Songor Street (Rue Songor)

Beauséjour urban development plan

The search for quality in the design of public spaces in the Beauséjour urban development plan goes beyond the project’s landmark open spaces (squares and parks). The streets – often overlooked components of the public realm of our cities –– are equally important in Beauséjour. Serving as links in the rainwater run-off process and the planted continuities they have been designed with care and finished with quality materials which has helped to give the residents of Beauséjour a sense of pride and ownership of their neighbourhood.

Rue Songor is the prototype for streets that also serve as access routes for traffic to the neighbourhood’s housing areas. These secondary streets are almost parallel to the contour lines, with a long, gentle slope to facilitate rainwater run-off towards the greenway and the rainwater harvesting ravine on the grande promenade.

A canopy of plants provides shade and coolness for streets and building facades.

Access routes to dwellings act as obstacles to slow down the water flow, thus facilitating its infiltration into the ground. The private front gardens are landscaped in harmony with the public  bio swales in terms of the buildings’ rainwater management system, and the variety of plants selected.

Client

CBO Territoria

Programme

Mixed-use urban development plan comprising more than 2,3000 dwellings, shops and facilities

Scope

Overall urban design & public realm master plan, and urban park, landscape design  and urban planning.

Location

Sainte Marie, Réunion Island (974)

Design team

TEKHNE (lead designer: head architect), ATELIER LD (lead designer for design development and construction phases) UPAU (landscape architect associate), LEU Réunion (landscape architect specialised in local flora), SCÈNE PUBLIQUE (lighting designer), EGIS eau (roads & utilities (VRD)), CER (dry networks)

Details

Year: 2011 – ongoing //Area: 78 hectares // Cost of work: €27M excluding tax