Oscar Niemeyer designed Le Volcan at the Maison de la Culture du Havre, which opened in 1982. He collaborated with Jean-Maur Lyonnet, with whom he had just completed the French Communist Party Headquarters.

The large volcano contains a 1200-seat theatre and 350-seat cinema, while the small volcano has a 500-seat hall and 80-seat auditorium. The forum continues Niemeyer's communist ideals, as much of it is underground and seems to emerge naturally from the landscape. Niemeyer considered the balance of the two forms and how they establish the urban space between them. The pure white circular forms are accessible by ramp, as with most of Niemeyer's buildings. Small slits of windows reflect light inside in a mysterious fashion.