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Six Developments Selected as Winners of Urban Land Institute’s 2022 Global Awards for Excellence
Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the land use profession.
October 17, 2022
Location: Bordeaux, France
Developer: Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Designers: BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group; FREAKS freearchitects; Lafourcade-Rouquette Architectes
Site Size: 2.5 Acres (1 ha)
Located in the UNESCO-listed center of Bordeaux, Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine, MÉCA, brings together three regional arts agencies—FRAC for contemporary art; ALCA for cinema, literature, and audiovisuals; and OARA for performing arts—into a loop, cementing the city as the epicenter for culture. The building is conceived as a single loop of cultural institutions and public space by extruding the pavement of the promenade to become the ramp that leads into the urban living room, the facade with glimpses into the stage towers of OARA and the offices of ALCA, and the rooftop enclosing the sky-lit galleries of FRAC.
Jury Statement: The jury praised MÉCA for transforming underutilized and derelict land into an indoor and outdoor vibrant cultural hub that supports professional artists while engaging the public through interdisciplinary artistic partnerships and innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable design solutions.
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