Rance-Frémur rest area – TRÉMÉREUC (Côtes-d’Armor)
RetourCompletion year 2007
Contracting Authority General Council of Côtes-d’Armor
Mission Creating a roadside rest area
Project Management Team Landscape architects and designers Laure Planchais (mandated agent), Architect Benoît Robert (sketching) followed by Architect Damien Brambilla, Consulting engineers NR Conseil
Surface area 1 hectare
Budget €238,000 exc. VAT (outdoor spaces)
Ratio €24 exc. VAT per m²
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.