Angers's first tram line
On 25 June last, the city of Angers gained a new means of transport: the tram. The new line, which runs through Angers and Avrillé, arrives alongside a number of urban development programmes. Actuarchi takes the opportunity to review a city that is increasingly promoted for its quality of life.
The tram has several advantages. It is a fast, local form of transport: 57,000 people live within 400 metres of the first line. It also gives the economy a boost, with commercial activity up by 30% in towns that have a tram. Building the line has also led to new construction, such as the Pont Confluences and the maintenance centre. Another feature of this mode of transport is its environmental credentials: it reduces road traffic and therefore carbon dioxide emissions. To make the stops easier to identify, the announcements alternate between a male and a female voice.
The Angers conurbation, home to 283,000 people, has chosen to serve the town of Avrillé by extending the twelve kilometres of track as far as it. The decision is justified by the creation of a new district to the north-east of Angers and by the Terra Botanica theme park. The park, devoted to plant life, offers 40 attractions and activities across 51 hectares. A circular 71,000 m² retail park dedicated to furnishings will be added from 2012; its flagship store is Alinéa, Ikea's main competitor. One station (pictured above) was specially designed so as not to obscure the square in front of the Chapelle.
The new Mayenne-Capucins eco-district is being built on the last undeveloped land in Angers and on the former airfield. Some 10,000 homes are under construction. The project is split into two operations: the Plateau de la Mayenne (137 hectares), which includes the Terra Botanica park, and the Plateau des Capucins (104 hectares). At least 20,000 new residents will move in, and new public facilities will accompany the scheme. The city of Angers has announced the construction (or relocation) of six school complexes, a collège and/or lycée, a retirement residence and an engineering school (ESEO), currently being built to designs by Frédéric Rolland, as well as other facilities such as nurseries, a sports hall and stadiums. GPAA's Nelson-Mandela education campus will be delivered for the start of the 2012 school year. A leisure pool complex designed by the architect Jean Guervilly will open in September 2013.
Both a driving force behind the tram line and an architectural symbol of the Plateau de la Mayenne, the Centre de Maintenance was entrusted to Frédéric Rolland's international practice. As you emerge from the 1,800 metres of covered cutting carrying the A11 motorway, a building glitters in the sunlight. The centre houses the technical facilities for the 17 trams, together with a maintenance hub for the bus fleet. The architects set out to integrate the project into its site while giving a technical facility an image of its own, specific to the place. The programme allows for a degree of future expansion, as requested by the client.
A strong symbol of this first tram line, the Pont Confluences, designed by the architects Lavigne-Chéron, links the two banks of the city. The bridge is 390 metres long and 17 metres wide, contains 2,000 tonnes of steel and crosses the Maine in a single 270-metre span. As well as crossing the river, it passes over the riverside expressway, the former A11. This road is due to disappear in favour of a boulevard, with the riverbanks being reclaimed by the people of Angers. The architects also landscaped the forecourt of the Gaumont multiplex, which is connected to the bridge by a staircase cutting through the deck. The bridge won the 2010 urban planning prize in the Palmarès de la mobilité.
The line crosses the Saint-Serge university campus before entering the city centre. This section was the subject of a technical innovation: to guarantee optimum safety and respect the urban landscape, the tram is powered via the rails. Only Bordeaux had previously had a tram with ground-level power supply. The Angers tram improves on the technique, as it has a triple power supply that removes any risk of breakdown on the steep gradient from Place Molière to the Maison Bleue. Place du Ralliement, a cultural meeting point and gathering place, has undergone extensive restructuring. The square keeps its underground car park, which is now accessed from the surrounding streets. It is fully pedestrianised, with a new fountain and the tram station at its centre.
The various branches in the track at Boulevard Foch and nearby say a great deal about plans for line B. Many buildings along bus line 1 are also having their façades renovated. The new line will start from Beaucouzé and serve the Belle-Beille campus, the SNCF station and the Montplaisir district, though its terminus has yet to be fixed.
Like any French city, Angers has so-called "sensitive" districts, among them La Roseraie, a hastily built neighbourhood, and Montplaisir. For some years now the city has been running numerous renovation programmes in La Roseraie, with one aim: to shed the image of slab blocks and towers, so often associated with insecurity. Many towers have therefore been demolished to make way for housing blocks of five to six storeys. The slab blocks are being remodelled, with loggias added to the outer walls and stairwells projecting from the façade. The flats are externally insulated. Together with the urban landscaping around the tram line, all this renovation is helping to enhance the district. The work is now spreading to Montplaisir, as you will have seen with the social housing by Studio Bellecour. One question arises: at what price are these so-called social homes? And one regret: urban renewal is confined to the façades, with no concern for the interiors of the flats.
The city of Angers takes care over its image, and it is not unusual to come across an electrical substation like the one in the photograph above. Projects of this kind show the city's commitment to its development, and it has many more. The Gare+ project provides for 65,000 m² of offices, 20,000 m² of housing (200 to 250 homes) and 4,500 m² of retail space; the main plot has been entrusted to Jacques Ferrier. The Biopole, which came into service this year, is a waste recovery centre built to HQE standards and designed by Frédéric Rolland's practice.
The city is set to acquire a new convention centre, for which the planning application is due next year. The new facility will include a 1,500-seat auditorium, a 150-room three-star hotel and a 200-space car park. The project will stand next to the Théâtre Le Quai, designed by AS.Architecture-Studio, with a budget of €54 million excluding VAT for a floor area of 25,770 m² set by the town hall. The building, which will face the Château des Ducs d'Anjou, must be between 34 and 55 metres high, and delivery is scheduled for 2016. The winning team will be announced in autumn 2012, following a shortlist of three teams.
The south of the conurbation has not been left out of the projects. In 2013 the town of Trélazé will gain a new 6,598-seat multipurpose arena designed by the practice of Bernard Chinours. A 25-hectare sports-themed activity park opened in November 2009, with 25,000 m² of retail space and Decathlon as its flagship store. The Oxylane village (Decathlon) offers several activities, including a mountain-bike course, running tracks and horse riding. The ZAC's second retail hub will focus on culture and catering, with a six-screen cinema, restaurants, games and a balneotherapy centre.
Gallery
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- © Lavigne-Chéron Architectes
- © Actuarchi
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