Le Ray

Nice is a city that has been carrying out a series of important transformations of its urban territory in recent years, contextualised in a constant search for regeneration and an increase in the quality of life of those who live, visit or work in this coastal city. One of the areas in which a series of very interesting interventions are being carried out is that of the Quartier du Ray, in the northern part of the city. The neighborhood is particularly linked to the history of the city given the presence of the stadium, now dismantled, where the local team, OGC Nice, played in its early days.

The ambition of the administration and the designers is to regenerate the space left by the demolition of the stadium into a large contemporary eco-district. This program was carried forward with the creation of a magnificent urban park and with the construction of a new concept residential development, Le Ray, where architects and landscape architects worked together to propose an ideal of life in contact with vegetation.

The residential complex, the result of the collaboration between Maison Edouard François and La Compagnie du Paysage studios, consists of 350 residential units distributed in ten buildings, which are located on a landscaped base that covers a commercial space and parking lots. The fulcrum of this complex is the union between artificial and natural, architecture and landscape space, between construction and growth.

Overall, the project is based on two main aspects: the well-being of the inhabitants and immersion in a green urban environment, where the concept of biophilia is carried forward with conviction in every element. The nearby parc du Ray, also designed by La Compagnie du Paysage, is the pulsating center of the neighbourhood, with its almost 3 hectares of surface area, and constitutes an important design reference, as well as the connection of the Le Ray complex with the urban space. To best blend the buildings with the nature of the park, it was decided to let the latter enter the residential complex, blurring the edges and allowing the plants to penetrate to the thresholds of the buildings.

Vegetation plays a fundamental role in the design, declining into four areas of intervention. The first is that of the linear pine forest which acts as a glue with the urban fabric and as a reflection of the park’s vegetation. Maritime pines, umbrella pines and Aleppo pines blur the boundaries of this green island and mediate the transition between Le Ray and Gorbella Boulevard. Walking through the streets surrounding the residential complex, you can already breathe the air of a maritime landscape, immersing yourself more and more in a heart rich in vegetation which in many aspects recalls that of the Mediterranean garrigue.

The extravagant garden constitutes the second vegetal component, presenting itself as a set of Mediterranean and exotic plants that makes its way at the foot of the buildings, outlining the paths and views. This colorful garden, with blooms that attract pollinating insects, creates a veritable treasure chest of greenery that extends beyond its borders, mixing with the vegetation of the nearby park. As its name suggests (from the medieval Latin extravagans -antis), the extravagant garden goes beyond its boundaries, both physically and ideally, going beyond the ordinary with its exceptional ability to transport those who wander along its paths into a reality different from that outside.

The garden is not only on the ground, but also on the roofs of the buildings, creating a thematic and visual connection with the vegetation on the ground. A miniature pine forest of species that do not reach great heights acts as a counterpart to the linear pine forest; a common vegetable garden allows residents to relax and grow their own vegetables, enhancing the design footprint devoted to the sociability of the common spaces.

But the vegetation does not stop at the horizontal space in this project, also colonizing the vertical roofs of the buildings, made up of a locust wood structure which, in addition to performing the screening function, allows plants such as jasmine and climbing roses to expand over the entire surface, contributing to the complete vegetation of the artificial components. Niches and nests have also been installed to help bats and swallows find shelter, as well as rocks that create the ideal habitat for lizards and similar creatures, significantly increasing biodiversity not only of the flora. Rainwater is recovered and reused for irrigation, especially during the dry summer months, allowing significant water savings in a location where water shortages are frequent.

All these aspects combine to create an ideal space for residents, a place that counteracts the heat island effect and makes proximity to nature a winning feature. The challenge for the future in creating an eco-district that can provide ecosystem services starts from this cool oasis overlooking one of the most important cities on the French Riviera.