A new perspective from the Viaduc Saint-Jacques onto the Saint-Jacques neighbourhood - rendered by Laurent Laroche
Existing view from the Viaduc Saint-Jacques onto the Muraille de Chine - photograph by Alexandre Chemetoff
The project addresses the demolition of the so-called 'Great Wall of China' in Clermont-Ferrand, a 1960s social housing block that has long separated the historic centre from the Saint-Jacques neighbourhood. Its removal raises key questions: What will be revealed? What will replace it? And where will its residents go? The proposal introduces a 5-hectare park system linking the Lecoq garden to the centre, reconnecting two disconnected parts of the city. This green corridor aims to promote sustainable transport, connects to the tram and railway systems, and integrates the newly opened area into the wider region. With the building gone, the once-hidden residential towers behind it will shape a new skyline. Along the plateau’s edge, the proposal adds small-scale housing to reconstruct the park frontage and create a more balanced urban fabric. The strategy integrates various building scales—small and medium-sized homes, individual houses, and storefronts—creating a development that is both responsive to its context and forward-looking.
Existing Site Plan
Project Site Plan
A different kind of square: On the Henri Dunant square, a hall shelters travellers. There are kiosks where you can drink a coffee or buy a newspaper. Fairs and shows will be held there.
Isometric diagrams of the different areas of intervention through the Saint-Jacques neighbourhood
