The harbour basin of Austerlitz is undergoing an impressive transformation as part of the Strasbourg-Kehl region. The availability of large former warehouses on the water, close to the historic center of Strasbourg, and well connected by transport are making the area an attractive place to live and work. The currently empty Eastern end of the Basin is the challenging site for this proposal: how it can be developed as a coherent whole urbanistically, while providing a suitable gesture architecturally at the Eastern termination of the harbour. 

The buildings are optimised to create as much light as possible, as well as a monumental public space facing the basin. In contrast to the former industrial area around it, the development is covered in nature: an innovative system of pots on terraces creates a vertical garden, with different pots of different sizes and materials containing plants of varying sizes, including trees. The plants are watered via an integrated system, and provide a mediating effect on wind and sun for the apartments, offices and hotel, as well as a visual richness unmatched by manufactured facades. The terraces which they occupy become pleasant outdoor spaces filled with nature, and the effect of the whole is of a welcoming urban ‘chair’ supporting both people and plants.