An Infrastructure for Metropolitan Mobility
A symbol of the new collective and decarbonized mobility, the bus depot visibly integrates into the urban space. Its attractive image demands a high level of architectural quality, in harmony with its public service mission. No disguises for the architecture: the Maintenance Workshop remains a workshop, with its 11 serial bays, while the Operations/Administration building fully embraces its role as a contemporary office space.
As part of the productive city program, the architecture takes a step away from industrial vocabulary. In response to the eclectic mix of buildings and technical installations, the architectural design unifies the composition through shared elements :
An Architecture Rooted in the Landscape
On the right bank, the depot overlooks the Garonne. In this transitional industrial area with artificialized land, there is an opportunity to dream of renaturation and the expansion of public space. Reinvesting in the banks of the Garonne and the Quai de la Souys means reconciling various modes of mobility, welcoming biodiversity on “depaved” grounds, and proposing bio-based and bioclimatic architecture.
The design of the new depot reinterprets its context and contributes to a new urban skyline. Its dialogue with the surrounding landscape creates an interface between near and far, between earth and sky :
– Horizontality: terraces, galleries, overhangs, sheds, and balconies form parallels with the river, embracing the horizon, capturing light, shielding from it, or harnessing its energy.
– Verticality: from the ground up, climbing plants grow along the façades, fostering a thriving exchange system, regulating temperatures, and supporting biodiversity.
A Low-Carbon Construction
As a next-generation “industrial” facility, the bus depot aligns with the National Low-Carbon Strategy. Bio-based and carbon-storing, wood (used in both structure and insulation) is a defining feature of its construction. In response to climate change, the depot adopts the adaptive strategies of bioclimatic architecture. Favoring a low-tech approach, it prioritizes passive and simple solutions, such as thermal resistance and inertia, natural ventilation, solar protection, integration of vegetation, and reflective white roofs.
Project Stakeholders
Bordeaux Métropole
Design Team
Lead Architect : AIA Architectes
Co-architect : DLW Architectes
Engineering & Cost Management : AIA Ingénierie
Eco-Design : AIA Environnement
Transport & Infrastructure Engineering : ICPE SYSTRA
Landscape Design : LS2
Project Management Coordination : AIA Management
Program
Construction of a third bus depot for Bordeaux Métropole in Floirac, including:
Maintenance and storage for 108 buses (12m, 18m, and 24m) powered by CNG and electricity.
Operations, administration, and dining facilities.
Total area :
8,426 m² (SP)
Cost :
€30M (excl. VAT)
Competition :
2023
Completion :
2027
©Renderings : XO3D, AIA LifeDesigners