Berliet District

In the heart of Lyon's 8th Arrondissement, the new Quartier Berliet is transforming a former industrial site into a contemporary, bright, mixed-use district linked to the urban network - but also to its history.The urban challenge is to reveal the site's industrial past. The buildings, a metaphor for extruded metal pieces sliding along production lines, evoke memories of Berliet, an automotive builder since the start of the 20th century. The plot, divided into "strips", follows the footprint of the former industrial plot.

Edifices and exterior spaces (access routes, private passage-ways, courtyards, gardens) alternate along north-south strips. These are joined together by means of two public rights of way and the gentle flows which link the district to the town. These promote air flows, openings to the sun and vistas between the edifices. The ground plan encourages diverse lifestyles (30% social  housing, while the remainder is starter housing) and a wealth of shared spaces: housing, schools, businesses, etc. The plan is adaptable over time and allows adjustments to the heights of the buildings and to their scale to the environment (building vary between 5 and 9 floors in height).

The architectural project on Island 1 comprises three "strips" 12 to 16 m in width, with vast south-facing terraces and "thick façades" (balconies, loggias, verandas, winter gardens) facing east and west. This thickness is used as a habitable separating space between the interior and outside of the apartments. The roofs are greened and accessible, and give the appearance of an inhabited undulating ridgeline.