Starting of the RHODANIE URBAINE design studio in Greater Lyon
Givors © LAST / EPFL
By an approach at different levels of intervention - from urban design to constructive detail - Prof. Emmanuel Rey's studio aims at analyzing, exploring, and experimenting the specific issues related to the contribution of the architectural project to the evolution of the built environment towards sustainability, in the perspective of an urban densification near public transport and an experimentation of new constructive approaches. Entitled RHODANIE URBAINE, the 2020-2021 studio will conduct its investigations on the theme of new interactions between the Rhône and the urban areas that it crosses, focusing on a sector located in Givors, in the southernmost part of Greater Lyon.
At a time of unprecedented convergence between the objectives of densification within the built environment, of ecological transition, and risk management for flood-prone areas opens an era of reconciliation between the river and the urban areas it passes through. In this context, undervalued sites to date have proved particularly suitable for urban regeneration and the creation of new sustainable neighborhoods. Beyond the issues specific to the technical and landscape measures of flood protection and to the transformation of industrial activities, multiple urban and architectural challenges question the proper project approach to adopt for the development of these new fluvial neighborhood.
Located in Givors, in the southernmost part of Greater Lyon, the site selected for the 2020-2021 edition is a sector with a rich industrial past, which still today houses oil activities near the Rhône. At the mouth of the Garon, this sector constitutes a particularly strategic area for the Lyon metropolis, for imagining new links between the city and its river. Characterized simultaneously by strong constraints and real landscape qualities, the site is accessible via the Givors-Canal railway station to the north and by a potential river stop to the south. From a forward-looking perspective, the RHODANIE URBAINE studio aims to explore through the architectural project the multiple challenges and potential for development of such a site. A strong attention is given to the issue of urban housing, interaction with the surrounding neighborhood, and relevant reflections on public spaces regarding the specific river characteristics of the site.