Architects Herzog & de Meuron and landscape architect Michel Devigne in 2009-2011 developed the concept of the second stage of development of the Confluence district in Lyon, the territory at the confluence of the Rhone and Saone rivers (we wrote more about this largest urban development project in Europe here), and then as consultants the customer monitored the execution of their plan. This zone included the Cartier du Marché area with a simple regular grid of streets, permeable neighborhoods, significant building density, a variety of functions and types of buildings, including wholesale markets adapted for new use. There are 14 blocks in total in the district with about a hundred buildings. The first of these was the A3, a kind of prototype. Bureau Herzog & de Meuron acted as the "chief architect of the quarter": the duties of such a "GAK" in Confluence include the development of projects for individual buildings, inviting other architects for the same tasks, coordinating their work from start to finish - so that in the end you get an integral composition with an evenly high level of quality. According to this scheme, well-known architects can easily collaborate with beginners, international specialists - with local bureaus.
A3 is an "open quarter" of eight buildings - housing, including social, offices, service facilities on the ground floors. The authors of the projects were six architects - Herzog & de Meuron, Tatiana Bilbao, Manuel Herz, Christian Kerez, AFAA Lyons, and Didier Dalma, who turned the ninth object - the flower market - into a sports center. The landscape, including the courtyard in the center of the quarter, was handled by Michel Devigne.
In the A3 quarter, for the first time, the main principles of the HdeM plan for Confluence-2 were implemented: “activation of street space”, the proximity of different functions and scales, old and new, visual permeability, a system of public walking routes, connectivity of public space and landscaping. Another key principle - unity in diversity - was expressed in the choice of concrete for the facades of their buildings by almost all designers, which was not included in the concept of the quarter, but was the result of joint work. The material in each case demanded its own formwork options, in some buildings there are prefabricated elements, rammed concrete supports, etc., however, the construction company went to meet the architects, despite the "commercial" budget and tight deadlines. The only exception was B4, a wood-paneled Pavilion with a kindergarten on the ground floor and social housing on the two upper tiers.
The public ground floors of the buildings (total area 1,755 m2) were the responsibility of the AFAA architects; in order to revitalize the street space, their functional content was sometimes financed with the help of "upper" functions, and not determined by commercial considerations. Taking into account the warm climate of Lyon, the apartments received balconies, loggias, terraces, the houses also have open galleries and stairs: they connect housing with the space of the courtyard, encourage communication between neighbors.
The most notable building in the quarter, the first multi-storey building in Confluence, is the 16-storey tower B5 (5751 m2). The authors, Herzog & de Meuron, believe that the presence of the towers allows maintaining the required building density even with the simultaneous construction of three-storey buildings, which ultimately gives the variety of scales characteristic of a "natural" city. Curved balconies and building corners are combined with a regular grid of windows in special polygonal metal frames, which allows awnings to be used even when the window is open. Of the 71 apartments, 23 there are small (45 m2), 28 medium (70 m2), 20 large (90 m2).
Another commercial residential building is Tatiana Bilbao's B8 (69 apartments, 4,971 m2), she also owns two social housing buildings: B3 (21 apartments, 1,829 m2) and B7 (31 apartments, 1,996 m2). Affordable housing is also occupied by the houses B2 of AFAA (36 apartments, 2,740 m2) and the aforementioned "Pavilion" B4 by Manuel Hertz (six apartments, 928 m2), which also houses a kindergarten (441 m2). Offices are located in AFAA facilities B1 (2805 m2) and B6 (6676 m2). B9 - wholesale flower market in 1963, from which only the frame has been preserved. Architect Didier Dalma turned it into a sports center with two halls - for dancing and martial arts. The underground garage of the quarter has 135 parking spaces.
The total area of the complex is 27 990 m2, plot A3 - 7763 m2, its yard - 3130 m2.
