MVRDV to upgrade historic French city with modern, ecological design

France’s historic Bordeaux World Heritage Site is getting a modern ecological refresh thanks to prolific Rotterdam-based firm MVRDV.

Working together with local architecture studio Flint, the architects unveiled Ilot Queyries, a pilot project for a new neighborhood that combines the European city’s historic qualities with eco-friendly and contemporary features. The dense and mixed-use masterplan not only calls for modern architecture and green space, but will also include solar panels, an integrated water system, and optimization of natural lighting in all buildings.Located east of the River Garonne, the 2.5-hectare Ilot Queyries neighborhood occupies a coveted riverside site with views towards the water and the historic city. The mixed-use masterplan comprises over 300 apartments, commercial units, a glass-fronted rooftop restaurant, and a large public park located at the heart of the development with a garden of alder, birch, and high grasses.

To optimize views, natural ventilation, and access to daylight, the architects designed the building facades with 45-degree angles. These angular buildings give the development a modern sculptural aesthetic. A large landmark building at the riverfront will feature a unique angled facade covered with varying gold shades of ceramic tiles for a beautifully textured effect.

“For the Bastide Niel master plan we make an update of the European city: based on the values of the historic city that is intimate, dense and mixed, whilst at the same time proposing new objectives like sunlight for all, even on the ground floor, new energy supplies with solar panels, integrated water system and more green spaces,” said MVRDV co-founder Winy Maas. “The concept of the cuts of the volumes is introduced here at Ilot Queyries which can be interpreted as a pilot project of the master plan Bastide Niel. Cuts in the volume allow the new qualities and allow adapting to the neighbours and mimic the height of nearby buildings. The result is ‘a true Grande Dame’ which stretches from very low pavilion-like housing towards the neighbourhoods at the back and more ambitious and monumental where the scale permits to do so, for example at the Garonne riverside facing the historic left bank.”

Ilot Queyries is located next to and is a part of the larger ZAC Bastide-Niel masterplan, also designed by MVRDV, that aims to create an inviting, attractive, and greener extension to Bourdeaux’s city center. Ilot Queyries will be completed in mid-2019.