The Lyon-Confluence urban development project is today one of the largest in Europe: the city authorities have decided to reconstruct about 150 hectares of the former industrial zone, stretching from the Perrache railway station to the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers. World renowned bureaus such as MVRDV, Herzog & de Meuron and many others have been involved in creating a new urban environment. The residential complex, which was built by Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, occupies one of the key and most successful places in Confluence: with its long facade it faces the river and the reconstructed embankment, and its end faces the park and the green hill of Sainte-Foy.
The "industrial" forms of the new structure, reminiscent of stacks of containers, are a kind of reminiscence of the buildings of the former river port. The complex is not perceived as a single building, but rather resembles independent houses interlocked together - each with its own layout, color and texture of the facades; such "blocks" are separated by narrow passages to the courtyard. On the ground floor, they are united by a zone of shops, cafes and other infrastructure facilities.
Parts of the facades shift and retreat inward from the red line in a checkerboard pattern, protecting residents from the immodest looks of neighbors and forming many terraces with excellent views of the city. The dynamics of the composition is also given by the combination of various textures of the cladding made of metal and multi-colored plastic panels, which are favorably reflected in the surface of the water.
