Paris, December 11, 2020: The “Jardins du Lou” project in Lyon was awarded the SIMI 2020 Grand Prix award in the category of office parks of over 10,000m². The project, designed by AIA Life Designers and Albert Constantin on behalf of Foncière Polygone, 6ème Sens Immobilier and Lou Rugby, was conceived as a living space to be integrated into the development program for the Matmut Stadium at Gerland made under the auspices of LOU Rugby. Beyond the high-quality real-estate program recognized by the Grand Prix and enhancing the heritage aspect of the stadium designed by Tony Garnier, the “Jardins du LOU” is also a reflection of an innovative model for financing sports infrastructures by calling on real estate.
"The SIMI Grand Prix, awarded for the first development project developed by Foncière Polygone, legitimizes the GL events Group’s positioning as a real-estate player in the development of major sports and event facilities. We are proud of the work accomplished in a spirit of partnership by all the teams participating in this exceptional operation," stated Olivier GINON, Chairman of the GL events Group and Foncière Polygone.
The arrival of LOU Rugby at the Gerland stadium renamed the "Matmut Stadium" in January 2017, gave rise not only to the stadium’s transformation but also that of the Gerland site as a whole. Creation of the "village" (brasserie, boutique, event halls) and the club's training center completed in 2017, the construction of the “Jardins du LOU” office park delivered in 2020, and, in the future, a 150-room hotel, a medical center and an aquatic center constitute a coherent form of development for a new area serving the values of sport, and accessible to the largest possible number of people.
The program, developed in 21 months, represents a total of 28,000m² of office space associated with a parking lot for 378 vehicles, as well as nearly 400 spaces for bicycles and 24 electricity recharging stations.
It is a unique place to live, work and participate in leisure and health activities.
A project aimed at environmental excellence
The bioclimatic design of the project coupled with the use of high-performance systems has enabled us to attain objectives beyond our initial energy targets. “Les Jardins du Lou” demonstrates a strong environmental ambition by aiming for HQE Excellent, BREEAM Very Good, and E+C- E1C1 certifications.
These choices anticipate the future 2020 thermal regulations.
Without forgetting an integrated and respected ecosystem: gabions, nesting boxes, beehives, insect hotels, local, non-allergenic and resistant revegetation and green roofs ... everything has been put at the service of biodiversity.
A sports and health campus in the heart of the Lyon metropolis
Located in the heart of the sports center and the bio-district of Gerland, the “Jardins du LOU” has based its positioning on the themes of "sport and health". The arrival on the site of the Société Générale, the "rugby bank", of Matmut, one of the LOU Rugby’s historic partners, of the Maison Régionale des Sports et de l'Olympisme created by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, has more especially legitimized this positioning. The “Jardins du LOU” is also home to the Crédit Agricole Centre Est and the M6 Group.
A pilot site in France for financing sports and event infrastructures by means of real estate development
The “Jardins du LOU” is located on the area of land of which the Gerland stadium is part, entrusted to LOU Rugby by the City of Lyon since 2017 in the context of a 60-year administrative emphyteutic lease. This real-estate program, which will be extended by building a hotel and a health center and rehabilitating the Gerland swimming pool, provides LOU Rugby with the necessary resources to finance the investments needed for practicing top-level rugby, including the refurbishment of the stadium completed in 2017.
The plan, the only one of its kind in France, supports the development of the club's sports project and its ambitions within the “Top 14” (French rugby’s first division), whilst, at the same time, enhancing the assets of local authorities to which all the buildings will be handed over at the end of the lease.
Through the “Jardins du LOU” and the development of the Gerland site, the GL events Group, LOU Rugby and Foncière Polygone have created a pilot site for financing sports and event infrastructures by calling on real-estate.
Project datasheet:
- Project Management: Foncière Polygone, 6ème Sens immobilier, Lou Rugby SASP
- Architects:Albert Constantin and AIA Architectes
- Promoter:Foncière Polygone, 6ème Sens Immobilier
- Agent company:Eiffage Construction Confluences
- Surface:28.000m² of floor surface
- Works handover date:June 29, 2020
Foncière Polygone Contact: Jean Baptiste Richard : [email protected]
Matmut Stadium contact: Laure Vaissermann : [email protected] / 06 45 74 52 86