Project Description
BORDEAUX – FROM WEST TO EAST: NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN BORDEAUX
Languages available: EN FR
Customizable tour: Yes
Recommended group size per guide: 25
Duration: 4 hours
DESCRIPTION – Bordeaux: From west to east: new developments in Bordeaux
Bassins à flot + Bastide-Niel: Bordeaux along the river
This tour will take you on both sides of the Garonne river (that played such a major role in the history of the urbanization of the city), in order to better understand Bordeaux current development and dynamics. Bassins à flot and Bastide-Niel are both recent districts, built on industrial land but with very different approaches, connections to the center and legal frameworks.
Departing from Place Stalingrad, the visit will start exploring this very special relationship between both sides of the Garonne, with the 18th century UNESCO-listed facade on the left bank and beautiful examples of contemporary parks on the right bank. Above all, it will allow you to discover a district in the midst of change, with one of Lacaton Vassal’s first buildings in Bordeaux or Robbrecht & Daem’s municipal archives. Last but not least, the new Bastide-Niel eco-district (urban plan by MVRDV) combines industrial background with technical, functional and urban innovations. The Darwin ecosystem adds even more soul to the operation, through its capacity for urban and programmatic attraction which appeals to many varied audiences.
Crossing to the left bank, the atmosphere will be completely different. The Bassins à Flot district is also a former industrial site but its direct connection with the city center has led to a different future and status. Home to the new metropolitan emblem (Cité du Vin by XTU architects), a new lift bridge and numerous traces of its port and military history, the district has turned into a new part of the city but according to a very particular regulatory and economic model. Having become the northern border of Bordeaux city center, it is based on a masterplan by Nicolas Michelin / ANMA and offers public projects with an international dimension, as well as housing experiments and unexpected industrial typologies for visitors.
