Restructuring
of the Lescure Bus Depot

Project description

Renovation of the Lescure bus depot, located on the outskirts of the city center of Bordeaux, in close proximity to the boulevards. This site is a key facility for the public transportation service of the Bordeaux metropolitan area.

Architectural and urban context of the site
The site and its large storage hall were built at the end of the 19th century to house the main depot of the Bordeaux Tramways and Omnibus Company.

The project aims to deliver a modern, functional bus depot that is better integrated into its environment, contributing to the enhancement of the site in terms of heritage, architecture, landscaping, and the environment.
The “new depot” project includes the preservation and rehabilitation of a large historic hall, emblematic of late 19th-century transport architecture. It also involves the construction of new buildings with an approximately equivalent surface area, which will house covered storage spaces, a maintenance workshop, the headquarters offices of the operator, and those of the company’s shared services.

Architectural design
We chose to create a unique and attractive ensemble at the heart of the metropolis, on the site of Bordeaux’s industrial heritage, centered around architecture that is respectful, understated, functional, yet innovative without ostentation, based on four key principles:
– Highlighting the main axes of the urban composition of the historic bus depot
– Emergence of a coherent volume of new structures that align with the program
– The need to dig into the volumes to open up new perspectives
– Adapting the heights of the new buildings to fit the existing urban fabric

Our goal is to support the historic Hall with new constructions, honoring it and enhancing its presence by facilitating its perception by city dwellers from multiple viewpoints, factors contributing to its integration into the urban fabric. The roofs, heights, and materials of the new buildings harmonize with both the surrounding city and the Hall, preserving the site’s industrial character.
Once the coherence of the ensemble was established, it was necessary to create a connection between the historic plot and the major boulevards, ensuring a smooth integration of the new buildings with the surrounding neighborhood, composed of low shops, gardens, built and unbuilt spaces. To achieve this, we aimed to requalify the Barrière Saint-Augustin, which lacks a clear identity today, starting by calming the recently intersected Boulevard Georges Pompidou, which meets the historic Bordeaux ring road.

Creating an innovative built frontage along the boulevards
The western part of the Bordeaux agglomeration, including Mérignac and the airport, connects to the city center through the two historic gateways, Arès and Ornano. The creation of Boulevard Georges Pompidou and its extension via Rue du Général de Larminat enhances the entrance effect created by the depot and the Chartreuse cemetery.
Our work on the facades and volumes of the depot helps to bring an urban character to this gateway. The opening of the depot’s façade facing Boulevard Pompidou, with the installation of a stretched metal fabric that meets safety requirements, enlivens the boulevard while calming it. This also allows the public an unprecedented view of the buses they regularly take, while offering a chance to admire the splendid structure of the Hall.

Affirming a concept of a nature city
Requalifying a recently created “gateway” on the Bordeaux ring road by introducing greenery into the built environment and its surroundings, symbolizing the City of Nature. The creation of suspended gardens covering the storage and workshop areas enhances the landscape dimension of the Barrière Saint-Augustin, evoking the many gardens of the nearby shops.