echoes the Roman arena: a contemporary showcase for a town known for its ancient heritage.
Anecdotes
In Nîmes, the name Colisée first referred to a cinema and theatre, opened on 15 April 1927 on Place Gabriel-Péri by Paul Furiet and Georges-Henri Pingusson. It had a thousand seats, an orchestra pit and a balcony with boxes. In November 1929, the arrival of talking pictures was celebrated there with The Jazz Singer. The cinema closed on 31 December 1988 and was listed as a historic monument in 2015.
What to look for
Observe the overall curve of the building and the way the glass facades wrap around the central space. Look for the parallel with the Roman amphitheatre: a circle, stacked levels, a place turned inwards. This is a building in use, to be viewed from the public space.
Practical
The Colisée is on Rue du Colisée, south of the centre, in the Costières area. The building contains offices and homes: it is viewed from the surroundings. The Stade des Costières and its public transport lines are nearby.
Nearby
Just to the south is the Stade des Costières, another major facility from the 1980s. To compare the original with its modern echo, head back to the centre and the Arena, then make a detour via Place Gabriel-Péri, where the old Colisée cinema stood.
On site, look for: Follow the curve of the facades with your eyes and look for what recalls the oval of the arena.
Test yourself
Which architect designed the Colisée?
- Jean Nouvel
- Kishō Kurokawa (answer)
- Norman Foster
Which institution has its headquarters here?
- Nîmes Métropole (answer)
- The prefecture
- The regional council
Which monument does its shape recall?
- The Arena (answer)
- The Maison Carrée
- The Tour Magne
Sources
Information checked on 6 October 2026.