KCAP’s urban design for the transformation of the Garonne waterfront in Bordeaux-Brazza was recently finalized and officially approved by Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, and by Bordeaux’s City Council. The project site is a 67 ha area within Bastide Brazza Nord, a 120 ha former industrial area between the river Garonne and an abandoned railway area. The urban strategy will combine new urban mixed-use functions with re-used abandoned infrastructures and is based on an integrated environmental approach to ground pollution and flood risk. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The program consists of about 600.000 m2 of housing, offices, industrial and public facilities and new public spaces to be implemented on the old industrial riverbank and the abandoned railway area. In the end of 2012 a new bridge – ‘Bacalan Bastide’ – will connect the right and left bank of the Garonne river. This connection will improve the relation of Brazza Nord and the rest of the city. It is considered as a key opportunity for the regeneration of the surrounding communities and will have an important impact on the entire region.
A framework of qualitative public spaces benefits of the privileged landscape situation and opens new connections between the river Garonne, the existing neighborhoods and the surrounding hills. KCAP’s masterplan defines a mosaic of character zones with different atmospheres, densities, functions and typologies. The development potential sets broad conditions for a quality urban lifestyle, local involvement and cohesion, where it will be possible to produce, trade, recreate and live in all stages of life.
KCAP’s design was enthusiastically perceived by Bordeaux’s authorities and was praised for its strong spatial structure and integration in the city fabric, as well as for the integrated approach to program, typologies and flood management. The masterplan was elaborated by KCAP Architects&Planners together with local partners Mutabilis (landscape), Ingerop Engineering, Oasiis (sustainability) and BMA (programming). The first building permits are expected to be delivered in 2013.
