Mutualism

The project seats on two occupied sites; one by a paper mill, the other by a large postal warehouse. Like many peripheral areas, the sites presents a challenging task for re-qualification. Large scale road, unused rail infrastructure and privatized fenced warehouses renders the land fragmented and sparse. Recent attempts to upgrade the surrounding closer to Bordeaux have focused on providing of housing and leisure spaces along the waterfront and toward the new train station. Our proposal, however, asserts that: 1. A workspace-based strategy for intensification is needed in order for the area to accommodate the evolution of the current actors and create new synergies - workspace urbanism. Although housing constitute most of the built area, we also recognize that it will play a smaller role in transforming the site for a new productive district. 2. A project of holistic scale and built-in flexibility is crucial to approach these kinds of sites -integrated project. 3. A project where outdoor spaces must work harder to support the primary mission of our area, to deliver an exciting and successful workspace and living environment. Currently, the landscape in similar districts does very little to define places for interaction. It buffers buildings and roads, but fails to create the gardens, plazas, and promenades that would create a much needed identity.