Heritage et contemporaneity

Patrimoine. English translated the term «heritage», which, compared to the French, excludes any qualitative dimension. «What one inherits,» good or bad, beautiful or ugly, ruined or not.
Dubied The site is a very powerful legacy for Couvet. Powerful by its actual physical control, by its history, its identity dimension. This presence is part of its image, past and present. It must be the same in the future Caught between Areuse and railway, it is an island where one must preserve its singularity whilst improving porosity.

The proposal is a rehabilitation project in the most generic of the term : to rehabilitate would be to restore the site in its own rights. Therefore, here we will “rehabilitate a heritage”, rehabilitate a site which has been left to us and rehabilitate it in its own rights. Therefore this project which questions a place which, thanks to its past experiences, is the corner-stone of Val-de-Travers looking towards the future.

It’s a project is far more than simply ”making a dense, ecological and attractive town” which, of course, it will be anyway. One must find in this site, in its past, in its stones, in the lasting memory left on the Covassons and the Covassonnes, the true local identity which will make it echo in the valley, in Switzerland and, why not, in Europe, It’s Necessary to find in this site in icts past icts stones and memory, the true local identity That Will Make it shine though the valley, in the country and in Europe, just like Henri Edouard’s sewing machines and Henri-Louis Pernod’s absinthe.

Mobility

At the territorial level, the regional train line Neuchâtel  C Buttes is domesticated to provide a Tram Train service (the coverage area of a train, and frequency to the city of a tram): more specifically, the speed of the train is reduced to that of a tram, two new stations (one at north end of the site, already considered, and the other mid-site, at the interpretive center) allow limitations taking speed and improve the service currently limited to the station of Couvet.

Amenities & public space

This limit which today is a Railway in turned into a skeleton: the rails are inserted into the road tarmac (like a tram) and a platform for public space accompanies the track, now in crossable any point.

The Dubied site seems vast however; one can walk from North to South in under ten minutes, a very accessible wide pedestrian time. A unifying public space covers the site giving it a strong identity. It opens on each the side of the site, on the one side along the Areuse and on the other side along the path of the tram train. This public space has a role of a link between these spaces, formerly limits.

Natural limits

The boundary of the site is laterally qualified by two natural elements which are the river and meadow. These elements are integrated into the project by interaction and porosity of the public space. Therefore, on the
railway side, the public space is cut to come aground in the vegetation, bordered on the length by a tree edge.

On the Areuse side, the public space which is found under the cap of the industrial site projects on the water through decks, pontoons and an added deck.

Climate & active metropolitan city

Over 100 years ago, Henri Edouard Dubied planted the roots of a business in Couvet. Today, the training center and business centre are such that transplants of the seedlings have taken over the territory in the making. A pioneer spirit reigned for a century over Couvet. The success of this training center is the perfect breeding ground for the establishment of a campus dedicated to careers in art, where Swiss companies may, as some already do, pick up their new talent, where young companies can install to the beginning of their activity. Adult education, youth, professional development, Couvet can become the source of jobs sought everywhere in Switzerland, but also in the world, whether in the watch industry but also in aerospace, and many high-tech industries.

Europe is de-industrialized but Switzerland is re industrialized, thanks to the luxury sector. Couvet must support its position buffered by the re-industrialization CNIP in this re industrialized.

Observatory mutations

The analysis of this site identifies four characteristics natural to the site. Like four different metropolitan climates, four atmospheres involving four positioning towards heritage, with respect to the existing.

– On the one hand the North of the site hosts a campus in a partially demolished fabric renovated, patched and partially constructed. A touch-up attitude, step by step is applied in order to patch up while retaining core elements like the tower overlooking the Areuse.
– The “car warehouse”, without striking architectural quality is deconstructed to accommodate an unpolluted plate garden, breathing needed in this vast site. The boarder is kept as a marker and recognizable architectural feature. Here, this expresses the reversibility of a site polluted by time which is obtained through public awareness and reclaiming the versatility of the site.
– The bicycle Warehouse has a strong identity, it has been chosen to keep its expression and give it back a heart. Therefore the facades are preserved, the roof disposed and its heart is made denser by houses and shops will be around the periphery to engage with the limits found on the site.
The interpretive centre will the housed in an existing building in the northern part of the site. The public space on the Areuse side will accommodate shops, restaurants and bars. The public space on the railway side the existent ditch will remain and re-vegetate the sporadic kiosks. In reviving the railway, is the mobility of the valley which is restored.
– The tower and bars EDCO which are in good condition are preserved and restored in order to accommodate student housing and office space. These buildings, bow south of the site are the expression of the industrial site. Before them lies a single public space stretching to the existing station. Access and mobility are mixed and softened around the pedestrian. The analysis of the site identifies four characteristics. Like four different metropolitan climates four atmospheres involving four positioning towards heritage, with respect to the existing site.