Compagnie de Phalsbourg (Paris) unveiled two competition winning projects by Studio Libeskind (New York) during the international property market MIPIM in Cannes, France.
Nice, France
Studio Libeskind in collaboration with Fevrier Carre Architectes and landscape architect Jean Mus has been selected to design the “Gare Thiers-Est” (East Thiers Station), the result of an international competition sponsored by the City of Nice. The project is part of a major urban redevelopment of Thiers central station (€ 61.5 million in ongoing investments) and its surroundings.
The project involves the design of 18,300 square meters of high-end commercial space featuring shops, restaurants with panoramic views of the city, as well as a Hilton hotel, a 600-seat auditorium, co-working spaces and terraced cafes. Inspired by the mineral forms of azurite, each peak is conceived as a harmonious crystallization whose edges speak to Avenue Jean Médecin.
The reflective façade is covered with metal as facets and scales with serigraphs on the windows that reflect the neighboring buildings, sky and landscape of Nice. The result is a sculptural, concrete, steel and glass set, cut like a diamond, with multiple faces rising nearly 40 meters high to obscure the rail tracks.
The strong architectural identity of the project will be visible from the avenues Thiers and Jean Médecin as well as from the railway area. Treating the roof like a fifth façade,it inscribes into the landscape of the urban environment of Nice and will be visible from the hills.
One of the spectacular elements will be its prow, z cantilevered main facade emerging on Avenue Jean Médecin. It will also provide a covered connection between the train station and the Jean-Médecin tram station. Construction is slated to begin in late 2017 with expected completion at the end of 2019.
Occitanie Tower, Toulouse, France
The sculpted Occitanie Tower will rise 150 meters above the Canal du Midi in the heart of the business sector of Toulouse. Set to be the first skyscraper in the city, the tower’s curvaceous form is interrupted by a spiral of greenery that rises from street level up to the 40th floor.
The tower includes 11,000 sq. m of office space, a Hilton hotel, up to 120 apartments, a restaurant with panoramic views, commercial space for shops, and offices on the ground floor for the railway company SNCF. Integrated into the overall form of the building, the façade and public platform is a continuous vertical landscape. This vertical green ribbon referenced the lush waterway of Canal du Midi that winds through the city.
Trees will line the platform of the building and a ribbon of gardens will curl around the glass facade to its full height. The vertical gardens will be designed by the landscape architect Nicolas Gilsoul. The tower will be built on the site of the former postal sorting centre at Gare Matabiau.
Situated east of the city centre, and away from the Garonne River, the building will have views towards the Pyrenees, that are less than 100km away. The project is projected to become the gateway to the city’s growing business sector.
Studio Libeskind will collaborate with Toulouse architect Francis Cardete. Construction start date is slate for 2018. The project will be completed by 2022. Source and images, Courtesy of Studio Libeskind.