Project description by jury

The project proposes a large urban infrastructure intervention that aims to turn an environmental criticality into a resource for the city of Bordeaux. To overcome the problem of urban waste, a recycling park is created around the Vallée de Jalles, a vast natural area located northwest of the metropolis, on the left side of the Garonne River. Taking advantage of the natural resources of the area, the project moves beyond finding a technical answer to waste management – and proposes a landscape design that reconfigures the territory and integrates low-tech and high-tech facilities, thereby giving birth to a visionary, attractive city of the future.

A wetland system is restored to offer new agricultural opportunities and plots of land are converted into recreational areas, while building units, designed as an aggregation of permeable multi-functional volumes, populate the park. Besides high-tech structures destined for waste treatment and renewable energy production, the project covers a wide functional program ranging from housing to office and commercial areas. Iconic vertical structures acting as “information points” that punctuate the landscape showcase ecological best practices for vertical farming and biodiversity protection.

Jury appraisal

The Holcim Awards jury Europe was impressed by the multi-faceted approach of the design, going from territorial to infrastructural and architectural scales as an independent system. In particular, the jury commended the project’s use of the natural landscape and its dynamic shifts as well as the restoration of the ancient hydrology to reveal the circular process. Lightweight structures are deployed to favor good environmental practices and the inclusion of the community. Overall, the playful and poetic character of this project was highly commended.