Ring

2009
Because of its position between lake and mountains, from the 18th to the mid 20th century, the town of Neuchâtel expanded into successive embankments on the water. That is how the Jeunes-Rives site, along with others, emerged in the 1960s. Neglected since the national exhibition, this site is looking for a new identity.
Soberly, the project seeks to regenerate the vacant site by creating a ring that unveils an area of greenery. A sort of elastic, imaginary membrane, this loop symbolically surrounds and protects the park. Three other interventions in the town complete this strategy, by weaving together the urban continuities needed to revitalise the site. The proposal enlivens the location, and more broadly opens up the question of the definition and appropriation of the banks of the lake.

2010-
Following the competition the city of Neuchâtel gave a commission to the winning team for the development of the preliminary project for the site development of Les Jeunes-Rives (a wide abandoned space between the city and the lake), taking in account the main idées of the competition project Ring. This draft should particularly affirm the idea of a large public park between the city and the lake like a large green space in the heart of the city, to expand the beach and thus extend the swimming area, to build more public spaces opened all year and to make relaxation and leisure spaces available for the population.
The team submitted its preliminary project in spring 2014. And a participatory process was set up to collect the inhabitants point of view regarding the development of public spaces, the facilities offered (number, volume and shape of the buildings), the site’s activities and uses and thus improve and strengthen the project.
The results of this public consultation were presented during December 2014 and are positive with a wide acceptance of the project.
End 2015 the team participated with the city to develop the study credit demand for the project phase. On June 26, 2017, the General Council of Neuchâtel city agreed to finance the development of "Ring" project with the winning team for an amount of CHF 1'500'000.