VIDEO: Constructa launches Les Jetées, a new urban project in Huningue (Haut-Rhin)
On 22 January 2019, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, signed the Treaty of Aachen. Today, it is the developer Constructa, led by Marc Pietri, that is turning this treaty into an urban project. The company is notably behind the Tour Marseillaise by the architect Jean Nouvel. It is now launching a new, predominantly residential development at the crossroads of France, Germany and Switzerland.
The urban project, called "Les Jetées", will total 30,000 m² of floor space, providing 300 homes and a 114-room hotel. The landscaping has been entrusted to Éric Manfrino's practice Land'Act.
Huningue, the little French town next to Basel
Huningue is a border town of 7,000 inhabitants, just a few hundred metres from the Novartis headquarters, which lie on the Swiss side. Across the Rhine, on the German bank, stands the Vitra campus, with its stack of houses by Herzog & de Meuron.
Gaining height to look at our neighbours (and be seen!)
Although Mulhouse is not far away, this cross-border crossroads is dominated by the Swiss and the city of Basel, who did not hesitate to build the Roche Tower on the banks of the Rhine, where it towers over the region.
It is now the French who are taking to the skies and making themselves seen by our European neighbours, with a skyline made up mainly of housing.
An urban project nested within a European Vis-à-Vis
Initiated by the towns of Huningue and Weil am Rhein in Germany, the Vis-à-Vis development project aims to make the banks of the Rhine more attractive on both the French and German sides. Half-funded by the European Union, it will go hand in hand with Constructa's urban project. The park is due for completion by 2020 and includes, in particular, a pedestrian-friendly redesign around the footbridge.
The key aims of the Les Jetées urban project:
Constructa's urban project pursues several ambitions:
- Opening up the area and the town centre towards the river, creating a new relationship with the water;
- Anchoring Huningue in the Basel conurbation and raising its profile with a flagship project;
- Fitting lastingly into the green network and the "Vis-à-Vis" programme, maintaining free movement between the different elements of the scheme: housing, hotel, managed residences, etc.;
- Setting a genuine example of environmental and architectural quality by following the most demanding French and international labels, as a true showcase for sustainable construction. For instance, the energy performance of buildings A and B will be 20% better than current regulations require;
- Offering the residents of Huningue an exceptional new living environment at the heart of the green network.
Three architects for the Huningue jetties
Blocks A and B: 114 homes by PietriArchitectes and Triptyque
- Spring 2019: Sales launch
- 2020: Start of construction
- 2022: Completion
The first blocks, with 114 homes ranging from studios to five-room apartments, will total 9,996 m². Block A will house a 16-storey tower intended as an answer to the Cap Plein Ciel tower. Block B will be a five-storey residential building offering spacious apartments. For the design, the developer has entrusted the plans to PietriArchitectes and Triptyque.
Block C: managed residence by Nicolas Laisné Architectes
- 2019: Planning application submitted
- 2022: Completion
The architect Nicolas Laisné will deliver a 5,086 m² residence. The building will be distinguished by its shared spaces.
Block E: four-star hotel with spa, 115 rooms, by Triptyque
The four-star hotel will offer 114 rooms over 5,550 m². Designed by Triptyque, it seeks to evoke the halyards, masts and stays of naval architecture. No date has yet been set for this building.
Block F: housing and managed residence by PietriArchitectes and Nicolas Laisné Architectes
- 2019: Planning application submitted
- 2023: Start of construction
- 2025: Completion
The southern part is designed by PietriArchitectes, while the northern part is the work of Nicolas Laisné Architectes.
Developer Constructa enjoys working with fashionable architects
In Marseille, Constructa commissioned the Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel to build the Tour Marseillaise. The Parisian architect is not known for building on the cheap, but he is a guarantee of architectural quality as well as a publicity coup. As soon as it was completed, the Tour Marseillaise (pictured below) was awarded the Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent.
This time, the developer has invited two fashionable young practices, Nicolas Laisné Architectes and Triptyque. The former, who has just parted ways with his partner Dimitri Roussel (Dream), made his name with housing and sports projects whose façades are clad in generous balconies. He is currently building a wellness complex in Nice and is giving Rosny-sous-Bois, near Paris, a new skyline. The second practice, Triptyque, is a Franco-Brazilian architecture firm. It began its career with distinctive works such as this artist's house in São Paulo.
Gallery
9 images- © Constructa 2019
- © Stéphane ABOUDARAM | WE ARE CONTENT(S)