A new district in the middle of the city

Based in a strategic point of the city, Nicéphore Cité had to develop its activities in a site composed by an old sugar refinery. The first study was a diagnosis, which quickly turned into a programming work involving many actors of the township and of the commune. The particularity of this mission is to include every person in charge of the existing equipments and of the future activities like Niepce Museum, l’ENSAM, Art school and laboratories.

The synthesis gave the possibility to qualify and quantify the program to present it to the partners.

The project is organized along a gallery, which crosses the complex and structures the public space. Relations with the river are developed with footpaths lined with trees, which connect the bank in the back of the site. All around the area a road serves the buildings and services. The development of these new constructions should be in keeping of three urban unities in relation with the existing structures and the program:

- The courtyards: this part groups houses and offices, articulated with the existing dwellings of the neighbourhood and preserving the old facades of the sugar refinery. - The platforms: it contains the public equipments (laboratories, museum project, Chalon’s installations in the street)

The materials are treated in different ways according to the spaces; for instance, the gallery gets a white material that reflects light during night. Local stone is employed for paths with a regular but varied weft, a lot of local trees are planted contrasting with the large meadow, remains of the buildings’ demolitions are used for the floor covering and for the parking’s’ marking (railway). Because of the floodplain, the permeability remains with many opened and planted spaces and the project is constructed one meter under the street level not to obstruct the water with too many buildings.