The Plaines-du-Loup eco-district, which will eventually accommodate 11,000 people, has opened its doors in Lausanne. Since the beginning of the summer, 200 inhabitants have moved into the two buildings already completed. The public is invited to visit the site on Saturday and Sunday.
‘1140 is the number of households that over the next two years will be packing and unpacking boxes, putting up Billy shelves in the Plaines-du-Loup eco-district. So many people who will discover their new living environment, like the first 200 inhabitants who have arrived since June,” Guillaume Dekkil, head of the Development Office and Metamorphosis project, told reporters on Wednesday.
Never has a project of such a large scale been carried out in Lausanne, continued the syndic Grégoire Junod. Today is the hour of truth. The arrival of the first inhabitants will make it possible to see whether the ambitions and objectives set in terms of the environment, architecture and diversity work and meet their needs. Adaptations will be made if necessary, he added.
15 years to develop the City
Unique in Switzerland, the ‘ambitious Metamorphosis project’ was initiated by the Municipality in 2006, notably with an important sports component. Now almost complete, it has enabled Lausanne to catch up on major infrastructure, said Grégoire Junod. And to mention the football center and the Tuilière stadium, the Malley ice rink and the Malley swimming pool which will be inaugurated soon, without forgetting the future Coubertin stadium.
Regarding the housing component, this very first sector of Plaines-du-Loup, to the north of the City, will continue to develop until 2024. That year, 23 buildings, including a school from 2023, will then be completely completed.
Connected to M3
Two sectors will be added by 2030, allowing the eventual creation of 3,500 housing units. The eco-district will then accommodate 8,000 inhabitants and 3,000 jobs. Strongly favoring soft mobility, it will be connected to the future M3 metro, recalled Mr. Junod.
Another eco-district will follow, that of Prés-de-Vidy in the south of the city, which will include 1,000 housing units. For the time being, archaeological excavations are planned there. “Carried out in a controlled manner” by the City, the whole will meet the requirements of the 2000 watt society, underlined the trustee.
Rule of three thirds
In Plaines-du-Loup, social diversity was favored from the start, with the three-thirds distribution rule: 30% subsidized housing, 40% affordable rental housing and 30% free market housing.
According to Guillaume Dekkil, 18 investors are participating in the project: 520 million come from private individuals and 64 from public funds. The eco-district comprises 146,600 m2 of built space and 20% of activity areas. A car park will include 710 spaces; the bicycles will be able to count on 2000 places then 3000 in the long term. Public spaces will be vegetated at the end of construction.
More trees
“This site of sustainable superlatives” responds to demographic issues but also to climatic challenges, underlined the municipal Natacha Litzistof in charge of housing, the environment and architecture. ‘It is wrong to say that architects don’t care regarding the environment,’ she said in response to criticism of architects in the press and on social media.
And to cite as an example the design of flexible rooms, common spaces, agility in the building to save territory. Without forgetting the local school which will be built with more than 1000 m3 of Jorat wood out of a total of 4000 m3 of Swiss wood.
A new dynamic has been created between architects and landscape architects, who work as a duo and not in a duel, she said. And to recall that the Municipality claims the densification provided for by the federal law on land use planning. ‘We build the city in the city to protect nature and the landscape all around’.
Lien social
As for revegetation, quality green public spaces are planned, made up of species adapted to climate change and promoting the reduction of heat islands. The arborization will be more generous than before: if 300 trees had to be cut down, 400 will be replanted in the long term, rejoiced Ms. Litzistorf.
This eco-district will also be a social bond, said David Payot, municipal officer in charge of children, youth and neighborhoods. The space will allow the involvement of the inhabitants, with the development of collective structures, forums, public spaces, playgrounds, cafes and other places for meetings and activities.
An inauguration with the entire population is planned for this weekend at Parc du Loup as part of one of the City’s summer garden parties.
https://gardenpartieslausanne.ch
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