This is not the first time we’ve been inspired by the Dutch studio MVRDV, known for making waves with their incredible and innovative projects. The latest project to come from the brilliant Rotterdam professionals is ‘Chaise Urbaine’; a true oasis realized in a former industrial area in Strasbourg. The idea comes from the real estate agency Icade, who commissioned the MVRDV to construct a sort of village immersed in green, to hold apartments, stores, offices, hotels , a medical center, plaza and a park. This oasis will cover an area of 31,000 square meters and as one might imagine will have considerable construction costs.
Located near the city’s historic center in a well serviced area rich with attractions, the innovative project will alter the face of the city itself. The project will not be built from scratch but rather by recycling the remains of warehouses and other industrial buildings formerly on the site; repurposing materials in effort to make the project ecologically sustainable. There are three separate structures in all, although none of them will be particularly tall because the architects wanted to preserve unobstructed views of the city’s historic areas and splendid public spaces to residents and shoppers.
The three structures are reminiscent of the exclusive ‘vertical forest’ condominiums constructed in Milan, known and loved for their lavish green gardens in place of typical balconies. The balconies of the high end apartments at Chaise Urbaine will be similar private green oasis, with numerous trees and plant species in colorful blooms that will be watered by a complex and efficient rainwater watering system.
