In 2007, the city of Lyon embarked on the revitalization of La Confluence, a former industrial district. Herzog & de Meuron were commissioned to develop the master plan for the second phase of the project, with the additional task of designing the inaugural block (ilot in French) to mark the beginning of this new extension. Under the idea of “unity within diversity”, a group of international architects were invited to work in the development of each of the buildings (bâtiments).
We were invited to design three buildings: two for social housing (Bâtiment 3 and Bâtiment 7) and one for private housing (Bâtiment 8). Since the beginning, it was clear to us the importance of creating not only stacked living units, but instead to imagine an inclusive space that could promote encounters and relationships among members of the community, encouraging people to use the city as an extension of their domestic space. The buildings encompass and face a common semi-public courtyard with open access to everyone in the heart of the block. In all three buildings, we made use of vertical circulation, terraces, and open areas to promote encounter and allow the possibility for all types of relationships to happen.
Bâtiment 3 is a social housing building designed to allow a broad range of different spatial configurations, using double-heights and demi-niveux, all of the 21 units are in contact with the exterior in a different way. We created a complex central-core concrete volume carved by double height terraces, corner balconies, and consistent windows trough the façade. These elements, defined by its yellow pine wood materiality, make evident the relationship between the interior and the neighborhood.
Bâtiment 7 is the second social housing building of the project, it faces the main public plaza on one side and the interior courtyard on the other. We designed a volume that houses 21 units, distributing them around a centrally exposed staircase that overlooks the courtyard. Here, too, each unit is different in size and distribution, resulting in a dynamic façade with balconies and terraces facing the plaza. In these two buildings, the strategy of defining each unit as unique was aimed at allowing its inhabitants understand that their differences bring the community together.
Bâtiment 8 sits West of Bâtiment 7, and is the only one designated for market-rate housing. In this case, we explored the notion of a homogeneous set of 23 units forming a single volume facing the main plaza. This simple gesture brings its inhabitants to become conscious that together they form part of one community.
