Bordeaux: Right Bank

One of the most compelling initiatives in Bordeaux is the transformation of its former industrial wastelands on the right bank into a vibrant new urban center. This large-scale project is guided by key ambitions: preserving the memory of the area’s industrial and military past, ensuring a genuine mix of uses, and creating a dense, sustainable, and inclusive urban environment. Within the different designated development zones (ZAC), the Heart of Bastide stands out, focusing on the conversion and construction of housing and office spaces following a masterplan designed by Dominique Perrault and Alain Charrier. Their approach aims to maintain the site’s identity while introducing new architectural and urban dynamics capable of supporting future growth.

Alongside this long-term framework, several pilot projects are leading the way with exemplary interventions, including the Darwin Eco-neighborhood and the redevelopment of the former Niel barracks. These initiatives seek to foster innovative, mixed-use programs aligned with the broader objectives of the overall scheme, while illustrating how existing structures can be transformed under the urban and architectural guidelines established through a pre-operational study conducted by the Dutch firm MVRDV. Complementing these efforts are projects such as the Parc des Berges and the Botanical Garden—an inventive landscape by Catherine Mosbach, Françoise-Hélène Jourda, and scenographer Raymond Sarti—which has earned major recognitions including the European Rosa Barba Landscape Award (2003) and the Cultural Building Award (2007–2008) for its forward-thinking design.