Occupying the last stretch of vacant land in the Etoile development zone, the Saint-Urbain block occupies a special place in the city of Strasbourg. First an important link between the centre and the Neudorf district, regionally it has become one of the cornerstones of the Deux Rives development project, which extends as far as Kehl, Germany.

Its strategic location summarises the urban ambitions of the new Euro-metropolis. The site will host a 21.500 m2 mixed-use program including 170 residential units, a hotel, offices, and retail spaces.

Conceived as a second city centre at the intersection of different morphologies and formal systems, the block’s development confronts issues of scale, density, and typology, ultimately providing a sense of synthesis. It relates to Alsatian architectural heritage by establishing a sense of continuity on a site surrounded by multiple empty spaces (an avenue, a square, a cemetery, a park, and a roadway).

The aim is not to reproduce the style of the city centre’s urban fabric, nor follow the logic of the other blocks in the Etoile development zone; rather, it is to invent a new form that extends these urban experiences and reveals a singularity that draws on the best of this insular geography.

Seven parallelepipeds, five of which face the avenue and border the cemetery, the parc de l’étoile and the place Dauphine. Thus, empty spaces are defined by using full ones. It results in two public spaces: the entrance to the cemetery and the hotel courtyard at the foot of a tower, which the life of the surrounding buildings will invigorate.

Located between two environmental reserves and close to the Rhone-Rhine canal, the project applies the advantages of city houses (urbanity, greenery, and independence) to the development of collective housing units. However, care must be taken not to make the transition from public to private space too radical, especially in such linear spaces. Therefore, a sense of nuance was brought to the definition of pathways, the façade, and overall scale.

The design of the exterior spaces highlights the greenery as an environmental support: it is dense, populated with tall trees, slender aspens, and an extensive canopy of plants, ferns, and mosses.

The continuity of the urban front is marked by offsets, inserts and openings. The height of the buildings varies according to their functional program, but the shape of an opening, the rhythm of a composition, the relationship between full and empty spaces, and the framework erase any sense of typology or scale.

As the lowest common denominator, the window unifies the entire neighbourhood, transcending its functionality to offer itself entirely to the city.

Furthermore, the use of one single design for the façade and one sole opening for the entire project is partially inspired by the non-negligible contribution of such repetition to costs optimisation.

The simplicity of the floor plan and the façade in their design is counterbalanced by extensive and meticulous work with colours. It’s use increases the readability of the neighbourhood. It remarks its depth when seen from the square or the park. It supports the identity of both Saint-Urban and Strasbourg, the city of a thousand of colours. Colour facilitates identification and appropriation by the inhabitants and transforms the block into a landmark. From a distance, this ensemble will resemble a tableau vivant.

Client: ADIM EST / Company: URBAN DUMEZ / Budget: € 37M excl. VAT / Surface: 21542 m² / Calendar: 2015-2021 / Team: TOA (Associate Architects), CTE (Structure), ILLIOS (Fluid), ARCHIMED (Environment), SOCOTEC (Technical Control)

INGEROP (NF Habitat Certification)