Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes

The « carré de soie » district in the city of villeurbanne used to be an industrial area marked by the development of different companies during the 20th century. This emblematic industrial heritage contributes to the atypical identity of the site and its position on the borders of the city Lyon makes it a highly important element when it comes to the development of the metropolitan area around Lyon.

Within the context of the district’s renewal, the city of Villeurbanne wants to make of the “carré de soie” a real urban district by creating activities, retail space and leisure areas for the future inhabitants of the district. One of the major goals of the urban operation is to create new working space that will contribute to the reputation of the city and its economic dynamism.

The project for COGEDIM, situated block h, benefits from a strategic and very forward position on the public area of the esplanade de l’Union, providing easy access and a strong visibility.
In between two very different contexts, this implantation represents the opportunity to edify a real ‘urban piece’ and to propose various visual depths from the working spaces: clear and distant views in the south and a framework on the city and the typically “faubourien” neighborhood of the district "Amande" in the north.

Elements such as the position, volumetry, thickness and the variation in height offer the future office building the status of key building in the urban landscape of the “carré de soie” district. It respects the continuity of the area's urban scale through its front giving onto the street while it is one of the first visible and identifiable elements on the esplanade. The cogedim building becomes a strong urban element that is inseparable from the new quickly expanding district.
The building contributes to the configuration of the city following the principles of the urban operation: retail/activities and restaurant services on the ground floor, crossing enlightened halls and multiple entries.

The volumetry expresses the interior functioning of the building, each unity being a well-defined and delimited volume.
Generously dimensioned interior gardens allow maximizing the gain of natural light and optimizing natural ventilation of the trays.
The structural system is simple; a single line of intermediate poles allows the creation of clear trays that offer modular spaces.
The used materials echo the memory of the space and play with the difference of aspects and textures.
The steel cladding of the façades in white or soft grey is in contrast with the shimmering lines that reflect the light, similar to silken textures. These soft elements in polished golden and silver aluminium differentiate from the steel cladding's matt aspect and highlight the verticality of the project.

Competition 12 | 2013
Start of planning 03 | 2014
Start of construction 10 | 2015

Surface 15 558 m²