La Part-Dieu, opened in 1975, is located in the business district of the same name; Today, with an area of 247,000 m2, it is the largest urban (ie not suburban) shopping center in Europe. This is MVRDV's second project to reconstruct the "faulty giant", as the architects call such structures - closed from street life, as if serfs, with age, acquired an unkempt appearance, only emphasizing their "out of date" - including from the point of view of marketers. The first such experience was the Parisian multifunctional complex near the Montparnasse station: the bureau presented a project for its renovation a year ago.
The Lyon project will preserve the building's identity: beige façade panels with a characteristic square pattern will be reused and pre-painted with dirt-repellent white paint. On the walls of the new extension, the squares seem to "evaporate", revealing a glazed surface.
The elements of the program will be arranged in a new way, the old parking lot will disappear, as a result, in the shopping center with 32,000 m2 there will be more space for rent, and public spaces will also increase. The main measure - the huge roof will be landscaped and maintained, and it will be complemented by terraces on the upper levels associated with cafes, bars and a cinema located there (the lower floors are given to shops). These terraces can be accessed directly from the street using covered escalators, which will help connect La Part-Dieu with the surrounding area. The south-facing terraces will combine the center with the adjacent library, and the redesigned east entrance will face Lyon Part-Dieu train station, which is also awaiting renovation.
