Infinite Circulation
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
How to get around town? On a site where transport and competition are the protagonists given the presence of the Nantes University Hospital Center to the west, and the Faubourg district to the east, the project looks to create new paths for communication, giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists. A path from north to south and another from south to north that meet in the center and forms a velodrome in the city, open to the public and inviting to play.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
Which funds
Description of the project
Summary
As part of a school project as the Master Design et Territoires at L'ESAD LE MANS, we were asked to rethink a public space where a parking lot exists. Being located between two crucial streets that lead to the center of the city of Nantes and to the Nantes Island to the south. With the idea of how to connect center and south, we thought about using bike lanes. Nantes is a city known for being eco-friendly and promoting alternative transports. But just biking wasn't enough. Then public play spaces came as a natural concept to add in the mix. Near this parking there's already a little skate park, really popular among the citizens and the youth. I then decided to extend this environment with a velodrome representing movement, sport, fun and speed. In the center a sunken public park with different microspaces inspired by Babylon's suspended gardens representing the slowing down, the resting after work or training, made perfect sense for a balanced alive and interesting way to create a fun public space that invites everyone to live it. So from a car parking lot that uses spaces just to station vehicles, to a living-resting space for people. The project includes a proposition of new disposition of public traffic, changing the flux for vehicles, augmenting the pedestrian area and vegetation and impacting in lower carbon emissions for the city.
Key objectives for sustainability
Not only targeting for a better experience for the citizens, the idea is also to prevent more carbon emissions by changing the flux of vehicles in these intersections. Because there's so much transit going on, not only withvehicles, pedestrian and bikers but tramway too. So in the extremes of these streets, there's traffic lights and roundabouts that make the traffic stop, which is well known to be one of the reasons of carbon emissions in a city. Where a vehicle is on but not moving, carbon and heat is being concentrated. So this gives the idea of infinite circulation, inviting vehicles to go other way preventing the clogging, making more space for pedestrian and bikes, creating urban space for sports and meeting, and also, adding more green to the city, planting trees and reducing the heat while improving the quality of life of the citizens.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
This project aims to blur the line between function and form, through the creation of new paths, particularly by giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists. A route from north to south and another from south to north which in the center meet to form a velodrome in the city, open to the public and inviting to play sports. Infinite Circulation is a metaphor about the circle of life. It is about living the moment and enjoying the ride as we live it. The ring as a symbol of infinity and eternity but that protects an oasis of green soil, an urban hideout for pausing this accelerated rhythm that feels like a vortex in the modern life. In a way this space invites you in its core to take a break, but also if you like the ride, better to enjoy it while you're at it. Different situations are proposed by the use of the terraces, so that different events can happen in the same environment at different levels, while they are still accessible for everyone. It optimizes the space that is available in the center of the velodrome, and it leaves a potential space for an urban forest to grow.
Key objectives for inclusion
Sports, and more generally physical activity, have been a constant reminder of how people can be universally reunited around one thing. It is about pushing the limits, fun and getting together as individuals or as collectives. So in many levels The Infinite Circulation project wants to mix concepts like transports, quality of living and tactical urbanism as a way to regenerate community and healing through urban public interventions, whether they are meant to be permanent (this project) or temporary (all the events that are expected to happen spontaneously within it). The gardens can also be accessed by ramps allowing wheelchairs without difficulties.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
The Infinite Circulation is a project that takes into account the different needs of city dwellers. It is about transforming an existing site to propose a public space that is both functional and pleasant, accessible to all without restriction. If the introduction of vegetation in the city is necessary to absorb C02, avoid heat islands, reduce soil sealing and allow insects to settle, the presence of vegetation, for its plastic (volumes, colors), decorative (variety of species and scales) and olfactory qualities, is also essential to the well-being of human beings (as we were reminded by the confinement of 2020 !) The Infinite Circulation is an inviting landscape design. City dwellers, individuals or groups, can practice a sport, picnic, stroll, take a nap, organize cultural and sports events and invent new uses. Its rest and activity areas are conducive to social interaction. The attention paid to the environment, under ecological and aesthetic aspects, is thus connected to social issues.
