Best practicesCreated on: 2 April 2026

Rouen (France): Modernity reflected by the impressionists and the port’s history

Goal 8.2

Revising the status of port and City Port heritage to properly reflect the site’s historical significance.

Challenge(s)

How can port authorities construct urban areas adaptable to climate change ?

Best Practice

Port cities share a unique identity that distinguishes them from other urban areas. However, each port city leverages its historical roots to craft an individualised identity. To maintain and capitalise on this dual territorial identity, project planners can integrate emblematic port elements like rails, cranes, containers, etc., into urban designs and architectural endeavours. In the case of Rouen, the headquarters of the Métropole Rouen Normandie employed architect Jacques Ferrier to create a memorable riverside structure that was surrounded by iridescent dichroic panels. 

This good practice also includes objective 1.5 (Making resilience and carbon neutrality a priority in the design and operation of City Port installations with the use of the latest technologies in emissions reduction and CO2 capture/storage) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda.

Case Study

The design of the new Métropole headquarters in Rouen draws inspiration from the city's landscape, seamlessly integrating into its historic surroundings of quays and ports. Its striking architectural profile pays homage to the renovated industrial structures on the right bank, with angular shapes reminiscent of nearby cranes and the bows of passing ships. Designed by architect Jacques Ferrier, the new headquarters opened in the summer of 2017 in the heart of a planned eco-district on the south bank of the Seine.

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