TOURS FOR GENERAL PUBLIC

Come and discover the heart of Bordeaux, from the historical center to the quays and their exceptional 18th century facade, as well as the contemporary buildings that nestle here and there. The visit will allow a better understanding of the evolution of the city and its recent developments.

Depending on the duration, it will be an opportunity to discover works by Richard Rogers, Philippe Starck, Patrick Blanc, Michel Corajoud or even BIG.

Art Deco architecture in Bordeaux is intimately linked to the redevelopment of the city after the 1929 crisis.

In 1930, the municipality adopted the Marquet Plan, an important urban planning program which would allow developing the city under a common architectural vocabulary. This plan aimed to undertake major works to mitigate the consequences of the crisis; it was being carried out under the dual impetus of Adrien Marquet, mayor of the city and Jacques D’Welles, its chief architect.

Depending on its duration, this tour brings along some major Art Deco icons:

• Le Café du Levant (1923)
• La Grande Poste (1925)
• La Bastide Cantonal Building (1925)
• Saint-Jean postal sorting center (1929)
• La « régie municipale du gaz et de l’électricité » (1930)
• Judaïque swimming pool (1935)
• Buscaillet square (1937)
• Bordeaux labour exchange (1938)
• Lescure district and sports park(1938)

Bordeaux is mostly known for its neoclassical architecture, and its listed facade on the Garonne. But the city also bears significant traces of the post-war period, characterized by massive reconstruction following modernist dogmas.

From concrete slab urbanism in Mériadeck district to Grand Parc social housing, this visit offers a clear reading of the evolution of the city and the shifts from one district to another.

Depending on the duration, this tour will also bring along some exceptional examples of modernist or modern architecture:

• Benauge fire station (1954)
• Cité de la Benauge social housing (1955)
• Le Grand Parc social housing (1959)
• Mériadeck and concrete slab urbanism (1969-1976)
• La Caisse d’Epargne (1977)
• Music College (1977)

Bordeaux has a wide variety of contemporary landscape projects that complement its two main 19th century parks : the Jardin Public and the Parc Bordelais. These new projects can act as structuring elements on a city scale, such as Bordeaux riverbanks (Michel Corajoud), the Botanical Garden (Catherine Mosbach) or the Parc aux Angéliques (Michel Desvignes). Other revamp central urban spots such as Gambetta Square (West 8).

Finally, others liven up public courtyards: Square Vinet (Patrick Blanc) or Leyteire Courtyard (Debarre Duplantiers).

The visit will provide an overview of these different scales while also putting light on little-known projects and innovative urban proposals.

Since its redevelopment in 2009, the renewed Bassins à flot district came into being through a specific “negotiated urban planning”, following a masterplan by urban planner Nicolas Michelin / ANMA. This district is home to many housing units, but also facilities with a metropolitan dimension, such as the Chaban-Delmas bridge or Cité du Vin.

This tour will lead you through this district that is so emblematic of Bordeaux history, and managed to link modernity with traces of the industrial past.

Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal began their work in Bordeaux, after their graduating in 1980 from the local architecture school. The Latapie house, built in 1993 in Floirac, launched their career: it immediately placed them as representative of a radical, economical architecture.

But they come from a wider local trend initiated by their master Jacques Hondelatte in the 80s.

An architect revered by numerous architects and the author of conceptual and provocative projects, he marked its teaching by an approach centered on new, more open and more spacious living spaces.

This visit will allow you to visit some of Lacaton & Vassal’s buildings (GHI residence -Mies van der Rohe Award 2019-, Grand-Parc party centre, management sciences university) but also work from local offices such as Jacques Hondelatte, éo architecture, Raphaëlle Hondelatte or Atelier Provisoire.

The long neglected Bordeaux right bank is nowadays the main development area of the city. Along the Garonne Rivers are to be found the urban areas of Belvédère, Cœur de Bastide, Darwin ecosystem, Bastide-Niel (MVRDV urban plan) and Brazza (Youssef Tohmé urban plan). The visit allows you to discover buildings by Robbrecht & Daem, Lacaton Vassal or even MVRDV.

The walk will also be punctuated by a visit to the major landscaping facilities such as the Botanical Garden (landscape architect: Catherine Mosbach) and Parc aux Angéliques (landscape architect: Michel Desvignes)