CAR PARK WITH RETAIL SPACE AND ROOF-TOP HOUSING

"In many cases, car parks lie dormant after business hours, creating activity dead zones," Brisac Gonzalez director Edgar Gonzalez said. "The retail and housing will introduce different activities after parking hours."

The architects chose to optimise the space created on top of the building by incorporating a cluster of residences that range in size from one to three bedrooms.

A garden surrounding the apartments will provide a communal outdoor space, while their arrangement around a central courtyard references the layout of typical Bordeaux dwellings.

The houses are to be constructed from lightweight cross-laminated timber that will reduce the structural load on the car park below.

Surfaces inside the four storeys of parking will be painted in bright colours and combined with a customised lighting scheme that will be visible from street level through the building's open sides.

"Rather than introducing a facade, we chose to design a vibrantly painted ceiling," explained Gonzalez. "The car park levels will be less hermetic as there are no facades. There will be less details and materials to consider, which will have a positive impact on the construction cost."

The parking spaces and rooftop residences will look out towards the nearby Garonne River in one direction and the city centre in the opposite.

The site is located at the south western corner of OMA's proposed bridge and public plaza, which will help to attract visitors to the retail facilities.

The car park has received preliminary approval and is awaiting a construction permit to be passed in the summer. It is scheduled for completion in 2016.