The site where the aquatic centre and the gymnasium are established is located at the city limits between a low-rise residential neighbourhood, a school campus and the countryside.
The creation of a car park for users of the sports facilities aims at structuring the multiple traffic streams (pedestrian zones, bike lanes, light vehicles and bus lanes), at encouraging soft mobility throughout the town in connection with the GR 39 “Grande Randonnée” long-distance footpath, and at providing comfortable waiting areas near the facilities.
The landscaping makes use of both buildings according to the various pedestrian streams in keeping with a primary North-South axis (the busiest one) and a secondary East-West axis (not so busy), by creating roomy footpaths. The car park was split into two parking sections (North and South) so as to cover both the swimming pool and the gymnasium.
The main car park to the North is lined with a tall maple collection. The fact that those trees were planted asymmetrically helps to soften the straight lines required for parking and will ultimately provide the car park with a forest atmosphere.
The overall growth of the trees clears the view over the sports hall’s architecture, thereby highlighting the building.
Lawns dotted with maple trees, oaks and shrubberies as well as park benches offer comfortable places to wait in the vicinity of the swimming pool entrance.

Feedback (last visit in 2016)

• The soil-covering plantations are having difficulties in getting a foothold.
• A few adjustments are to be expected and are covered by the “perfect finish” guarantee.
•  The site is popular with students any time the sun is shining during the lunch break.

The new urban park in Langueux has chosen an approach based upon 5 landscaping requirements that are specific to the site:

• Stage the brook to highlight its geographic continuity towards the sea… this acts as a thread in the exploration of the sheer ecological wealth of the areas which the brook runs through from its spring all the way to the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. In this perspective, the park becomes the “tamed” part in the water’s journey.
• Make good use of the site’s lines of force and faraway vistas: the valley is highlighted by making the spaces converge towards the end of the thalweg. A vast platform underlines the park’s different levels. The site’s longest stretch is enhanced by a major alleyway halfway up the slope.
• Establish clear limits to the surrounding urbanisation by providing marked entrances towards the park: ultimately, denser urbanisation is proposed to assert the street’s urban character. The wood creates a buffer zone with the park’s interior.
• Establish a link between the park and its rural surroundings: On the northern part, farming plots, the wood at the end of the valley; along the brook, a tree-lined corridor reminiscent of an orchard, and a shady garden in the most sheltered part of the valley.
• Bring out an exotic atmosphere in the park’s most urban parts to fit with the nearby existing urban landscaping.

While designing the park, we were led to plan for the construction of the Grand Pré concert hall (Architects T. & J. Mostini) so as to make sure that the building will be suitable to its surroundings and that it will enjoy a quality setting.

http://www.legrandpre.info/le-site-le-parc/

Feedback (last visit in 2015)

• Together with the engineering department and elected officials of the municipality of Langueux, we have been very happy to conduct a yearly follow-up of the park’s progress and management. Every opportunity for a visit is an excuse for all of us to meet and it is a pleasant experience every time.
• The site’s fauna and flora is closely monitored by grassroots groups.
• The engineering department has made nice picnic tables that match the initial park furniture.
• In a smart move, a daycare centre has been built within the park, thus boosting the site’s daily use.
• There are two small concerns: the new playground (made after completion) will ultimately deserve better integration, and the signage at the park entrances is somewhat “demonstrative”.

The Rance-Frémur rest area is located on county highway RD766, bypassing the municipalities of Pleslin and Tréméreuc. It is part of the improvement works performed on the Dinan to Dinard route, providing users with a county-level halt and information point at the border between Côtes-d’Armor and Ille-et-Vilaine. The rest area aims at enhancing the existing site by taking advantage of the views across the surrounding landscape (prairies and wooded areas) to compensate for the relatively small size of the site. To that end, a variety of processes were used in order to favour a feeling of open spaces and wide vistas that go way beyond the limits of the property.
The building acts as a visual feature announcing the presence of the rest area in the vicinity. It encloses and supports the site’s overall composition and appears to serve as a backdrop to the road.
On the way to Tréméreuc, a holding basin featuring a flowery prairie provides a quality foreground and filters the view without obscuring it. Those driving through the site are encouraged to explore the area while distancing themselves from a secure pedestrian section. Visitors are guided towards the toilets through serene countryside which separates them from the car parks without blocking the view. This grassy area features an apple orchard which is used as a place to relax or picnic, as well as being a conservatory of ancient plant varieties.

Feedback (last visit in 2016)

• The lettering on the building, which had rusted, was recently repainted.
• Thanks to a design-phase partnership with the Mordus de la Pomme association, grafts from ancient varieties were grafted on to apple trees by the town’s children. Nowadays, the orchard serves as a conservatory orchard for cider apples and eating apples.
• The apple trees give lots of apples in season, so it is rather nice to stop over there in the autumn, because your dessert is there for the picking.
• New businesses have set up nearby, including a beekeeper whose land directly adjoins the rest area.
• The picnic area is used by the neighbouring businesses for their lunchbreak.

• The site’s industrial past: the presence of water (which was the reason for the paper mill in the first place) led to the creation of hydraulic devices. The project brings out how the water was tamed, how far the former factory stretched, and it reveals the sculptural nature of the remnants which we have highlighted.
• The site’s geographic scope: The project exposes the relation between the site’s complex topography and the overall topography of the entire valley: docks, balconies over the water, lookouts to take in the whole view.
• The site’s ecological challenges: A listed NATURA 2000 site, it is bolstered and enhanced by the project and its forceful environmental approach:
  • All demolition waste was recycled on site, and machine parts from the former factory are being reused
  • Reclaiming work was performed on the riverbanks, trees were planted, seedbeds from the site were secured, and an experimental garden was created to observe natural fallow cycles
  • A habitat was set up for bats in the factory’s basement
  • The site’s artistic potential: We kept the existing graffiti on certain facades for it fitted well with the site’s features. In addition, the project provides various infrastructures that could host art events (tiered seating, a stage area, pedestals for sculptures) with a view to giving the site a second life.

Feedback (last visit in 2015)

• There were no prior discussions with the contracting authority about the art sculptures involved in the site’s renewal project, and so the artworks are not exactly “on par” with the rest on an aesthetic level. Pity!
• The same goes for the signage, which is really inconsistent and where the worst can be seen side by side with the best. Fortunately, “the worst” is not too visible.
• The site appears to be well managed, showing just the right amount of “slack” to ensure that the venue retains its melancholy charm.
• Every year, the site hosts cultural and art events. Also it is listed in a number of Brittany tourist guides, including Guide du Routard.
• On several occasions, I met former project workers strolling through with their family. This means that the memory of the site is alive and well, and that’s the main thing!

Elected officials wanted to give a new impetus to the resort, which had become dated, especially regarding its decrepit facilities and the lack of any hosting infrastructures. In parallel with the renewal, a hiking trail, accessible to the motor-impaired, was commissioned by the General Council (project-managed by another team from architects Lafon/Faunière).
The site was remodelled in such a way as to highlight the spectacular nature of the relief and its geology, and to enhance the specific features of the holding lake. Motor traffic was reorganised using one-way streets, while parking was moved at a distance in order to relieve the pressure by the beach, and to promote safety throughout this sector so popular with families.
The beach was extended and partly turned into a promenade complete with a small marina around a mooring pontoon and a dry dock. In addition, the renewal has provided a more lived-in and functional aspect around the restaurants. A new architectural reception facility (first-aid station, toilets, sports equipment rentals) provides the final touch.

Feedback (last visit in 2013)

• The development’s conditional lot, a vast prairie where they planned an extensive parking lot featuring substantial landscaping, was handed to… a surveyor! Of course, this new development did not trouble itself with obeying the initial intent, whether in terms of the design or the choice of materials and plants.

The project consisted, in the short term, in landscaping the vicinity of a cultural centre, and of a gymnasium in a subsequent second lot. Located at the town’s entrance, the land has a significant slope. Landscaping the outdoor spaces was an opportunity to highlight the facade as seen from the access road into the municipality and to unify the site’s existing facilities, namely the school, playgrounds, cemetery, Indochina War memorial, pool and town centre. The land was remodelled into a succession of plateaux bordered by banks or ditches to collect rainwater so it flows into the Indochina War memorial pool. The plateaux enhance the dramatic view over the surrounding valleys and countryside.
The immediate vicinity of the existing and future facilities was unified by treating the ground with stabilised soil, reviving the original village atmosphere and enhancing the existing architectural relics (a fountain and a bread oven). The tree plantations mainly include oaks, to replace the local horticultural varieties which had been making the area very commonplace.

Feedback (last visit in 2014)

• The municipality has produced attractive line patterns of flowery prairies. It is simple, clever and effective.