Caen : Peninsula
Ecological banks
Conversion of an industrial site
Tourism
Coastline
Client / SPLA Caen Presqu’île
BASE
+ François Leclercq urbaniste
+ JDS architectes + INGETEC
+ REPERAGE URBAIN
Surface / 300 ha
Budget / 220 M€
Competition / 2012
The assignment focused on an urban planning strategy for the peninsula. Considering that the redevelopment of the peninsula could only be carried out by connecting it directly to the sea, we proposed to enlarge the perimeter of reflection up to the sea.
Today the peninsula is almost a completely abandoned industrial site; so the question remains then why would anyone want to live here? We think that this could be resolved by developing easy access to the sea: “the paths of the sea” could develop different modes of transport and be accompanied by a complete redevelopment of the banks of the river Orne and the canal.
The second axis to develop quality of life in this sector was through a move to rehabilitate public space, control pollution and strengthen the ecology on the river banks. This was about the rehabilitation of the Orne banks. With a tight budget, it was a question of imagining suitable solutions; reusing certain materials to reconstitute soils, gradual re fertilisation and development of a ruderal low maintenance vegetation adapted to the environment. Punctual areas could encourage appropriation, gradually bringing the site to life: rail games, squares, wooden furniture, cycle rail…
