Grand Large Housing Dunkirk, French Building, Homes Images, France Property Design

Grand Large Housing Dunkirk, France

Dunkerque ZAC Grand Large design by ANMA/Agence Nicolas Michelin & Associés

21 Apr 2014 – new larger photos added to this page

Grand Large Housing and District Dunkirk

Architects: ANMA/Agence Nicolas Michelin & Associés

The Grand Large district has been designed to take into consideration a special urban context: inserted between the city and the sea, between seaside resort aesthetic and port aesthetic, and between typological variation and collective spaces. It extends the overall strategy of the Neptune project, launched in 1991, which aims to reorient the city towards the docks. This transformation of the urban centre has already been broadly achieved. The Grand Large district marks the start of the second phase of Operation Neptune, which focuses on sustainable development.

The 216 homes which make up the first phase exemplify the ecological dimension that has been adopted for a district that will eventually consist of 800 to 1000 homes. The district’s strategic urban plan is based on principles which are inspired by Agenda 21, notably in terms of its social (diverse social mix), environmental (rainwater management, renewable energies) and economic aspects (flexible product use and operational phasing).

The district brings together different building types and includes public spaces on diverse scales: a crescent park with individual houses; the quay with gabled apartment buildings; low-rise apartment buildings with green terracing and the crescent gardens at the heart of the individual lots.

This diversity of building type as well as the related social mix encourages the development of a lively neighbourhood with novel viewpoints: the view of the Grand Large Hotel from rue Degans, the green aperture looking towards the planted ramparts, and the views of the gabled buildings from the quayside.

The district is designed with sustainability in mind and features wind breaks as well as rainwater management systems through a system of roof valleys and park water catchment. The buildings are designed to be energy-efficient. Priority is given to pedestrians, with motor traffic limited to building access roads. Only the Avenue des Bordes is treated as an urban boulevard whereas lateral lanes are reserved for local residents.