The regional headquarters for Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes sits in a striking building covered in a mesh of copper alloy that has oxidized into a dull gold. This facade reflects the light from the Saone River nearby. Designed by the architect…
Confluence Modern Architecture Walk
Walk along the southern tip of the peninsula to see how a former industrial port transformed into an eco-friendly district of futuristic design. Contrast sharp modernism with historic dock warehouses before ending at the sci-fi Musée des Confluences.
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1. Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes - Headquarters
2. Confluence
The Confluence in Lyon sits exactly where the brown, sediment-heavy Rhône meets the deep green Saône. This sharp triangular point of land remained a quiet industrial zone of warehouses and rail yards for decades. City planners eventually…
3. Place Nautique
The Place Nautique in the Rambaud-Seguin district sits as a man-made harbor carved directly into the banks of the Saône. It features a wide, rectangular basin walled in smooth concrete and stone, designed to bring the river into the heart…
4. Orange cube
The Orange Cube glows like a vibrant, rusted beacon against the gray industrial backdrop of the Saone riverbank. Architects Jakob and MacFarlane hollowed out a massive, perforated sphere from the center of this otherwise rigid, five-story…
5. La Sucrière
La Sucrière stands out as a massive concrete monolith punctuated by industrial loading bays along the Saône riverfront. Constructed in nineteen thirty, this building served as a sugar warehouse for decades, storing raw cargo brought by…
6. Rooftop 52
Rooftop fifty-two sits atop a modern building in the Confluence district of Lyon, where the Rhône and Saône rivers meet. It occupies a space once defined by industrial shipping and rail yards. Today, the terrace overlooks a landscape of…
7. Euronews HQ
The Euronews headquarters features a bright green, double-curved facade that looks like a slice of giant neon sponge. Architects Jakob and MacFarlane designed the building to house a twenty-four-hour newsroom, creating two massive conical…
8. Musée des Confluences
The Musée des Confluences features a jagged, gravity-defying roof made of stainless steel and glass that looks like a metallic cloud hovering over the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. Architect Coop Himmelblau designed the…