La Garenne Eco-City - Guillaume Ramillien

Fourchambault, France

In a city broken up by rail lines, the transformation of this neighborhood into a rewarding "eco-city" must take into account an easy connection to the downtown district by way of a footbridge, the proximity of the "La Garenne Woods," with its rich arboreal heritage, an old and deeply-rooted gardening culture in the urban environment, vast open spaces.

Thusly, a strong, visible framework of public spaces that integrate the neighborhood into a fluid continuity between the Loire river and the woods is defined by the project.

The project offers four groups of housing types adapted to their specific location in the neighborhood. They combine their accommodations while ensuring that everyone's family privacy is preserved.

The gardens contribute to the domestic image of an individual home. Garden boundaries draw on the Nivernais hedgerows' tradition: wooden stake fences, vegetated swales, and country hedges of local and varied plant species, rich in both visual terms and biodiversity.

The architectural expressiveness plays on a simple contrast between the 'mineral' quality of white-coated cellular concrete and the shimmering of gold metal.

The "La Garenne Eco-City" is forging a renewed image of the district, based on the themes of solidarity, of a "rurban" (rural/urban) quality of life, and sustainable development. It promotes "living together" by combining the single-family home's universe to that of shared public spaces.

Photographs: Pascal Amoyel