The real estate developer group CARLE has called on Bordeaux architects Bernard Bühler and Frédérik Dain (Hobo Architecture) to design the IN NOVA tower, a building that will be 55 meters high. Superimposing nine floors of office space and seven floors of housing, it will be the first non-IGH, mixed-use tower in Bordeaux and France. The completion date is planned for the end of 2017.

The IN NOVA tower will rise near the banks of the Garonne in the heart of the future ZAC Saint-Jean Belcier, which foresees the realization of a financial district, activities and housing over 160 hectares. This operation of national interest, whose ambition is to allow the Bordeaux agglomeration to rise to the level of a European metropolis, is currently the most significant in France.

The IN NOVA tower is made of two superimposed cubes. The first, stony and homogeneous, houses 6,600 square meters of office space divided among nine stories. As if it were just balanced on the first, the second cube, airy and delicately colored, offers seven stories of housing. It includes 30 apartments ranging from T2 to T5 duplexes, over a total surface area of 3,200 square meters.

Each apartment has a large terrace with panoramic views. On the 10th story, the great hanging garden offers a unique view of the city, the Garonne and the Ars Gardens.

Fifty-five meters high, IN NOVA is the first project in France that respects the regulations for tertiary buildings and residential complexes without being classified as an Immeuble de Grande Hauteur (IGH) [Super High Building].

This prowess is due to the optimized and sustainable functioning of the two blocks. With the exception of the thermal flows which are pooled, the two cubes are completely independent.

As far as the construction goes, innovation is at the center of the CARLE group project through the use of prefabricated concrete panels. These panels, which directly integrate the insulation and the placement of apertures, should allow for completing the building shell in 80 days, thus minimizing the environmental impacts on the site.

Very close to the TGV rail station and the future LGV, as well as at the intersection of Bordeaux mass transit, IN NOVA will proudly dominate the district and the city.

The IN NOVA Tower in Numbers and Dates:

• 25 million euros invested
• 55 meters high
• 18 stories
• 6,600 square meters of office space
• 3,200 square meters of privately owned housing
• First trimester of 2015: Permitting Stage
• Beginning of 2016: Work begins
• End of 2017: Delivery planned

Are there any mixed-use towers in your community? Is mixed-use development being implemented in your community? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Original article, originally published in French, here.

Credits: Data and images linked to sources.