Not many comments, maybe I should have wait to post another thread on St Etienne.
Anyway, here's some pics from The Cité du Design, it's being built on the former national arms factory, most of the old buildings will be renovated and a new one will be added : the "deck" and an observatory tower reminding a coal mine shaft.
It'll have in the same place a school, exhibition areas, a research center, auditorium... its purpose will be to unite all players in the design industry.
St Etienne has already The international biennal event of design, so this project, led by the architect Finn Geipel, will help to achieve the city's goal to become the undisputed design capital of France. (
http://www.st-etienne-metropole.com/The-city-of-design-Saint-etienne.html)
1. The Finn Geipel project(
http://www.agglo-st-etienne.fr/decou...tre_design.htm)
2. GE (the tower is still laid down) and Virtual Earth views (St Etienne is in high res in both)
3.
4. Entering former national arms factory (big part of our industrial past we've just discovered, about 2 years ago, this place as the whole site was surrounded with high walls: nothing should be seen!)
5. Caution: military zone, no trespassing
6. Old buildings on the background and the construction of the "deck" on the foreground
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8. The clock building (missing it has been stolen
)
About just 2 years before:
(
http://vieux.saint.etienne.club.fr/patrimoiMAS.htm#2)
(
http://www.forez-info.com/component/option,com_copperminevis/Itemid,138/place,displayimage/album,7/pos,6/)
9. The observatory tower (28 meters: 92 feet)
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12. Inside
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15. Still a long work to go...
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17. The clock building's back
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19. This part is almost finished
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23. "Street art" ???
24. Optics and Vision research center (part of Jean Monnet University) which has just been rehabilitated built on the GIAT factory site, the recent name of the weapons factory until 2000 when it closed: Groupement Industriel de l'Armée de Terre: Army Industrial Group.
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All these pics except those I credited was taken by me.
