Neuchâtel

Neuchâtel, a city turned towards its lake, has been shaped over the centuries by gradually gaining ground from the water. The Jeunes-Rives site, where our project unfolds, embodies this dynamic of extension and transformation of the landscape.

This land, now on the lakeshore, was won in several stages: first by dredging the Seyon river, which made it possible to create the Faubourg du Lac, then through the railway works of the 19th century, which gave birth to the Jardin Anglais. Later, the backfilling linked to the construction of the motorway in the 20th century shaped a new space, distancing quai Léopold-Robert from its direct link with the water to make room for a car park.

Our project is part of this history and draws on this strong identity to imagine a new lakeside landscape. It proposes: an ecological garden, in resonance with the ecosystems of the lake; a new urban frontage on the water, housing facilities and living spaces; and a reconquest of the relationship with the water, enhancing ecological continuities and reinterpreting the way each era has designed quays, banks and forms of nature.

The Jeunes-Rives will thus become a place where city and lake meet again, in a sustainable approach that respects natural habitats.