De Citadel
At the top is De Citadel: French architect Christian de Portzamparc took inspiration from the city castle. Two intersecting pedestrian streets separate the complex into four quadrants with shops below and housing above. The cantilevered concrete strip has an irregular horizontal relief, a representation of the earth layers deep beneath the passers-by. Like a 'flying carpet', nature is shifted to the upper level, where the sloping lawn refers to the grazed meadows that traditionally form the centre of villages. At the outer edges of the green sheet, De Portzamparc placed terraced houses with flat roofs that stagger in depth, width and height. Central to the ensemble is a six-storey tower with one flat per floor and a separate lift to each dwelling. This 'donjon' completes the ensemble.
