Morinais new district - The public spaces

The quarter of la Morinais in St Jacques is a laboratory of urban ecology, forerunner of the sustainable district creation.

The new quarter of La Morinais forms part of a larger urban project that finds its foundations in the geography and landscape through the treatment of its public spaces. The places are identified through their relationship with the site and the topography while asserting that they belong to the large landscape unities, the bottom of a valley, the hillsides or the plateau.

The belonging to these geographical statements is expressed in the way to design the streets, to choose the plantations and to manage rain water.

These working themes are developed on different scales, from the public spaces, the avenue, the promenades, the park and the streets to the private spaces, the interior courtyards, the gardens thresholds, gateways…

Water indicative of the territory and urban link

The alternative collection of runoff water supports the public spaces through a series of transportation works, gaps, channels, toughs, gutters. This path of water gives the key to read the topography and establishes the links towards the landscape of the park.

The North / South lanes

The north-south roads mark the wider geographical limits. Thus, the Camille Claudel avenue on the line of the crest, the "military crest" breaking up the slope with the Redon road and the Jean Jaures avenue, the edge of the plateau expressed by Léon Blum mall and at the edge of the floodable zone on the flank of the hill with the 'embankment road'. These limits are treated mainly by the collection of rainwater from each upper area.

The route de Redon

The road of Redon is designed for an evolution of its uses with a change of the main template. Le choice of plantation of four ranks of alignment of oaks inscribes the avenue in the bocage landscape of the entrance of Rennes. Their slow growth is a bet on the future, become possible thanks to the cross profile.

The bridge of Route de Redon spans over the brook of le Blosne revealed by the development of the steam bed.

The blocs of red schist constitute a trap for seeds, favoring a natural recolonization thanks to the vegetal dynamism.

The Camille Claudel Court

Street Senghor

The college forecourt

Charles de Gaulle street

The mall Léon Blum

The rainwater canal expresses the asymmetry of this ancient country lane where young oak trees challenge the 100-year-old ones.

The dike-road

The vocabulary of the materials, the furniture and the plantations is in line with these scale relationships and is shown in the various corresponding typologies.

The whole site is treated soberly with simple materials, coating, concrete, red shale, whose reality finds its foundations in a rediscovered landscape and in special attention paid to details.

The design of stairs leading to water or the rainwater discharges express the main role of water as a resource.

The commercial center parking

The 18m lanes East / Ouest

The mission of Atelier Bruel-Delmar also concerns the communal private spaces in the heart of constructed residential islets which you can reach at 'La Morinais - Residential Islets'. The ecological park of St Jacques can also be seen in a separate chapter.

Sponsor
City of Saint-Jacques
Situation
Quartier de la Morinais, Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande - 48°4’56.22’’N / 1°42’49.37’’O
Partners
Cabinet Bourgois, Roads and networks - Pranlas-Descours, Urban planner
Budget / Area
28 000 000 € / 40 ha
Date
1995 - 2019
Award
Urban Development Prize 1994 - First Price for humide zone in urban area 2011