Le Monolithe is located in the Lyon Confluence area and its design is the result of the collaboration between five studios, based on the masterplan by MVRDV. The urban superblock is a mixed-use development comprising of a mix of social and rental housing, offices, housing for people with disabilities, shops, and underground parking. The site plan stems from the proposal MVRDV presented to a public competition held in 2004, where they proposed a superblock divided into five sections that would be designed by five different studios to guarantee diversity, and MVRDV themselves would be in charge of designing the front section facing south.

The block is characterized by a large interior courtyard with a raised public space overlooking the city, the new marina and a park, designed by the landscape architecture firm West 8. The facades of the south block are protected from the sun by aluminum shutters, in reference to local architecture, and they bear an inscription of the first article of the European Constitution that France and The Netherlands voted against in 2005. The overall design seeks energy efficiency, applying passive strategies that turn the block into a model of sustainable construction.