MVRDV’s Bastide Niel masterplan creates a new district on the right bank of the Garonne River in Bordeaux, redeveloping a former industrial area and military barracks. The plan retains the historic structures and layout of the district, surrounding these elements with narrow streets for shade and intimacy. The unusual slopes and angled shapes of the buildings were determined using a parametric approach known as “suncuts” that ensures all buildings receive a minimum amount of direct sunlight throughout the year; no building is overshadowed by its neighbour. With its 144 plots being developed by a wide variety of local, national, and international designers, the result is a district with a focus on sustainability, liveability, and historic character – a vibrant update to the urban tradition of the European city.

To ensure the continued health of the project’s greenery, the design provides a route for professional gardeners to access the length of the balconies and provide regular maintenance, with openings placed in the structural walls and steel doors separating the balconies of different neighbours. In a playful acknowledgement of their purpose, these openings and doors take the shape of a person, with a wide-brimmed hat clearly hinting at the silhouette of a gardener.