MVRDV wins the redevelopment of the Shell petrol station site in Villeneuve d'Ascq

The Dutch practice MVRDV has just won, together with the Lille-based practice de Alzua+, the competition for the redevelopment of the Shell petrol station site in Villeneuve d'Ascq, not far from the Lille school of architecture and landscape. The competition drew five teams in the first consultation phase; in the second, MVRDV and de Alzua+ went up against CAAU and Reichen & Robert.

The project follows the masterplans drawn up by Pierre Colboc in 1991. Lille Métropole's scheme for the centre of Villeneuve d'Ascq aims to redefine the town's entrance by building on it. Located behind the Forum des Sciences, at the junction of boulevard du Breucq and boulevard Van Gogh, the project, led by ADIM Nord, a Vinci subsidiary, provides 15,000 m² of offices, shops and a hotel, all set above 274 underground parking spaces.

The scheme is distinguished by the rotation of the top four levels of the main building towards the ring road, creating a gateway landmark (the night-time image showing five levels is incorrect). The centre of this building is hollowed out to form a patio.

Image coming soon

The buildings adjoining the site will be extended by new volumes in order to reinforce the definition of the urban blocks. Place du Forum, for its part, will be woven into the project.

Work is expected to start on site in 2015, with delivery scheduled for late 2016 or early 2017.

Article updated on 29 March.