A magnificent location between the rivers Balme and Saône, the plot is highly influenced by its geography. Near the river banks, the site is imbued with hilly contours that explain the building’s shape and the roads that surround it.
The roads give the plot its prow-like shape, created by the juncture of two roads, each with its own topography, one downwards, the other upwards.
Everything flows here: the water, the trains, the cars and the very plot itself. It reflects the presence of the river in that the road coming from the docks is like the prow of a ship or the shape of an island like the neighboring Ile Barbe.
The urban development zone’s master plan gently directs the plots between the Saône and the Balme, leaving a lot of space for many transparencies between these two landscaped poles. Likewise, the transparencies through the building are necessary so as to highlight this very strong bond.
The comb shape proposed for the building’s layout is interpreted here by adapting it to the topography and the theme of the site.
If the sizes remain low, a maximum of GF+4, a strong alignment on rue Joannes Carret, a road that runs along the tracks, reinforces the spirit of the place. In contrast, on the inner road the building’s folds offers generous views of the gardens and the landscaped heart of the plot.
