Spring on Seguin Island

Seguin Island has long been seen as the embodiment of a bygone era, frozen in its industrial period. However, the resilient island has known many states through time. Its wedding with the Renault factories only lasted 63 years in a history that spans 5 centuries. Without trying to obscure the page of its working class history, thinking about the future of the island implies putting these years into perspective in a reflection extended to the time of its existence. To the inhabitants and the neighbouring towns, we suggest a project of life and cultural destination, fruit of all its past and natural transition with its current evolution.

Going back to the origins allows us to understand what the island has to offer that is most authentic and vast. The construction of the Palace of Versailles makes it an "island bridge" on the royal road. For the aristocracy and its surrounding castles, it counts as a popular holiday destination. The island was also the inspiration for many landscapes for the impressionists of the late 19th century in search of nature and light. At the beginning of the 20th century, Parisians danced on the terraces of the "guinguettes" and discovered swimming on its banks, thus tasting new pleasures. One hundred years later, the time has come to reconcile it with its history and its future.

The project invests both in the rehabilitation of Seguin Island in connection with its "peaceful" history and in a new experience of life inscribed in the present time. The approach consists of establishing a new district in an attractive landscape, exceptional housing and a mix of cultural offerings: the springtime of Île Seguin.

Urban and architectural study carried out for Altarea Cogedim - 2016