Commitment 08Read more
City-Port Interface
The City-Port Interface: A Resource for Diverse Development Projects
Revising the status of port and City Port heritage to properly reflect the site’s historical significance.
How can historical port infrastructure be redeveloped to attract residents, visitors, and businesses?
Heritage is a complex concept which refers not just to the background of a building or site but also gives the port-city its place in history and identity. While renovating existing architecture and port heritage may cost more than building new constructions, it is important to consider the possibilities of enhancing the port city’s attractiveness and identity, providing a visible link between the past and present. Moreover, the redevelopment of an entire area can bring a sense of unity and community. This was the plan of Strasbourg when renovating three old grain silos at the Austerlitz port area.
This good practice also includes objective 8.3 (Developing public spaces and recreational or cultural amenities in Port City interface zones to create an appealing new area) of the AIVP’s 2030 Agenda.
In recent years, several of Strasbourg’s old port buildings have been redeveloped. In 2003, the Urban Community of Strasbourg ran a competition to convert some former grain silos into a multimedia library. The silos of the Médiathèque André Malraux library, which were designed by architects Ibos et Vitart, opened in 2008 and currently house some 160,000 documents across 18,000 m². The project took two years and cost €64.5 million, most of which was financed by the Urban Community of Strasbourg. In the new design, the silo was preserved and painted with metallic grey paint and now serves as the main reception of the library while marking the entrance to the site from the old town. Some old brick walls were dismantled to give way to glass panels, allowing natural light into the space and maintaining the visual connection with the river. Additionally, the architects designed to maintain the site’s industrial character, leaving some technical equipment visible.
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