Work has started on the redevelopment of Lyon Part-Dieu, Europe’s biggest downtown shopping centre.
The redesign, by Dutch architect MVDRV, will add a glass and concrete façade and a green public roof to the 166,000 sq m mall.
The design is intended to open up the mall to neighbouring streets, and turns 32,000 sq m of the car park in additional retail space. The upper levels will have additional restaurants, parks and a cinema.
Winy Maas, MVRDV co-founder, said: "At Lyon Part-Dieu, we draw this facade with big pixels which we hope will give a more human scale not just to the mall, but the whole site.
"In 2020, Lyon Part-Dieu will be both a place for everyday life and shopping, but also culture and relaxation in a reinvented setting."
MVRDV is working with local architect SUD, with BASE as the landscape designer, VP&Green as the façade consultant and Artelia and MEP as project managers.
Work on the project is due to be completed in 2020, with the mall remaining open throughout construction.
Images courtesy of MVRDV
