I spent a day at Espace Darwin (with our dog Mia)! The walk to get there was superb. The bridge over the Garonne River, is very wide and muddy. Probably tidal action. There's a tidal bore phenomenon here too.
From the bridge, as I turned to face the left (or west?) bank, I could see the Bordeaux waterfront, modelled on the buildings you see in central Paris, lit up by the still-rising sun. Impressive Place de la Bourse. The steeples of a few churches and cathedrals were the only structures rising above the horizon formed by the upper floors of the buildings.
Next, Mia (our dog) and I continued our walk on the right-hand side of the Garonne, under the canopy formed by the plane trees of boulevard Quai des Queyries, to finally arrive at Espace Darwin.
At the site, everything is re-used. Wood is omnipresent. Workstations (individual or cubicle-style) are made from recycled boards and panels. There are also several relaxation areas with recycled furniture. Outside, artistic installations have been made with reclaimed wood, and are used, among other things, to mask (permanent? hard to say) scaffolding linked to an outside staircase.
I had a chance to chat with Nathalie, who is responsible for the site's concierge service. Founded around ten years ago, the Darwin ecoworking space houses, in addition to a co-working space, around 240 start-ups and associations spread across the premises, which occupy 3 former buildings on a brownfield site. A synergy exists between this space, an Emmaus counter housed there (a secondhand shop), a repair workshop run by a non-profit organization specializing in reintegration, and the incubated companies, some of which are specialized in Greentech and use the Darwin space as a showcase. Rainwater recovery for grey water, 3 in-situ composting sites, geothermal heating, PV panels, etc...
Recycling, reintegration organization, co-working and business support services, startups that benefit from the ecosystem and use it as a showcase, and the commercial sector create a hype that attracts people.
The central courtyard is very lively at lunchtime, with 2-3 cafés. Bars and organized evening activities. Around it, there is a huge indoor skate park and mini-homes: Tétrodon - modular housing designed in the early 70s. They were recovered to house families awaiting their immigration documentation. This is set in a courtyard richly decorated with street art, and next to a skate park.
Here, I'll take a few photos before leaving.
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