Opening of the Vauban Docks

11 August 2011 - Events - France

In Le Havre (Normandy), the Vauban Docks were formally inaugurated on 14 October, before being opened to the public the following day. Emblematic of 19th century industrial architecture, the buildings here were erected in 1846 and for decades served as Europe‘s main storage site for coffee; they now house a prestigious shopping and leisure centre. Led by VINCI Immobilier and ING Real Estate on behalf of Unibail-Rodamco, the operation to transform them, at a total cost of 125 million euros, was designed by the architectural firm Reichen et Robert and implemented by VINCI Construction France, together with Eurovia and VINCI Energies. The project involved refurbishing and extending 13 huge buildings (60 metres long, 25 metres wide and 12 metres high); their brick and timber structures support roof structures in timber or steel; they are linked together by courtyards and glass-roofed passageways, laid out in a regular pattern. In all it took 18 months and the daily efforts of more than 200 workers to transform the site while retaining the original external appearance of the buildings. The Vauban Docks offer a total surface area of almost 60,000 sq. metres, of which 55,000 sq. metres are devoted to retail outlets, cultural activities and sport. A “day” zone features, among other things, a vast garden centre boasting a tropical greenhouse, a hypermarket, and shops specialising in homewares, DIY or creative leisure activities, as well as particularly specialised outlets catering for the skiing and sailing fraternities. The “night” zone, for its part, offers a 12-screen multiplex cinema, a bar, restaurants, pavement cafés… There are also two new car parks, with car lifts, providing 1,094 parking spaces. Destined to become the port of Greater Paris, with this operation Le Havre has clearly demonstrated its dynamism and magnetic appeal.