The busy French port of Bordeaux is in a state of transformation. A place of cultural exchange for more than 2,000 years, the city centre has been listed by UNESCO as 'an outstanding urban and architectural ensemble, created in the Age of Enlightenment', based on past eras' innovations. When mayor Alain Juppé kick started a - currently ongoing - urban renaissance in 1996, he was aiming to respect this glorious past, but look firmly towards the city's future, bringing innovation back in its heart.
Until recently, urban development was mostly limited to the left bank of the river Garonne, locking the city into one-sided growth. Known as 'the Port of the Moon' for its crescent-like shape, the city will, by 2030, complete its upgrade to 'full moon' and attract up to 100,000 new residents (about 50,000 new residents have already moved here in the last five years). Large parts of the city are being 'reactivated' and public spaces and connections improved; a new TGV line is also coming to town, strategically reducing the distance between Bordeaux and Paris to a mere two hours.
See the architecture projects reshaping Bordeaux
At the moment, across the city, a range of large-scale projects, including a handful of new districts emerging in former industrial areas, is currently in design, planning or construction. Key French and international practices are involved to mastermind entire neighbourhoods or create landmark buildings. Contributors include BIG, Herzog & de Meuron, Youssef Tohmé, Michel Desvigne, Rudy Ricciotti, MVRDV and OMA. The latter has been working on two different masterplans in the city; one is a major new urban development in the south, based on the expansion of the local tram system, and the other is around 50,000 new housing units in the city.
One of the key aims is to avoid anonymous suburbs and encourage the creation of new urban centres that are well connected and fully equipped to serve both the existing and the newly born neighbourhoods around them. The task of bringing in modernity while respecting heritage required some serious investigation into Bordeaux's DNA, which is defined by the city's two distinct banks and the juxtaposition of man-made environments and nature within them. Here we visit some of the projects set to change the face of Bordeaux.
-
Fashion features editor Jack Moss' style gift guideWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss compiles his fantasy festive wish list – from a surreal Bottega Veneta tree decoration to Hylton Nel’s Dior-approved ceramic cats
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA trip to Geneva, a festive light ceremony, new season fashion and pre party season health and wellness: it's been another busy week in the world of Wallpaper*
-
10 items to liven up your Thanksgiving party in styleWith Thanksgiving just around the corner, we've curated a selection of items to make 28th November a celebration to remember
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich is a ‘miniature city’Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich aims to offer a case study in forward-thinking, contemporary architecture for healthcare
-
Look inside Sixth&Blanco, Herzog & de Meuron’s first project in TexasStep inside Sixth&Blanco by Herzog & de Meuron, as the Swiss studio reveals interior images of its first ever Texas design, a forward-thinking, sustainable and mixed-use scheme
-
Herzog & de Meuron’s SIP Main Campus weaves together nature and sculptural concreteSIP Main Campus, a new workspace by Herzog & de Meuron, completes on the Swiss-French border
-
Royal Academy’s Herzog & de Meuron show in London spotlights architecture for careThe Royal Academy of Arts launches its Herzog & de Meuron exhibition in London; we speak to them about the show, their approach to healthcare architecture and caring, and their rich body of work
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Philadelphia’s Calder Gardens designHerzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf's design for the new Calder Gardens in downtown Philadelphia is set to be a tranquil tribute to artist Alexander Calder
-
AstraZeneca’s Discovery Centre is ‘a landscape of different situations’Tour AstraZeneca's brand new research and development hub, The Discovery Centre, designed by Herzog & de Meuron in Cambridge, UK
-
SongEun Art & Cultural Foundation marks Herzog & de Meuron’s South Korean debutHerzog & de Meuron’s South Korean debut is a triangular triumph for ST International and its SongEun Art & Cultural Foundation in Seoul
-
Herzog & de Meuron returns to Duisburg for MKM Museum Küppersmühle extensionTour the new extension at the MKM Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg, Germany, a cultural hub courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron
